Search engine visitors - click here to access entire "$ensible Home" web site

"Growing flavorful herbs in your backyard"

Unlike my regular format, there is no column associated with this bulletin because it did not appear in the newspapers. The following is the introduction of the actual Update Bulletin No. 607.

{short description of image}

An easy-to-grow bread garden planted with a variety of herbs can provide an abundance of leaves, flowers and seeds that can be added to your baked goods. Many of these herbs also make a wonderful herbal tea that you can sip and enjoy with your breads.

You can use dried or fresh herbs that you harvest from your own garden. Add them to home baked breads, cookies, cakes, biscuits and waffle or pancake batters. Fresh herbs mixed with pastry for quiches or vegetable pies adds a wonderful flavor. Make herbal butter or cheese spreads by adding fresh or dried herbs. Try mixing mint leaves with soft butter and cream cheese for a sandwich spread.

Mix herbs with honey to spread on a warm piece of home baked bread. Adding ½ teaspoon sage and the grated rind of 1 lemon to 1 cup of honey makes for a very tasty and interesting spread. Dried and fresh herbs can be used interchangeably in most recipes. Use three to five times more fresh herbs than dried. This depends on the strength of the herb and your own taste.

Soak dried herbs for several minutes in liquid that will be used in the cooking to bring out the flavor. Keep fresh herbs in jars filled with an inch of water. Cover with plastic and refrigerate for up to two weeks. Or wrap in paper towels, sealed in plastic bags in the crisper of the fridge.

Instant Download Update Bulletin No. 607 - selection guide and growing instructions for 18 herbs to use in baking breads, herbal butters and cheese spreads, flower colors, plant types (annual, biennial, perennial), hardiness zones, plant heights, spacing, soil recommendations, flower shapes, bloom times, spacing, propagation techniques, harvesting/drying/storage methods, herb garden design and recipes.

Choose Among the 30 General Topics Lists