Growing your own grass
There's nothing better for creative cooking than a wide selection of fresh, spicy herbs. Aromatic herbs are the allies of our dishes.
Small pots, big fun
If you're lucky enough to have a little space in your garden to grow herbs, don't spoil the pleasure. And even if you don't have a garden, many herbs can be grown in containers on your balcony or in pots. A few leaves here, a few stems there, a pinch of parsley on buttered potatoes or a few sprigs of basil on tomatoes - and the simplest dishes become gastronomic treasures .If you use an abundance of fresh herbs, you can even reduce the dose of salt in most dishes.
Storage secrets
To get through the cold season "herb-free", there are various solutions, including drying, freezing or canning. However, not all herbs are suitable for this. Not all herbs can be dried; marjoram, oregano, savory, lemongrass, hypnosis, lovage, thyme or rosemary are even intensified. Freezing, on the other hand, is suitable for virtually all herbs. To do this, cut the leaves into pieces and freeze them in small containers or ready-to-use bags - each herb separately, depending on variety, or mixed together.
©Pixabay
They can also be placed in ice cube trays , where water is poured over them, after which the "herbal" ice cubes are packed separately. In both cases, they must not be thawed before use. Of the traditional methods of preserving herbs in salt, vinegar or oil, the latter offers the most "neutral" taste. Herbs preserved between layers of salt - the golden rule: 4 portions of herb to 1 portion of salt - lose their aroma and can only be used sparingly, due to their salt content. If preserved in vinegar, they will become acidic, which is not desirable for all dishes. With oil, on the other hand, you just have to be careful that they don't go rancid too quickly.
An Indian named "basil
Basil, the "queen" herb, originated in India and is now grown all over the world. In colder regions, this cold-sensitive plant is an annual, as it cannot tolerate temperatures below 10° C for long periods. This herb grows very well as a bush if you don't pick the leaves one by one, but all the shoots together. It's best to use the leaves when they're fresh; if you heat them too long, they lose much of their characteristic aroma. It is therefore preferable to add them at the end of cooking. Basil does not lend itself well to drying, as this alters its aroma. Basil is best preserved by covering the leaves with olive oil and lightly salting them, before placing them in closed jars.
