Shopping for groceries yesterday (stockpiling like a maniac, really, because we are once again expecting the kind of winter weather that keeps people home for a week) I passed by a stand of “fresh” herbs in the produce section. I use the word fresh so loosely here. Did you hear my air quotes? Because I was laying it on pretty thick. They were suffocating in little plastic coffins, wilted, sad, barely retaining any shade of natural green. Like puppies at the shelter who know they are unlikely to get adopted. Depressing. It got me thinking about how much I want you to join us in growing your own herbs this season.
Last year I designated a paisley-shaped curve of earth near my kitchen door as the Lazy W herb garden, and I have never been happier about a gardening decision in my life. For months it yielded color, fragrance, flavor, all kinds of beauty and repose, efficiency, imagination, just everything you want from a small garden. And having it nearby was so fun! I could be in the middle of cooking a meal, decide I needed an herb, and just walk outside barefoot to snip a generous handful of something for free. Never even had to untie my apron.
How do I convince you it’s worth the effort? When dried herbs are so abundant and soon enough “FRESH” herbs (cue dramatic eye roll) will look ever so slightly better at the stores, what will nudge you to decide that you too need a small corner of paradise to grow your own flavors? Well I’m gonna try.
If you grow your own savory herbs like parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme, you’ll always have piles of the gorgeous stuff just begging to be thinned and used up in the kitchen; no more doling out those precious leaves one at a time. Your recipes will take on a whole new level of deliciousness. And your family will never grow tired of you singing Simon and Garfunkel songs while you cook. Pinky promise.
If you grow you own basil (and my gosh you really truly SHOULD. Why aren’t you?), you will be able to whip up a blender full of bright green pesto at a moment’s notice. Your pasta will never be the same. Your visits to Italian restaurants will take a sudden and sharp nose dive because no sauce there will ever taste as good as what you simmer in your own pots. You’ll stop wearing expensive perfume because you are so enchanted with the way your fingers smell after harvesting a flirty bouquet.
If you grow frivolous herbs like chocolate mint, it really increases your fairy tale powers. You become much better at telling stories to small children. You crave less diet coke and more hot tea. You do more yoga. Everything is better when you grow these odd little herbs.
Have I persuaded you a little? Because it’s early February, friends. Time to plan your garden. Time to sit with a cup of perfect coffee or hot tea and dream up what you’d really like to be harvesting soon. What do you use lots of in your recipes? What would you like to use, if it were less expensive at the store? What superpowers in your arsenal need amplifying? Fresh herbs are the answer. Real fresh herbs, not air-quotes fresh herbs.
Stay tuned here for detailed posts about building your own herb garden and drumming up your own cloud of culinary magic. It’s gonna be so fun.
All Hail Basil!
XOXOXOXO
Yes I’ll do it!
Now…what do I need? An ice tray??
ha! Yes. An ice tray. And maybe a book by Ann Rule.
Yay for Mama Kat growing more things this year! xoxoxo
And it results in such yummy food!
oooh I am so glad you think so, Handsome… xoxo
I love this post. I love any information getting out to the public about how cheap they can grow their own herbs, and how much BETTER they are because they did. Love, Me
oh thank you RDK!! it is gonna be an amazing year for the garden, even better than 2013. I can’t wait to get together with you! xoxo Llama poo is waiting.
Gosh, I think you convinced me. But I’m seeing beautiful pots overflowing with herbs on the deck right outside my kitchen. Yes, then I can keep and eye on them and move them into the house for the winter.
I actually have chocolate mint growing back by my fountain. Beyond the chocolate is a Tudor house. Very fairy tale-esque! I will think about the symbolism of this.
yay Elizabeth! Honestly I think pots on your deck overflowing with fresh herbs are perfectly magical. I want to hear more about this Tudor house, too. : ))
I’m not convinced yet, but maybe a detailed post will nudge me. (HINT HINT)
haha!! Okay. Detailed post in the works, dedication already decided. xoxo Fresh herbs for Brevard!!
Marie, I have no clue about growing anything except weeds, and I just let those take care of themselves. 🙂
So, here’s my question as I eagerly await your detailed posts. Can I grow herbs in pots/planters on a patio? This would be the only way I could garden.
Hi there! Yes for sure. I think lots of people prefer to grow herbs this way, so go for it!! I will definitely include some patio ideas in this fabled “detailed post…” haha! So glad you’re interested, it is the best. xoxo
I gardened when my girls were young – vegetable, fruit, and flowers.
When I garden again, I shall be the old woman with a flowered sun dress, a purple sun hat, and rain boots. Herbs will be my specialty – inspired by you. 🙂
aww Juli what a great image! I know that whenever you pick your spade up again, those little daughter-garden memories will flood your heart. For me it is the best feeling. My girls are almost grown too, but they gardened with me for years.
So happy you stopped by! xoxo