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Never Buy Herbs Again.
Herbs are a great way to flavour almost any meal, but buying them from the supermarket or greengrocer can be expensive. A more cost effective option that adds money to your pocket and flavour to your meals is to grow and dry your own herbs. It can also be tons of fun, especially if you have children who can help.
Don't believe me? Well a punnet of parsley plants is $3.95 and will give you parsley forever if you look after them and keep picking it. A bunch of parsley from the supermarket costs $3 (or $5 if you want organic), a pre-packed punnet costs $3 but it weighs just 15 grams (that makes it a whopping $200 a kilo!), a jar of dried parsley costs $4 and weighs just 8 grams (and are you sitting down, because that equates to a whopping, humungous $500 a kilo!).
Do the comparisons for other herbs you use - garlic, chives, rosemary, oregano, thyme, sweet basil are my basic herbs - and see just how much money a productive herb garden will keep in your purse.
Fresh herbs have a benefit over the dried ones you buy in the supermarket. If you have a sunny spot and some good soil or potting mix, you can grow your own herbs at home, and now is the time to plan your herb garden and get it ready for planting.
Growing from seed is the cheapest option, but you can buy seedlings from the plant nursery if you don't want to wait a couple of extra weeks.
Choose the herbs that you use most to season food and grow them in between vegetables or flowers or in small planters. You don't need a lot of land to have a beautiful and prolific herb garden at your back door.
You can grow herbs in garden beds, or pots, or hanging baskets, or pot towers or even a bucket or ice cream container or an old boot - anything that will hold some soil and allow drainage; you don't need anything fancy or expensive to grow herbs.
Planting rosemary in a pot next to your back door will not only remind you to pick some to season the lamb roast but will also help to keep flies away. Having a pot of basil on the kitchen window sill will encourage you to add some to your pasta sauce. Oregano growing near the bbq is handy to add when cooking sausages for a delicious flavour. Mint in a pot near the garden tap will always do well, especially if the pot catches the drips from the hose and it makes great sauce and a refreshing iced tea to enjoy on a hot summer day.
When growing herbs, treat them like any other plant. Pruning and cutting back the leaves brings even more leaves. As you cut and use fresh parsley, chives, basil, oregano, rosemary and thyme, they will continue to grow. In fact, the herbs may grow faster than you can use them, so share some with friends and neighbours.
Another alternative to letting the extra go to waste is to dry your fresh herbs. Dried, fresh herbs lose their moisture, but still retain the entire flavour of a fresh plant. You'll now have herbs to last for months to come and you can share them with others once they are dried as well.
Begin with your equipment. You'll need a place to dry them. You can use wooden or wire racks. That cooling rack you use in the kitchen for biscuits and cakes is perfect for drying herbs. Gather together a colander, some cheesecloth, paper towels and some string.
All herbs to be dried should be washed and rinsed in cold water. A colander is perfect for this because the water can drain out the bottom. Use paper towels to pat each leaf and stalk until dry of any visible moisture. If you have a salad spinner very carefully spin dry a few stalks at a time.
Herbs can be dried in many ways. If you only want the leaves, remove the stalk and lay the leaves on a drying rack. Depending on the size of the leaves, you may need a wire rack for them as opposed to a cooling rack from the kitchen.
Herbs can also be dried in bunches. Tie them with string at the stalks and hang them upside down on a nail to air dry. This can be accomplished outside or indoors, but should be done in an area that is ventilated with no humidity. Humidity will help your herbs to retain their moisture and prevent drying. Under the eaves on a north or west facing wall is good for this. Use cheesecloth to cover herbs on a cooling rack if you plan on letting them dry outside.
If you are impatient or just in a hurry, you can use the oven for faster drying. The temperature should remain low (around 120 degrees). Gently touch the leaves every half hour to test for dryness. The microwave oven is an alternative, but you will have to be careful not to shrivel them up.
Dried herbs will keep for a six months, officially. Unofficially, if they are completely dried they will keep indefinitely. After six months or so though, the flavour begins to fade. If you find that happening, adjust for taste by using more of the herb - easy!
Herbs should be stored in airtight jars or plastic containers, just be sure to label them so you know which herb is which, when they are in leaf form, dried herbs look amazingly similar. In order to keep the herbs dry and avoid molding during storage, be sure to seal the containers air tight.
Herbs season food in many unique and yummy ways. Growing them, then drying herbs allows you to savour the flavour and at the same time you are saving money and getting pleasure from a pretty but useful garden.
It just makes sense to grow your own herbs!
Don't believe me? Well a punnet of parsley plants is $3.95 and will give you parsley forever if you look after them and keep picking it. A bunch of parsley from the supermarket costs $3 (or $5 if you want organic), a pre-packed punnet costs $3 but it weighs just 15 grams (that makes it a whopping $200 a kilo!), a jar of dried parsley costs $4 and weighs just 8 grams (and are you sitting down, because that equates to a whopping, humungous $500 a kilo!).
Do the comparisons for other herbs you use - garlic, chives, rosemary, oregano, thyme, sweet basil are my basic herbs - and see just how much money a productive herb garden will keep in your purse.
Fresh herbs have a benefit over the dried ones you buy in the supermarket. If you have a sunny spot and some good soil or potting mix, you can grow your own herbs at home, and now is the time to plan your herb garden and get it ready for planting.
Growing from seed is the cheapest option, but you can buy seedlings from the plant nursery if you don't want to wait a couple of extra weeks.
Choose the herbs that you use most to season food and grow them in between vegetables or flowers or in small planters. You don't need a lot of land to have a beautiful and prolific herb garden at your back door.
You can grow herbs in garden beds, or pots, or hanging baskets, or pot towers or even a bucket or ice cream container or an old boot - anything that will hold some soil and allow drainage; you don't need anything fancy or expensive to grow herbs.
Planting rosemary in a pot next to your back door will not only remind you to pick some to season the lamb roast but will also help to keep flies away. Having a pot of basil on the kitchen window sill will encourage you to add some to your pasta sauce. Oregano growing near the bbq is handy to add when cooking sausages for a delicious flavour. Mint in a pot near the garden tap will always do well, especially if the pot catches the drips from the hose and it makes great sauce and a refreshing iced tea to enjoy on a hot summer day.
When growing herbs, treat them like any other plant. Pruning and cutting back the leaves brings even more leaves. As you cut and use fresh parsley, chives, basil, oregano, rosemary and thyme, they will continue to grow. In fact, the herbs may grow faster than you can use them, so share some with friends and neighbours.
Another alternative to letting the extra go to waste is to dry your fresh herbs. Dried, fresh herbs lose their moisture, but still retain the entire flavour of a fresh plant. You'll now have herbs to last for months to come and you can share them with others once they are dried as well.
Begin with your equipment. You'll need a place to dry them. You can use wooden or wire racks. That cooling rack you use in the kitchen for biscuits and cakes is perfect for drying herbs. Gather together a colander, some cheesecloth, paper towels and some string.
All herbs to be dried should be washed and rinsed in cold water. A colander is perfect for this because the water can drain out the bottom. Use paper towels to pat each leaf and stalk until dry of any visible moisture. If you have a salad spinner very carefully spin dry a few stalks at a time.
Herbs can be dried in many ways. If you only want the leaves, remove the stalk and lay the leaves on a drying rack. Depending on the size of the leaves, you may need a wire rack for them as opposed to a cooling rack from the kitchen.
Herbs can also be dried in bunches. Tie them with string at the stalks and hang them upside down on a nail to air dry. This can be accomplished outside or indoors, but should be done in an area that is ventilated with no humidity. Humidity will help your herbs to retain their moisture and prevent drying. Under the eaves on a north or west facing wall is good for this. Use cheesecloth to cover herbs on a cooling rack if you plan on letting them dry outside.
If you are impatient or just in a hurry, you can use the oven for faster drying. The temperature should remain low (around 120 degrees). Gently touch the leaves every half hour to test for dryness. The microwave oven is an alternative, but you will have to be careful not to shrivel them up.
Dried herbs will keep for a six months, officially. Unofficially, if they are completely dried they will keep indefinitely. After six months or so though, the flavour begins to fade. If you find that happening, adjust for taste by using more of the herb - easy!
Herbs should be stored in airtight jars or plastic containers, just be sure to label them so you know which herb is which, when they are in leaf form, dried herbs look amazingly similar. In order to keep the herbs dry and avoid molding during storage, be sure to seal the containers air tight.
Herbs season food in many unique and yummy ways. Growing them, then drying herbs allows you to savour the flavour and at the same time you are saving money and getting pleasure from a pretty but useful garden.
It just makes sense to grow your own herbs!