Herbs For Modern Living

Most of us find the fragrance of lavender or roses pleasing, but few of us realise the emotional uplift these plants provide is due to more than their scect and beauty.  Plants releces potent essential oils, which affects our nervous system in ways that are not yet understood. 

Growing your own food and herbs can be very rewarding. There is nothing like going outside and harvesting the tastiest part of your meal. Serving the fresh fruits and vegetables helps you to know your family is getting wholesome food. There are hundreds of herbs that are available to grow, choosing which ones to start with can be overwhelming so here are my:

Here are some herbs that are easy to grow and come in handy in many recipes

Basil is one of the easiest herbs to grow. You can plant it in a small pot to keep in your kitchen window. It can also be grown in an outside garden or greenhouse. There are several varieties of basil to choose from. The most common is Sweet Basil. This is what you get if you buy Basil from a store. Basil is great to use in any Italian or Mexican recipe. It compliments any recipe that uses tomatoes. Other types of Basil includes Lemon, Cinnamon, and Greek.

 Another valuable kitchen herb is Chives. This herb can be cut up and used in soups.  Baked potato would not be complete without sour cream and chives. You can use Chives fresh or dried. Another variety is called Garlic Chives because it has a strong garlic flavor. Also great to flavor oils or pickled in salt water like they do in cold climate to preserve them for winter.

Cilantro is an herb that is commonly used in Mexican dishes. In addition, the seeds can be used to make curry powder. The dried seeds are called Coriander. This herb is also called Mexican parsley and can also be used in Oriental and tomato dishes and in pickles. Grow this herb in full sun. An herb that is used abundantly in Italian dishes is Oregano. It is also used in Mexican dishes. It is relatively easy to grow.

 Parsley is incredibly easy to grow. You just have to be patient because the seeds take at least 6 weeks to germinate. It grows well in containers or out in the home garden. Parsley can be used as a garnish as well as an ingredient in many dishes. There are several types of Parsley including flat and curly leaf varieties.

 A very popular herb to grow in the kitchen is Rosemary. It can be used with meat, poultry and vinegars. It is also a popular ingredient in sache.ts because it has a strong, fresh odor. Rosemary is extremely difficult to grow from seed. However, it is easy to find starter plants of this herbs.  The leaves may be used fresh or dried.

Garlic is one of the most versatile of all seasonings.  For salads , rub your salad bowl with a cut clove of garlic. then prepare the salad as usual, when you toss the salad it will pisk up the delecate flavour of the garlic.  Use generusly in pot roast, with most meats, poultry and game, and in stews.  Crushed garlic added to viniger makes a great ingredient for salad dressing.

THYME has its own spesific taste and blends well with lots of other herbs.  Thyme is popular in seasoning  meat stews,, vegetables dishes, salads, scrambled eggs, stuffings, meatballs, and all tomato dishes.  Fresh from your own garden or dried from the supermarket, this herb is one you should have on hand all the time as it has so, many uses and is also good for your health.