Herbs. Herbs. Herbs.

Today I picked up some tips for my dream herb garden at the wonderful Driefontein Garden Centre in Salt Rock http://www.litchiorchard.co.za/.

The key tip I have taken away is to make your herb garden sensible.  You don’t use herbs in a 1:1 ratio in the kitchen so don’t grow them in a 1:1 ratio.  In other words, and as our lecturer put so succinctly, one lemon verbena plant will be enough for a whole suburb while one coriander plant will be enough one curry.   

Once you have chosen your herbs the key to a successful crop is full sunlight, a well draining soil (apart from mint which loves soggy feet) and water-soluble fertiliser.  Also a good tip is to buy basil, rocket, chive and coriander in seed packets rather than as seedlings and when sowing said seeds mix them first in a ratio 1:10 of seeds to maize/polenta meal so when you sow them the seeds are diluted and you can see where you have been.

Finally, here are some of my practical tips for using herbs whether harvested from your garden or from the supermarket:

• Use a woody stem of rosemary (once soaked in water for a few hours) as a kebab skewer for a braai – pieces of lamb marinated in garlic, lemon juice and a few anchovies would work particularly well.
• Throw some rosemary onto the braai before cooking to release some earthy herby flavours into the meat.
• Preserve herbs by freezing them in ice cube trays - rip up the leaves and cover with water, then use ice cubs in drinks.

• Freeze cut herbs in plastic bags, they thaw immediately on being added to a sauce of some kind.
• Use the stems not just the leaves of coriander to flavour Thai soups or even to help bulk up a coriander pesto.
• Place a few rosemary stems in a jar of salt (see above photo) and leave for a few weeks to infuse before sprinkling on homemade popcorn before a lamb roast, or to season lamb or oily fish.
• Place stems of cut supermarket herbs upside down in a glass of cold water and place in the fridge to stop the leaves going limp and brown.
• Use mint leaves plus cucumber and ice to flavour table water.
• Use chopped mint and sugar syrup to jazz up a fruit salad.
• Use left over herbs such as dill, mint, coriander and basil to add flavour to a green salad.

• Mix together softened butter, chopped garlic, lemon zest and any soft herbs, roll into a log of 3 cm in diameter, wrap in clingfilm and keep in the fridge or freezer.  Use slices of the butter to excite steamed veg, grilled fish or meat.  Or make your own garlic and herb bread by making cuts down a baguette, slipping in slices of the butter, wrapping in foil and warming in the oven.

Yum yum yum.