Money-saving, fresh, and healthy
I have always been one who grocery shops for weeks at a time rather than every couple of days. And because I like to cook with fresh vegetables and herbs, quite often I found myself throwing out just as many bags of rotting groceries from the vegetable drawer that I was replacing. Not only was this a great waste of food, it was almost depressing to see how much I was spending on fresh herbs every time I went to the store. And let's face it, with this economy, who can afford to throw away unused groceries?
This year I made it my quest to start an herb garden. I debated whether I should plant my garden in the ground or use containers. Knowing my busy schedule and how little time I have to tend to a large garden, I choose to plant my garden in containers and keep them on my back deck. Not only does it make it easier for me to maintain, but it makes picking fresh herbs convenient when it's time to cook.
With a little initial investment in pots, gardening soil, and plants, I determined that my garden will have paid for itself within two months and that I'll be eating fresh herbs for free for the rest of the year!
Benefits of Herb Gardening
Fresh Herbs Always Available
One of the best benefits of growing your own herbs is having fresh herbs right at your fingertips, whenever you want or need them. When you have your own herb garden growing right outside—or inside—your door, you will always have the right ingredients waiting for you to make dinner-time magic.
No Boring Dinners
Adding a few different herbs to a simple chicken dinner makes it a whole new meal. Your simple side dishes become the main feature. Pasta can be a new adventure on a nightly basis. The results are only limited to the types of herbs you decide to plant and how daring you want to be with your menu.
Good for You
Adding fresh herbs to your diet is a great way to boost your meal’s nutritional value, but that isn’t the only health benefit you can obtain. Gardening is a wonderful form of exercise. All of that digging, bending, and stretching will pay off in tightly toned muscles, and if you keep at it, you’ll also achieve a bit of weight loss and healthily glowing skin.
Save Money
Let's face it, fresh herbs can be expensive when you purchase them individually at the grocery store every time you need them. And the local grocer doesn’t always stock all the herbs you are looking for. When this happens, you’ll need to find a specialty store, where you are going to pay even more. After the initial investment of getting your herb garden started, you realize the investment soon.
Learn
Herb gardening is an educational experience for adults as well as for children. There is always something new to learn, whether it be a new gardening technique, a different recipe, a new and improved use for the herbs you thought you knew so well, or the fascinating history of herbs.
Relieve Stress
Tending, or just visiting, an herb garden can do a world of good toward relieving all that built-up stress that daily life likes to give us. The sights and scents that abound in an herb garden delight the senses and revitalize the soul. Having one at your own home makes it that much easier to get to.
Share the Wealth
Growing your own herbs means that you will always have more than enough herbs for yourself, leaving you plenty of extras to share with friends, family, and neighbors. Just think how popular you will be when you show up at the next dinner invite with a basket full of fresh herbs. Dried, fresh herbs in pretty jars make wonderful gifts too!
Dried Herbs
Drying is the easiest method of preserving herbs. Simply expose the leaves, flowers, or seeds to warm, dry air. Leave the herbs in a well-ventilated area until the moisture evaporates. Sun drying is not recommended because the herbs can lose flavor and color.
The best time to harvest most herbs for drying is just before the flowers first open when they are in the bursting bud stage. Gather the herbs in the early morning after the dew has evaporated to minimize wilting. Avoid bruising the leaves. They should not lie in the sun or unattended after harvesting. Rinse herbs in cool water and gently shake to remove excess moisture. Discard all bruised, soiled or imperfect leaves and stems.
Dehydrator drying is a fast and easy way to dry high-quality herbs because of controlled temperature and air circulation. Pre-heat the dehydrator with the thermostat set to 95°F to 115°F. Areas with higher humidity may require temperatures as high as 125°F. After rinsing them under cool, running water and shaking off excess moisture, place the herbs in a single layer on dehydrator trays. Drying times may vary from 1 to 4 hours. Check periodically. Herbs are dry when they crumble, and stems break when bent. Check your dehydrator instruction booklet for specific details.
When the leaves are crispy dry and crumble easily between the fingers, they are ready to be packaged and stored. Dried leaves may be left whole and crumbled as used, or coarsely crumbled before storage. Husks can be removed from seeds by rubbing the seeds between the hands and blowing away the chaff. Place herbs in airtight containers and store in a cool, dry, dark area to protect color and fragrance. Dried herbs will keep for years, but for best flavor use within a year. Most herbs will diminish in flavor with age and a larger amount will be needed to achieve the desired flavor in cooking. Sage is the only herb that will grow stronger in flavor during storage.
Enjoy the fresh flavors at your dinner table, save money, and take advantage of the health benefits your herb garden has to offer.
Click the Herb Description / Cooking Uses chart below to download and/or print larger version.
