Vegetable Gardening

SPECIAL TREATS WITH HERBS (Vegetable Gardening)

A little herb goes a long way in cooking, so you’ll want to find other uses for the bounty of your herb garden. Herb vinegars, herb teas, herb butters, and herb jellies are easy to make and delicious to use. Herb vinegars Adding sprigs of fresh herbs to vinegar provides wonderful flavor. Pretty bottles of […]

COOKING WITH DRIED HERBS (Vegetable Gardening)

When using dried herbs, first crush or chop the leaves to release the flavor and aroma. Use herbs singly or combine one particularly strong herb with several other milder ones. You can also make a bouquet garni by tying together or placing in a cheesecloth bag bunches of herbs such as celery leaves, parsley, onion, […]

SALTING HERBS FOR STORAGE (Vegetable Gardening)

You can salt away some herbs to preserve them for future use. Use pure granulated or pickling salt, not iodized table salt. This method is most popular for basil, but it can be used for other herb leaves too. To salt herbs down, follow these step-by-step procedures: 1. Have ready pickling salt, paper towels, and […]

HOW TO DRY HERBS (Vegetable Gardening)

Herbs need no pretreatment before drying, just careful selection and gentle harvesting. Always choose the tender, aromatic leaves growing on the upper six inches of the plant. Herbs may be air-dried in paper bags or dried in your kitchen oven. Herbs should never be dried in the sun because direct sunlight destroys their natural aroma. […]

HOW TO DRY HERB SEEDS (Vegetable Gardening)

Herb seeds can be dried by the same method used to dry leaves. After drying, remove the outer covering from dried seeds. Just rub a few seeds at a time between the palms of your hands, and then shake them gently to let the outer seed covering fall away. Store seeds in labeled, airtight containers […]

STORING DRIED HERBS (Vegetable Gardening)

As soon as the leaves are dry, store herbs whole in labeled, airtight containers in a dark, cool, dry place. Coffee cans lined with a plastic bag or tinted glass containers are best, since they keep out light. Don’t crush the leaves until you’re ready to use them, because whole herbs hold their flavor the […]

HOW TO FREEZE HERBS (Vegetable Gardening)

Freezing is a quick way to preserve herbs that will be , used in cooked dishes. Since herbs become dark and limp during freezing, they can’t be used as garnishes — but their flavor remains just as good as fresh. You can chop herbs before freezing, or freeze sprigs and then just snip them, right […]

HARVESTING HERBS FOR STORAGE (Vegetable Gardening)

Herbs can be frozen, dried, or salted for use during the fall, winter, and spring. Depending on the method you’ll be using, you can cut whole stalks, remove just the leaves, or pinch off sprigs for your herbs. The dried seeds of some herbs — anise, caraway, coriander, dill, fennel, and sesame — are also […]

GROWING HERBS: ROBUST AND FINE (Vegetable Gardening)

Some herbs are used only in food preparation (robust herbs); and others can be eaten raw as well (fine herbs). Among the most popular herbs are basil, chives, dill, garlic, marjoram, oregano, parsley, rosemary, sage, sweet marjoram, and thyme. Grow them where you can enjoy their beauty and fragrance, as well as harvest the leaves […]

USING FRESH HERBS (Vegetable Gardening)

You can use fresh herbs throughout the growing season. First, gently remove a few leaves at a time, or pinch or cut off sprigs to be chopped and added to your soups, salads, and sauces. For immediate use, rinse the herbs, pat them dry, and then chop finely. If you can’t use fresh herbs at […]

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