Healthy and Tasty Herbs to Grow at Home

Herbs add flavor and personality to any dish. Herbs fresh in the garden are specifically flavorful. There's a wide variety of herbs that may be grown in your own home, anywhere from pots inside a sunny window to some full-scale herb garden.

Many herbs could be grown from seed that are planted every year. Some herbs are perennial, meaning once they have established yourself they will return every year. Most perennial herbs are grown from young plants, while annual herbs are grown from seed. You can begin seeds indoors in pots after which move them outdoors towards the garden if you want. Herbs often grow well in large pots on the deck or patio.

Herbs are simple to find and can include in your garden plans. Various kinds of herb seeds can easily be bought in home and garden centers, or online sources. There are also small indoor or container herb gardens to help you get started with growing these tasty plants.

Annual herbs include oregano, basil and dill. Some popular perennial herbs are rosemary, thyme, chives, mint and parsley. Many of these herb varieties add fresh flavors for your cooking.

Basil is extremely popular and simple to grow. Basil leaves are utilized in Italian pasta sauce together with oregano. The longer the sauce is simmered, the greater flavor is released in the basil leaves. Fresh basil is an integral part of the delicious margarita pizza, together with fresh garden tomatoes and mozzarella cheese. Fresh basil could be chopped and integrated into salads, pastas and vegetable dishes.

Parsley adds fresh flavor to just about any dish. It's also a natural breath freshener. Try chopping parsley and freezing in small containers to increase your cooking throughout every season.

Rosemary is a strong, robust herb. In a few climates it may be grown like a beautiful ornamental shrub. It adds incredible flavor to lamb along with other meats. Rosemary pairs especially well with garlic - try adding rosemary for your garlic bread, roasted potatoes or another vegetables.

Dill is really a fresh summer annual that contributes zip to salads, breads and soups. It's paired with sour cream or yogurt for dips or perhaps a cool summer soup. It really works well with salmon.

Mint is really a perennial herb that spreads easily throughout a garden. It livens up teas and adds freshness to lush berries and cream. Mint complements grilled lamb and adds a very beautiful flavor to dishes.

Herbs could be dried and preserved for approximately one year. Dry the herbs thoroughly and store them whole, in rigid containers with airtight seals. You may also freeze herbs in Ziploc bags and store for approximately two years. These preserved herbs continues to add life for your cooking long afterwards harvest.

When you plan your vegetable garden, be sure to include herbs. They're an essential the main freshest and many tasty recipes. You will find hundreds of ways to use these versatile plants.

How to Freeze Fresh Vegetables From Your Garden

Every summertime, we plant a sizable garden within our backyard. Once we became more proficient with this gardening skills, the bigger our garden grew.

A couple of years ago, we chose to invest in a large upright freezer to ensure that we could preserve our more vegetables for later use. Freezing is easily the most time efficient method to preserve foods in your own home. It is important to observe that freezing doesn't improve the quality of foods, however when properly tried it can preserve the majority of the quality of the new release.

Here are the steps you need to take to help you freeze your personal vegetables.

1. Choose vegetables which are at their peak of flavor and texture. Avoid any over-mature vegetables or ones which have any type of damage.

2. Wash your vegetables under cold flowing water. If desired, you can buy and use a brand new produce rinse to get rid of dirt, bacteria and pesticide residue that could be on your vegetables. Pat dry.

3. Peel, remove seeds and slice vegetables towards the desired size.

4. Blanche vegetables inside a large covered stockpot of boiling water. Different vegetables need a different period of blanching time.

Water Blanching Times

Cabbage 3 minutes Green Peas 2 minutesAsparagus 2-3 minutesBeans 2 minutes Broccoli 2 minutesCarrots 2-4 minutesCauliflower 2 minutesCelery 2 minutesSummer Squash 2 minutesSweet Peppers 2 minutes Corn 4 minutesEggplant 4 minutes

5. The moment blanching is complete, cool the vegetables quickly to prevent the cooking process. For cooling, drain the vegetables inside a strainer, and then plunge right into a container of cold water. Cool them for the similar amount of time because they were blanched. Drain thoroughly, pat dry and freeze as much as 9 months in re-useable plastic containers which are made for freezer use.

Shelly Hill and her husband enjoy planting an outdoor in their backyard every summer. You'll find some easy recipes by going to Shelly's recipe blog or contact her through her website. Recipe Blog: wahmshelly.blogspot.com Website: workathomebusinessoptions.com