If you grow parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme you are quite at liberty to feel a little smug right now. These herbs tend to be mobilised at this time of the year for understandable reasons and generally fresh herbs make a difference. Because people like to make a special effort with Christmas season meals, the supermarkets stock up at this time more than usual. In Tesco today (who were themselves fairly smug once) small sprigs were on sale for 70p.
Sage, rosemary and thyme are easy to grow shrubs and require little attention. I grow mine in containers. Rosemary is easy to propagate by placing a sprig in a jar of water and when it roots (it will) potting it up. Sage cuttings are best taken in late spring and inserted into a pot of compost. The same with thyme, but even easier is to buy a small plant and once it's established break off some bits with roots attached and pot them up. Parsley involves a bit more effort as it involves sowing seeds in pots and and pricking out when they germinate. This year I grew Italian flat leafed parsley which has survived the recent frosts. It has a strong flavour.
Of course there are lots of other herbs to grow but these are stalwarts in the kitchen and to be able to step outside the door to pick your own adds to the delight of the meal as well as the flavour.
You won't need to go to Scarborough Fair for your herbs. We grow lots of Rosemary and it likes good drainage and I love the aroma when you brush against herbs. We have lots of Lemon Balm too.
ReplyDeleteYes, rosemary is one of my favourites just for the aroma.
DeleteParsley can be difficult to get started. I warm the seed compost up with hot water before sowing. My parsley packet was supposed to be curly but turned out flat!
ReplyDeleteHi Sue, yes parsley can be a bit slow to germinate but I find it comes up eventually.
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