Description
Whether a beginner in the herb garden or an experienced gardener, you will find this book filled with exciting ideas for growing and using herbs.
Your herb garden can be your own personal expression, a private spot for meditation, or a family project. Your herb garden can be as small as a patio planter or as big as a field – the choice is yours. Your garden can be simple and precise, or elaborate and wildly imaginative. Whether you want an attractive herb garden, or prefer to grow cooking herbs in containers on your deck or patio, you will find lots of good ideas and information here.
Before beginning your garden, decide how you plan to use the herbs from your garden. Admittedly, most people getting into herbs are interested in the culinary herbs to cook with, but the possibilities don’t nearly stop there. You could have a fragrance garden for sharing with birds and butterflies. You might want a cosmetic or medicinal herb garden to grow herbs for beauty and health. Or perhaps you imagine a tea garden or a pizza garden for your kids or grandkids. There are so many options, and all of them are good. You’ll delight in discovering many of your herbs are multi-purpose.
Your herb garden can be planned on a shoestring budget or carried out on a grand and elegant scale. The plants and seeds cost almost nothing; the ideas are free. The highest costs will likely come from how you carry out your design. In the following pages, I offer several simple design ideas for you to choose from and expand upon in your own garden.
Regardless of how you choose to grow your herbs, don’t be intimidated. Learn as you go, and make it fun!
Here’s a sample recipe from the book:
Rosemary-Orange Chocolate Chip Cookies
I created this recipe to use in a kids’ cooking class. It’s a good way to introduce kids, or even novice adults, to the flavor of rosemary by combining the herb with 2 favorites: chocolate and oranges.
2 sticks (1 cup) butter, softened
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 1/4 cups flour
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
2 cups (12-oz. pkg.) semi-sweet
chocolate chips
2-3 teaspoons chopped fresh
rosemary leaves
Grated orange peel from 1 orange
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Mix flour, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl and set aside
3. Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla in a large mixing bowl
until creamy.
4. Add eggs and beat.
5. Add flour mixture, stirring well.
6. Stir in chocolate pieces, rosemary, and grated orange peel.
7. Drop by rounded tablespoons onto baking sheets.
8. Bake for 9 to 11 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on baking sheets for
2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely. Makes about 2 dozen
cookies.
