The other day I harvested the first tender salad leaves from my containers which I sowed exactly a month before… baby rocket and spinach, Japanese mustard spinach and red and green mustard leaves.
It’s great eating food you’ve grown yourself… Fresh and full of flavour, with that added bonus of knowing exactly where it came from and what went into it. Mixed with a simple vinaigrette with parsley, chives, mint, thyme and lemon verbena – all out of my garden and herb pots – this made a tasty dish of sunshine!
Add to that some grilled cheese and a simple salad of couscous with spring onions (not my own yet!), lemon and parsley…
… If you don’t have any fresh herbs, you still have time to sow some… Parsley is easy to grow, and so versatile. Coriander too. (Coriander flowers taste divine!) And I have just sown a whole forest of basil! Basil is the main ingredient for my favourite summer dish – pesto – and is very happy in small containers on a covered balcony for example, where it is protected from heavy rain or cooler night temperatures. A sunny windowsill is also ideal. I barely cover the seeds when sowing and keep them moist by putting plastic or glass over the pots, then they germinate within a couple of days. I resow regularly till August, so we have plenty to harvest!
Do you grow herbs? And what’s your favourite one?
I’d love to hear your herby tips or recommendations!
Words and Herbs 