Wednesday

Dumb Luck or the Best Idea EVER


I don't actually remember planting the small patch of strawberries that started outside our kitchen door.  It must have been right before Leif was born because the patch has been getting bigger and bigger every year since.  Regardless of what I remember, it was the best idea EVER.  We've enjoyed picking fresh strawberries for breakfast every morning and are putting them on salads for lunch - it's going to be a sad day when the berries stop coming.  

When I worked in the gardens at Mackenzie-Childs (if you don't know about this place, check the link - it's pretty unique) I was in charge of the vegetable and kitchen gardens.  The kitchen garden was located right behind the restaurant and was full of herbs that smelled so good.  Ever since that summer, I've been thinking that putting the herbs next to the place where they are used is such a smart and obvious idea.  I'm thinking that a perennial herb garden just might have to replace some of the more traditional flowers on the other side of our kitchen door.  I'm going to start with the obvious (and those that I already have):  basil, cilantro, parsley, fennel, dill, thyme and chives.  I tried some sorrel at the local farmer's market and loved it (it's surprisingly citrusy and delicious) and I'd also like to get my hands on more lavender.  Do you have any other perennial favorites to suggest?

3 comments:

  1. Rosemary - the upright or the trailing variety. Mint, but I recommend puting it in a strawberry pot as it can take over a garden - and mutiple kinds of mint. Oregano and lemon thyme are great. While not perennial, you can always throw in some pansies or nasturums as they are edible flowers and so much fun in salad.

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  2. Chervil is really good, especially on carrots and for fish. But it will kind of take over too. Most herbs do. In fact, next spring I could probably just dig some of our chervil up and I bet it would transplant well.

    Tarragon is also good if you like licorice-y kind of herbs. It's very similar to chervil in taste, come to think of it.

    And mint is a good idea. You can find it wild in the gullies and transplant it. That's what we did for the mint we have growing in the hollow, and now it's spread like crazy.

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  3. I love fresh sage... it has a wonderful flavor that is so much better than the dried kind. I also love mint and I'm trying lemon verbana this year. I thought it would be a good tea combination!

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