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 |  I've maxed out. Closed this blog. |
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This is a way of making myself write something coherent and grammatically correct almost every day. I'm opinionated and need an outlet. I'm also prone to flights of fancy. Thanks for stopping by. |
| Herbs. I really mean home grown culinary herbs. I'm growing 5 tubs of chives on my back porch. They are volunteers from last year. They came up without potting. Who knew? It pays not to throw the dirt out and start over. I thought perhaps I had waited too long for the harvest. They were flowering beautiful purple flowers. Some of the blades were yellowing. Because they started so early, they were ready before I was. So I looked it up. You just cut off and discard the browning parts. Even the flowers are edible. Harvest them down to 2 inches from the soil ( I can always cut without thinking about it) 3 to 4 times a year. They will keep growing. I know from experience that drying them out loses flavor. They're mild to start with. So I usually try to give some away, to be used while they're fresh. I discovered in my research that they can be frozen if not used immediately. So I wash them, let them dry on paper towels, then cut to smaller lengths and put in a freezer bag. (Regular bags have minuscule air holes and allow moisture to get in and freeze. Always use a freezer bag. Even that allows some icicles to form inside.) I've put several bags in the freezer, and they get stiff. When ready to use, just cut them up with kitchen shears while still frozen, or put on a block and chop with a cleaver or very sharp knife. My cousin and I tried the flowers. They smell and taste like onions. Then suddenly your mouth is on fire. So don't pop a whole blossom in your mouth and start munching. Cut the flowers up as well, and see how you like it before using much. They also freeze well. I usually have dill and basil, but I started those from seed only recently. I usually only use them fresh. I have dried rosemary that someone else grew, and it's good years later. But I haven't been able to grow my own. The plants die. As for the cooking part, chives can't be cooked. Add to a finished dish, like a baked potato or casserole topping, or a salad. Rosemary is good on most meats, but is terrible on zucchini. Too much sage can destroy a dish, even if it's a recipe from Emeril. It's difficult to go wrong with dill or basil. I like knowing that only does the meal have a little extra zip to it, but that I grew that organic zip on the back porch myself. |
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