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Grow Your Own Herb Garden

June 7th, 2009

Growing herbs in a garden has become very popular over the years, and for valid reasons. Herbs have a practical value and are extensively used in cooking. However, herbs aren't just used for cooking, but are also grown for their beauty and pleasant aroma.

An important part of herb gardening is that you dry the herbs before use, especially if you plan to use them for cooking. First the tops of the leafy herbs have to be cut, then washed and hung up for the water to evaporate. The stems are then tied together and hang up in a paper bag to dry. After a few weeks the herbs are removed. The leaves are then crushed into flakes, dried out in the oven and finally stored in a glass jar for use. Let's look at some popular herbs:

Lavender has a beautiful aroma and is used in many scented products such as candles, and also to improve the smell in linen chests.

Mint is a very simple to grow herb and is good to use in everything from mint jelly to mint julep drinks.

A very common garden herb is basil. Dark Opal, which has dark red leaves and light pink flowers, and regular green basil are great additions to any garden and often used soley as decoration. Basil isn’t just used for its aesthetic value, it is also used for extra flavour in tomato juices and pastes.

Two herbs that appear in nearly everyone’s herb garden are sage and thyme. Both herbs are used for flavouring turkey, soups, pork, chicken and other meats. Sage is also often grown just for its beautiful blue spikey flowers.

Chives are visually petite, resembling a blade of grass. However, they are much stronger than they look, and are in fact a very hardy herb. Their sturdiness is what makes chives a perfect plant for herb gardening, especially if you don't really have the time for growing a herb garden. Chives are perfect for use in sauces and salads.

Other herbs you could grow are: sweet marjoram (flavours fish, lamb, soups), chervil (egg dishes), sesame (flavours bread, crackers), and dill (flavours meats and used in pickles).

Growing a herb garden allows you to use herbs for their aroma, in your cooking and for their beauty. You'll also benefit when you grow your own, by having fresher herbs than what you could buy at the local supermarket.