Herbs: Economical, Extravagant & Efficient

copyright 2010, art of living,PrimaMedia,Inc


Guest Author: Emily Brauchle

It’s been a long day at work, and a luxurious Italian dish sounds welcoming. You pull out the needed ingredients of your favorite red sauce recipe from the pantry and spice cabinet. Wait. The spice cabinet? Could that sound any more predictable? I think not.

Instead, picture yourself walking to an aromatic balcony blooming with fresh herbs from decorative planting pots, and plucking a perfect basil or oregano stem from its place. These fragrant herbs are free from pesticides and chemicals, and they’re costing you about a fourth of the money you would have normally spent to buy fresh herbs at any farmers’ market. These herbs could make your favorite red sauce all the more special.

As the season metamorphosis into spring, the perfect opportunity for planting waggles it’s eyebrows at you as you read this. Yes, planting a garden can be hard work. No, you really don’t have time for all that sweat and weeding, nor do you have space on your lawn to flip into a construction site. It’s just too bad, because you would really love all of those fresh herbs, right?

Well, here’s a secret. Anyone and everyone can easily manage an herb garden. You don’t even need a lawn. Herbs can be effortlessly grown and managed in planting pots (the same planting pots you glanced at in your favorite store few weeks ago to notice the cute color schemes). Seeds cost no more than a few cents, and all you have to do is plant, water, and repeat. If you were to plant some of the basic Italian herbs (such as sage, oregano, basil, fennel, and rosemary for example), the whole garden would cost you about $50-$60 to create.

Mind you, there are a few precautions when dealing with herb gardens. For instance, herbs need soil that is well managed. Don’t freak out. All you would need is a planting pot that has drainage holes in the bottom to let excess water leak. Make sure the herbs get plenty of sun, as most herbs reach a fuller plumage with sunlight. Most herbs are also sensitive to cold weather, so if you’re expecting a frost, just place the pots in your kitchen or foyer for the night.

Come on. You know you want to. Herb gardens are beneficial and economical, as well as a great way to make your food taste better. Go for it and better yourself, as well as your favorite dish.


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Herb Garden or Not.....

Guest Editor: Eliza Chute

My mother’s garden is her new child. Since my sister and I both left for college and now our dog has passed, she devotes a lot of time to our back yard, which has become quite lush with various plants and small bushes. Every time I come home she’ll say, “did you notice the new plant I planted, isn’t it wonderful?”
“Yea, I did.” (No, I didn’t)
I have to say, that I am very surprised that she has accomplished such a feat, considering the fact that she killed almost every plant she brought home in a pot. I think it goes to show that if she can do it, anyone can. I’m not kidding, she killed a bonsai tree.
Besides the beauty and great ambiance of our back deck, there are a few more perks as well. She grows her own herbs. Instead of paying 3 dollars for some basil from the grocery store, that will only be useful for about 24 hours, she can just go into her garden and pick her own. Sounds pretty easy, right? All she did was buy the plants and transfer them to her garden. According to her, it’s important to have good potting soil. She also gives a helpful hint, which is to put the plants together that need the same amount of moisture, then you are less likely to drown them. It really does look like anyone could do it. I personally am tempted to try it myself, but I’m not sure I’m that ambitious.

Fragrant Rosemary in Your Garden.

Rosemary is one of, if not my favorite fragrant herb. Of all the plants I miss from my garden in Italy- it is my organic rosemary that I miss the most. It is the herb that adds most flavor to many of my dishes.
Tuscan roasted potatoes and bean soups cooked in terracotta pots with small branches from my rosemary plant are all flavorful memories of our kitchen there.

Here are some tips on growing your rosemary indoors here while the temperatures dip..
Once the fall is over and temperatures begin to dip to 30 degrees or less, it is time to bring your plant indoors.

Successfully growing rosemary indoors requires good sunlight-the more the better- and ideally southern expoure.
If the plant is large, rotate it weekly so all sides of the plant receive sunlight. Wiry growth often indicates inadequate light. And if you can't increase natural light, consider using artificial light. You can also prune plants to encourage bushiness. Sometimes indoor plants develop mildew because of a lack of air circulation. If this happens, run a small fan 3-4 hrs a day.
When rosemary is planted outdoors, insects aren't a problem. But inside spider mites are more likely to cause trouble. If this happens, wash plant with an all natural insecticide soap until plant is healthy. Rosemary grows best at cool indoor temperatures, around 60 degrees

Hope you have good luck with your rosemary plant!
Look through the recipes and find something to add your rosemary to and create flavorful memories