No home chef setup is complete without some sort of fresh herb garden. Whether it be a kitchen window garden or containers throughout your yard, fresh herbs go a long way for any dish. Plus there is some intrinsic connection between desiring a specific flavor and returning to the earth to collect it to add to your meal.
Therapy through gardening; enough said.
Over the years, I've added and subtracted from my herb garden. Other than the plants that won't make it more than a season, I keep my herb garden in containers as I tend to lead a semi-nomadic lifestyle. Being able to move my hardy herbs, like rosemary and oregano, allows me to maintain the ability to have a micro herb garden on the go.
Not too long ago I gifted a friend a bouquet of herbs as a foodie present. It contained a snip or sprig of everything I had to offer. Starting with the purple sage at noon on the plate above, going clockwise the bouquet had some peppermint, lemon balm, more peppermint, rosemary, two types of oregano, lavender, chives, tarragon, and two types of thyme (center). I also have some chamamile, but didn't add it to the gift as it is making its comeback at the moment. In a few weeks, I hope to make an even bigger herb bouquet with the addition of cilantro and basil, my seasonal herbs.
As I may have told you before, I am super blessed in that a neighbor a few streets over runs a full fledged nursery from her large yard. If you're a Eugenian and are on the hunt for some starts for your garden, stop by her facebook page for info/details and pay her a visit. Trust me, it's worth it! She has some of the best starts and plants in town. Happy gardening!
