One of my parents’ hobbies is gardening. For as long as I can remember my parents have not only planted flowers but fruit and vegetables of every variety. At first, they started with a garden in our backyard. Next, was an additional garden on the family farm plots. Finally, there was the community garden behind the church. With such a hobby I was fortunate to consuming home grown, local food every year. Not only do I continue to reap the benefit of my parents hobby of gardening but I thought I would try it out myself. Now gardening is somewhat new to me. As a child I had the task of helping my mom weed and harvest the fruit and vegetables but I have never had a garden to call my own. So for starters, I decided to plant a herb garden.
One of the main reasons I decided to plant an herb garden is because I use fresh herbs with most of my cooking. Herbs not only change the profile of the dish you are cooking but are healthy for us.
Here are some of my favorite herbs and how to add them to your dishes!
- Basil –> provides vitamins (A & K), minerals (Potassium, Magnesium, Copper), and fiber.
- Add to chicken, fish, vegetable and pasta dishes.
- Cilantro –> provides antioxidants, vitamins (A & K), minerals (Potassium, Magnesium, Copper), and fiber.
- Add to tacos, guacamole, chicken and fish dishes.
- Chives –> provides vitamins (A, C, K and B vitamins) and fiber.
- Add to potatoes, soups, eggs, stir-fry, and other vegetables.
- Rosemery –> provides vitamins (C and B’s), minerals (Iron, Potassium, Calcium and Copper), and fiber.
- Add to soups, baked vegetables and red meat dishes.
- Mint –>provides antioxidants, essential oils, vitamins (A,C,E), minerals (Potassium), and fiber.
- Add to teas, water, chutney, soups, salads and chicken dishes.
No matter what flavors you like consider using fresh herbs to change your experience with food. Cooking is all about making a dish your own so don’t be afraid to add several different herbs together when making a dish. You just might be surprised how things turn out!
References:
http://www.nutrition-and-you.com/healthy-herbs.html