Your Themed Kitchen Herb Garden
I really enjoy learning to cook meals from other countries, especially a few of my favorite Mexican dishes. Do you enjoy trying yummy international dinners? You can try your hand at raising a scrumptous themed kitchen herb garden.
Just about any herb you will need for your flavorful dinnerscan be grown in your herb garden.
You do not need a special place for your themed kitchen herb garden. You can raise them in pots or in your usual garden bed.
Look no further than these recommendations for your own themed culinary herb garden:
- Asian: From Thai and Vietnamese to Indian and Chinese, Asian cuisine has so many flavors and spices to choose from. Try raising lemongrass, cayenne pepper, cardamom and anise in your Asian culinary herb garden. The licorice flavor of anise adds a warm sweetness to baked goods, soups and Indian dinners. You can also try it in tea as well as in baking a savory-sweet cookie. Although it was once pretty popular in American cuisine, it kind of died out, but in the last few years has made a resurgence in the kitchen.
- Mexican: Would you love to chow down on a Mexican herb fiesta? Some spicy beans and rice or nachos can fast hit the spot. Can you even make a real Mexican dish without Cayenne pepper, Cilantro and Garlic?
- Italian: Just about everybody I know has their favorite Italian pasta dish. My favorite is lasagna, of course. The best I ever had was my mom’s which included all these wonderful herb plants: basil, fennel, parsley, garlic, marjoram, oregano, rosemary and thyme. The oniony flavor of garlic makes it a perfect addition to most Italian dishes. You can add garlic to your mashed potatoes or even roast it with some olive oil to eat it by itself. Don’t overcook your garlic because it loses its flavor the longer it cooks.
- Middle East: Dishes from the Middle East and north Africa are growing in popularity these days. The flavors are so varied and the recipe items are so out of the norm for most of what I usually have in my recipes, including chick peas, figs and couscous. These herb plants are often to be found in the recipes for Middle Eastern meals: cardamom, garlic, parsley, rosemary and saffron.
- German: You do not have to wait for October to cook up an Octoberfest dish at home if you have the right herbs used in German cuisine. These are some of the best and most often used in authentic German dinners: chives, dill, horseradish, sage and thyme. Horseradish, which is related to mustard, is a great condiment, opening the sinuses while adding tang to the taste buds. Horseradish is a wonderful addition to your dinners. Try horseradish in mayonnaise and potato salad. It will also go well in cream cheese spreads or meat loaf.
One of the wonderful things about herb gardening it that herbs are a gift that keeps on giving. Once you snip off some lemongrass for your pad Thai, it can grow back. Most herbs appreciate being cut back from time to time and will likely grow bigger and fuller as a result.
Good luck with your herb gardening. Be sure to let me know how your herb garden grows.
Here is more information on Fresh Herb Gardening. Here is a website with a free mini-course dedicated to Herb Gardens.
