Gardening has been a passion of mine for many years now. Growing up my dad always grew vegetables to can and it was part of my job as a kid to help harvest, process and can. I remember dreading it as a kid because all I wanted to do was enjoy my summer but now looking back, I am so glad my dad made sure I was included. Now, I have become an avid gardener and I love the summer season of growing, harvesting and canning/freezing. It is always a challenge to have all the ingredients for salsa ready at the same time, so when spring comes along I start planning. Now that it's that time of year I am in the planning and seed starting process. I always feel like I am behind, but this is a reminder that it is never too late for starting. This year I am doing as many herbs that I can, as I have an herb garden that I like to have all the essentials for medicinal, teas, tinctures and culinary. You don't have to have a fancy area to grow herbs, even a kitchen/sunny window sill will suffice. Starting is the hardest part, so once you have in your mind that you are ready to grow some herbs, just take that jump. There is nothing more satisfying, in my mind, then using what you grow to add to dish and be able to know that you made it happen. Starting from seed is ideal, but also not a requirement. Starting may mean buying those pre grown plants at the grocery. It can be the first step to discovering how much you love, or don't, to grow your own herbs. Just taking that first step is important to your journey, so if you are on the fence, this is your sign to take that leap. Start with 3-5 plants and see how that goes. Everyone loves Basil, and I always have multiple basil varieties growing. I love an Italian Basil, that is a staple in my garden. I love to add it to my dishes, hang it to dry on my kitchen herb drier made from garden twine and dowels, and my absolute favorite thing is to add it to my flower/herb bouquets that I cut all season long and place in vases around my home. Another staple for me is rosemary, easy to grow and so many uses. I am going to focus on rosemary in my next blog post and go over the many uses both culinary and medicinal that can be made with rosemary. If I had to pick 5 staples to start, Basil of any variety, rosemary, thyme, oregano, and cilantro. These will always be found in my garden, both scattered among my vegetables and my herb garden. I'd love to hear from you any requests on herbs you'd love to have me write more about. Happy Spring everyone!
