5 Reasons to Start a Herb Garden
Sunday, August 10th, 2008 | Author: admin
There are many great reasons to grow your own herb garden. These 5 are my favourite.
1. Freshness
With the way our markets work these days, purchasing herbs that are “freshly picked” is nigh on impossible. Those you purchase in the grocery store are likely to be days (if not weeks) old and even buying direct from a Farmer’s Market, your herbs are likely to be at least 12 hours old by the time you use them.
Growing your own gives new meaning to the words “freshly picked”. It can be literally minutes from the plant to your pot. The way that vegetables begin losing flavour and nutrients almost as soon as they are picked, those minutes are going to give you a MUCH higher benefit than the hours, days or weeks of those that are purchased.
2. Quality
If you grow your own then you know exactly what has been added to your herbs in the way of pesticides and other chemicals.
Mass produced plants are often lacking in the quality that can be gained from smaller, well-loved gardens.
3. Taste
It’s a well-known fact that homegrown tastes better. This is especially true with fresh herbs.
4. Convenience
There is nothing simpler than being able to pick a few herbs as you need them. No forward planning or running to the store last minute. Not all stores keep fresh herbs either so if you prefer to use fresh (as opposed to dry) then having them growing at home is a wonderful way to keep them available when needed.
5. Cost
Herbs are easy and inexpensive to grow. In contrast, fresh herbs can be quite EXPENSIVE to buy and wastage is common. Growing your own can be a great way to save yourself a few dollars at the grocery store.
Monday, 11. August 2008
Some herbs respond particularly well to being grown in containers. I’d recommend parsley, mint and chives for a beginner as they have loads of culinary uses and survive a little benign neglect!
Monday, 11. August 2008
I have fresh parsley growing at the moment and it’s doing well, so well in fact (as it always does) that I’ll be picking and drying for use when the plants go to seed. I’ve found that picking, chopping, then spreading on trays to dry results in greener fresher tasting parsley.(As opposed to hanging in bunches) And the lovely “green” smell while it’s drying stays with it for longer. How many times have you opened a store bought packet of dried parsley and sniffed at it only to be rewarded with dusty or nothing? while the chopped parsley is on trays, cover with something that breathes and keeps the bugs out, stir it around every day, you’ll know when it’s dry by the look of it. It will still be much greener than if dried in bunches.
Wednesday, 13. August 2008
Kate - thanks for your input. I agree - I LOVE herbs that don’t mind a bit of neglect. Takes some of the pressure off.
River - What a fabulously easy way to dry parsley. I’ve often wondered about drying it but seldom find I’m out of the fresh stuff long enough that I’ve ever worried. I might dry some if I end up with an oversupply though - just in case.