Culinary Herb Garden: You Don’t Need To Be a Chef to Have One
Many people believe that you need to be a chef or at least employ one in order to have a culinary herb garden. However, this is not true. Now everyone can and should have a culinary herb garden and it is not hard to do.
A culinary herb garden is simple to grow whether you’ve got a small space on your counter top or a large yard to plant every herb possible. It is important to understand exactly what a culinary herb garden is because it is not as straightforward as you might think. Not all herbs are created equal. Some herbs are for culinary use while others are for medicinal use and then there are some that shouldn’t be eaten because they are toxic.
Some of the plants that shouldn’t be included in a culinary herb garden are mistletoe, mandrake, lily of the valley, foxglove, belladonna, and arnica. Most of these are fine for external use like Arnica, which is excellent for many different muscle strains and sprains. Things like Foxglove, though, can be fatal if taken internally. Foxglove is a species of digitalis, which is used to treat cardiac problems. If you don’t have heart problems, or you take too much under the prescription of a doctor, it can certainly cause death.
So now that we know which plants to avoid, it is time to discuss the plants you want to include in your culinary herb garden. Some very popular herbs are things like Basil, Thyme, Parsley, and so on. However, other herbs such as Cilantro, which is a common ingredient in Mexican and Thai dishes, is easy to grow and does double duty. Once Cilantro starts to flower and begins to seed, you can pick the seeds, dry them and grind them and you’ll have cumin, another popular spice in Mexican dishes as well as in Indian Curries.
When growing your herbs, the first thing you must do is decide if you will have your garden inside or outside. The ideal place in a perfect world for your herb garden is in a solarium near your kitchen. However, unless you reside in an old Victorian mansion, the chances of that being the case are slim. So short of a big home renovation project, if you are going to grow your herbs inside, try and put them in a sunny location like a windowsill or plant window. Make sure you plant your herbs in containers that drain well in a high quality potting mix. This isn’t the time to skimp and buy the cheap stuff. It’s also imperative to know the amount of water your herbs need. Some herbs need to dry out completely before being watered again, while others like to stay moist.
A culinary herb garden is a great way to begin gardening and it is also a great way to add lots of flavor to your dishes without adding a bunch of unhealthy things like salt, sugar and fat. You can become healthier while punching up the flavor factor in all your favorite meals.
