Herbs play an important part in cooking and flavoring food,nothing beats the flavor of homegrown herbs,something that has been grown and nurtured by you with love and care.Most of these herbs can be propagated by stems or seeds .Let me take you through the herbs that i grow in pots.
Mint
Mint the easiest of the lot to grow ,just save a few stalks of mint you can either keep them in water till they root or if your someone who is not to patient like me you can directly stick them in some soil and within a few days you'll have new leaves coming out.
Little baby Assam lemon plants
Assam lemon plant in the center
Mint
Mint the easiest of the lot to grow ,just save a few stalks of mint you can either keep them in water till they root or if your someone who is not to patient like me you can directly stick them in some soil and within a few days you'll have new leaves coming out.
When ever there is a dish that calls for mint just snip off whats required with a sharp pair of kitchen scissors,this way there will be new growth and also the mint in the pot will look bushy just like mines.Fresh Mint can also be dried and stored.
Thai Basil
Thai basil can be propagated either by seeds or you can save used stems and keep them in water till they root and then you can plant them in a pot.I grew mines from seed and it took a whole month to germinate.
In case you plan to use the basil for cooking do not let it flower,keep on pinching off the flower heads this optimizes the flavor and taste of the basil.I plan on saving up the seeds to start more sapling hence I'm letting my plant flower .Thai basil can be used for Curries,Stir fries,in fresh Spring rolls or in Salads.
Cuban Oregano
Cuban Oregano can be propagated by seeds and stem cuttings kept in water to root.The leaves are thick and fleshy and juicy with fine hair on it and the smell is similar to that of oregano.This is a low maintenance plant that requires little water,and grows really fast,why do i say that well because one fine day i long piece the stem happened to snap off ,feeling sorry about the whole thing and not wanting to just throw it away i just happened to stick a piece of the plant in some gravel and before i knew it it started to flourish and grow new stems and leaves.
Cuban oregano can be used in recipes that call for regular oregano,you can add it to passata,tomato sauce for pasta on your pizza or to just simply flavor seafood,meat or poultry.In case you have a sore throat or a stuffy nose you can make a tea by boiling the leaves in some water and adding a dash of honey to it.The leaves can also be turned into a tasty snack by just dipping them in some seasoned gramflour batter and then deep fried to golden perfection.
Curry leaf
Curry leaf is widely used to cook and flavor Indian food.I like to call curry leaf the Basil of Indian cooking.I got my curry leaf plant from the nursery,I honestly have never used leaves from my plant because its too small i want it to grow big enough before i can start using its leaves.Its a good idea to start with a big pot to plant the sapling in rather than transplanting it from one pot to another.Also water the plant only when the soil is dry or water every alternate day,during the summer if the weather is too hot you can water the plant once everyday.
Kaffir Lime
Kaffir Lime can be grown from seeds or they are available as small grafted plants.I grew mines from seed.
So this what they look like now
Kaffir lime leaves are used extensively in Thai cooking to flavor curries,soups,stir fries etc.The leaves have the characteristic shape like the number 8.I would like to share my saplings once they grow a bit bigger.
Lemon grass
Lemon Grass stalks when placed in water root quiet quickly in a day or two you will notice roots at the base of the stalks.Once placed in a pot it will grow like crazy,does not require any thing special in terms of care,just a bit of watering and that's it.The blades of the leaves are razor sharp so be very careful when handling the lemon grass plant.Snip of any leaves that turn brown so that is looks nice and green and fresh. I'm sorry bout the pictures they are a bit blurred.
Lemon grass has a lovely citrusy scent.The plant is a mosquito repellent from what I've heard,it makes an excellent tea along with lemon,ginger and honey,the white stalks at the base can be used for making curry pastes,sliced thinly it can be added to soups and stir fries.
Assam Lemon
One of my neighbors happened to be from Assam,they had brought back some Bhut Jolokia peppers and Assam lemon for me when they went vising their home town in Assam.The Bhut Jolokia Peppers didn't make it but i saved the seeds of the lemon and planted it in a pot.The lemon did not have much juice per say but the fragrance was unbelievable.The seeds germinated after a month of sowing .
Little baby Assam lemon plants
Transplanted into a new large pot
New leaves on the plant
Assam lemon plant in the center
The leaves of the Assam lemon are very aromatic i love to use them in my chicken curry and stir fries. There s just one problem as the plant grows thorns it tears the leaves if there is a strong gush of wind blowing.
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Aloe Vera
Aloe Vera is know for its medicinal properties and its also used in a lot of cosmetics and beauty products.The slimy juice from the thick fleshy leaves can be used to treat sun burns,tanning,and as a skin moisturizer.Aloe juice is also readily available in the market,but you can easily grow your own aloe plant at home and use it as and when required.
Aloe Vera can be grown by sticking a single leaf in some soil,most of the times the mother plant gives off tiny little aloe plants so you can separate the baby ones in another pot to start off,which is what I've done here.
Lemon Basil
Sweet Marjoram
Sweet Basil
So what herbs do you grow in your garden and which is your favorite one??
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