How to Use Your Herb Garden
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Preparing to cook: rosemary, thyme, sage
Use the herbs from your garden in your cooking. Chopped or whole, herbs are not only a garnish but also add a lot of flavor to your dishes. Use within marinades, rubs, sauces and soups. Chop matchstick chives, parsley leaf and tarragon, and mix with a little lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper to make a small herb salad for fish. Chop lemon balm, thyme and parsley, then toss in olive oil, salt and pepper for a poultry marinade. Rosemary and thyme make good rubs for steak or ribs. Cilantro pulls together homemade salsa, guacamole, gazpacho and other ethnic dishes. Try different combinations of your favorites to create new flavors. - 2). Add herbs to salads. Chopped chives and parsley enhance a mixed green or Nicoise salad, and citrus or chocolate mint embellish a fruit salad. Add various herbs to potato, pasta, chicken and tuna salads. Make pesto with basil. Use mint to add flavor to fruit salads, desserts or cocktails. Raw herbs can be sprinkled into almost any dish for flavor and will add flair and aroma as a garnish.
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Herbed oils
Make an herbed oil. Lightly infuse oil using fresh herbs from the garden and appropriate spices to intensify flavor. Rosemary, thyme, sage, chive and oregano supplement olive oil well. Use to cook meats and vegetables, to mix into salad dressings or to finish plates and add fragrance. - 4). Use dried herbs to create fragrant aromas around the house and then use them to season soups, stews and marinades. Hang them around your kitchen in decorative bunches to dry out; you will be able to enjoy the pleasant scent and also appreciate the spices once they are ready for use.
Certain herbs, such as rosemary and mint, release an odor that can be used to repel insects and animals from feasting on your garden. - 5). Use herbs for medicinal or health purposes. Plants like ginger are thought to offer heart and cholesterol benefits, relieve arthritis pain and ease an upset stomach. Anise is a good source of iron and has respiratory health benefits. Lemon balm is said to lower cholesterol, fight headaches and calm nerves.
Enjoy your herb garden by trying new plants each year. Test out new flavors, use different methods of cooking, and appreciate the beautiful scents and the added health benefits.
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