Herbs!

Hello, hello!

As I mentioned in my previous blog post, I've been hanging out at my parent's house since Tuesday - taking full advantage of free HBO, popsicles and constant attention from my mom. She brings me bowls of dry cereal, ice water, my medicine, magazines - you know, typical tasks that any mother would do for their less than able child. 

So yesterday, in the midst of bringing out those previously mentioned items, from up out of no where comes my mom, shoving a handful of herbs into my face "Here! Smell these! They came from my garden!" 

Without having much of a choice, I smelled the handful of herbs, and was actually pleasantly surprised by their fresh smell. My mom further informed me that she is also growing cilantro, rosemary, mint, orange mint, parsley, basil, garlic chive and oregano in our backyard. 

Now, for those of you who don't know much about herbs past the spice section of the grocery store, herbs are small leaves or seeds that can be used in cooking to give the food more flavor and dimension. This could be as easy as sprinkling some basil and parsley into a spaghetti sauce, to flavoring boring old tap water with some mint leaves or even creating a marinade for chicken or fish, such as my mom did last night -  

here my mom is cutting up some garlic chive, parsley and rosemary herbs  into some bourbon for our salmon to marinate in for the day. 

The options are limitless! 

If you do try to grow your own herbs, here are some tips on how to keep them fresh!

•  Loosely wrap herbs in a damp paper towel, then seal in a zip-top plastic bag filled with air. Refrigerate for up to five days. 
• To revive limp herbs, trim 1/2 inch off the stems, and place in ice water for a couple of hours.
• Snip off as much as you need, and the plant will last for weeks or even months.
• Wash herbs just before using; pat dry with a paper towel.
• In most cases, heat kills the flavor of fresh herbs, so they're best when added to a dish at the end.

Anyone have any suggestions on how to use herbs while cooking?

Is anyone growing their own herbs?

Stay Healthy,