Herbs love growing in terracotta pots and they look so 'right' in them as the clay and colours of the Mediterranean where most of our herbs grow naturally in the wild, blend so beautifully together.
·Potted herbs can be grown indoors or outdoors and prefer a lot of sunlight. That means you'll want to give your indoor herb garden at least six hours of sun per day to thrive. To maximize their exposure, place plants as close as possible to your brightest window–the bright light of a south-facing window is best. Avoid setting them in the center of a room or near a window with northern exposure–neither will offer enough light.
Do not over water!! You'll be surprised by how little water it takes to sustain a small herb. To make sure your plant grows, keep the soil consistently moist, but not waterlogged. A small watering can or a drizzle under the sink will suffice. If the leaves begin to wilt or turn yellow, scale back the water.
Herbs love being cut! Harvest a few sprigs with kitchen shears or by pinching leaves off with your fingers. Regular cutbacks encourage new growth. Avoid removing more than a quarter of the plant at a time, which will cause distress and could even kill the plant.
Put a slug of some Liquid Seaweed fertiliser in your watering can once a month and that will give your herbs a nice boost.
Any diseases like mould use an organic fungicide for edible plants.
Indoor herb plants are not forever and will eventually outgrow their containers and need more space. If you see roots coming out of the drainage holes, growth seems to have stalled or the plant starts to flop over, it's time to transplant.
In most climates, perennial herbs such as lavender and mint can be started inside and moved into the ground after the threat of frost has passed. Annual herbs can be moved outdoors through the end of the growing season. When cold weather approaches, you can either bring the pots back indoors or leave them outside, but be sure to take cuttings before the first frost so you can start the whole indoor herb garden process over again.
Lavender – which can be cut back after flowering at the end of Autumn but only to the wood – not any lower. It will have new growth in the spring. Lavender flowers are edible. Use judiciously!
Sage – Strong savoury taste and to be used as an accent for salads and meats.
Tarragon – which is tender so keep your bucket inside during the winter months.
Rosemary which also likes to be picked a lot and will continue to bush out more.
Parsley which loves to be cut a lot.
Thyme – which can be cut back fairly soon as its flowers – is really pretty sprinkled on cakes, salads chicken, meat
Bay – Aromatic leaves which love to be picked. Bay flavours need to infuse into the dried herbs & dishes so gently crush their leaves before using.
Fennel- this is not the bulb variety but herb variety with anise flavours
Marjoram which can also have its flowers chopped off now and which are pretty in salads.
Basil – is tender and needs to be indoors over winter and should not be allowed to flower.
Drying your herbs and blends:
v Pick herbs when they are looking good making sure you have longish stems.
v Tie them into a bunch and hang up in a dry airy place like a linen cupboard, garage or garden shed.
v Once they are dry, strip them off their stalks and crumble into an airtight container like a Mason jar or grind them up in a spice grinder or in a pestle and mortar, but not too finely.
Blend 1: Classic mixture for meat, fish & vegetables
2 tbsp dried thyme
2 tbsp dried rosemary
2 bay leaves
1 tsp fennel seeds
Blend 2: Mixture for pork, beef & wild game
2 tbsp dried thyme
2 tbsp crumbled sage
2 tbsp dried lavender leaves or 1 tbsp crumbled mint
2 bay leaves
2 in piece dried orange zest
Blend 3: Use this mixture for fish, poultry & vegetables
1 tsp fennel seeds
2 tbsp dried winter savoury
1 tsp dried rosemary
1 tsp dried dried lemon thyme
2 in piece dried lemon zest
Making a Bouquet Garni:
v Take fresh or dried stems of parsley and thyme and add in a few bay leaves.
v If dried, mix and tie up in a muslin cloth (available from John Lewis, Sainsburys and all good cooking shops) into a bundle with a long string. If fresh, simply make a little bouquet and tie with a long piece of string.
v Drop into soups, casseroles and any slow cooked dish for added flavour. Remove before serving.
Recipe ideas for Herbes de Provence
Have a look at these lovely ideas:
Herbes de Provence by Ethel W. Brennan, Chronicle Books, 1999
Comments