Okay, so I should have started this blog in the early weeks of March, right before any sort of gardening or planning can occur. Because one of the best ways to have culinary cuisine on a shoestring is to have a garden from where you can glean the best, freshest -- and most likely -- organic produce you can find.
I myself love herbs. I love using fresh herbs on anything be it potatoes, meats, pastas, fruits, and desserts. But alas, dried herbs cannot compare to the fresh herbs you can use. And of course, buying herbs at the grocery store is expensive. It's highway robbery to buy a bunch of cilantro for $2.50, when you might end up using only 1/4 cup at a time, and during that time, unless you properly store your herbs, the leaves start to wilt and get soggy by the time you remember to use them again. Having cilantro grow in your garden for a small investment of seeds or seedlings is so worth it.
If you don't have access to the great land of your front or backyard, container gardening is the way to go! For years I lived in a one-bedroom apartment with a balcony that was just plain old cement. My husband and I grew everything imaginable in five-gallon planters. We grew tomatoes, peppers, and of course, herbs. And as the fall and winter months came, we were able to bring the herbs into our home and continue to use them all year round.
Feel more on the cheap? If you know someone that has their own herb garden, politely ask them if you can snip a few strands. Place them in a small plastic bag with moist paper towel. When you get home, simply put one type of herb in a glass of water. Be sure not to mix up the herbs or after a day, you'll get that slimy water that you might see in a bouquet of flowers. after a few days, notice if any of them have fine white roots growing. Plant these in small pots with soil and voila, you started your own herb garden. Keep misting the little plants while they start to take root.
In my garden, I have to have the following: oregano, sage, thyme, mint, lavender, basil, cilantro, and parsley. Remember that mint and oregano can take over a garden so you need to be careful where you plant them. For us, we let them grow and then dry a bunch of them. Oregano and bay leaves are actually better when they are dried. They flavor is more intense. And as for mint, we dry them and keep it for mint tea.
You might have read somewhere that you can freeze herbs in ice cubes for a punch of flavor when cooking. I have yet to try that, since I carefully just freeze herbs as is.
Believe me, you will impress your guests when you serve food with fresh herbs. They'll think you spent a fortune at the grocery store!
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