Things My Grandmother Knew: Fresh Herbs

Originally published May 30, 2012

My grandmother always had a garden.  I remember her putting up quart after quart of beans, pickles, pickled beets and watermelon rinds and much more.  I don’t remember her having herbs in the garden but I think she must have at least had dill to use for her pickles.  I have been TRYING to have a window sill herb garden since the early days of my marriage.  Sometimes, I was successful and sometimes I wasn’t.  This year however, I’m determined will be a successful year because there is nothing better than cooking with fresh herbs.

I don’t start my herb plants from seed for lots of reasons.  They are too temperamental for me and my light green thumb and our growing season is VERY short.  In fact, you can see from this picture below, that my herbs for this year are still in movable pots so that I can bring them inside at night.  Why?  Our frost free date is not until June 10th so until then, I keep them in my sunroom.  (That’s our sweet dog Oscar…looking on!)

Herbs seem to be a bit more “fussy” about how much water and sun with which they thrive.  So, for me, it’s taken a bit of trial and error and I have developed my favorites that don’t seem to be as difficult to grow:  rosemary, tarragon, mint, lavender, majoram, thyme, oregano, parsley, dill, parsley…to name a few.

One of my favorite recipes using Rosemary is below. (Chicken Salad with Rosemary)

Chicken Salad with Rosemary

3 celery ribs

3 cups cubed cooked chicken

1/2 cup fat-free mayonnaise

1/2 cup fat-free sour cream

1 tbsp fresh rosemary

Thinly slice the celery and combine it in a bowl with the chicken.

Blend together the mayonnaise, sour cream and rosemary.

Pour the dressing over teh chicken and celery, stirring until the ingredeitns are thoroughly mixed.

Serve immediately or refrigerate for up to 24 hours.

I also love throwing some rosemary into fresh biscuits in the morning.  YUM!

Enjoy!

Faith and Courage,

Lori