I can't see the herbs so well

As winter has arrived there is not as much light coming in to the bedroom. We have hung the shade cloth on the outer side of the herb gardens so as they receive more light. This picture was taking on a foggy morning, I quite like how the window is frosted up behind it.

mouldy soil

I'm not sure why but the soil is becoming mouldy in the herb gardens and our pot of bulbs. This has never happened before even though we have grown pots here previous seasons. We have tried opening the window more to dry the air out. Any feedback would be appreciated

Basil forest is ready to eat

Sorry it has been so long since I have posted.

The basil is flourishing on the window ledge even though it is becoming quite cold outside. I have found a delicious recipe for Basil chicken with coconut curry which I have included a link for

http://www.elise.com/recipes/archives/004075basil_chicken_in_coconut_curry_sauce.php

Below is a photograph on the same herb garden taken 2 weeks ago

Watering in the new herb gardens

We decided to grow heaps of basil in the new little herb gardens as it grows so well on the window ledge. The only herb that remained from the previous little her garden is the lemongrass. The rest have been planted in the garden outside under a trident maple tree which is deciduous.

New plants for the little herb garden

We have been shopping for new plants for the little herb garden. Here is a little preview of what we will be planting.

Heatwave has struck the herb garden

We have had some very hot weather lately and the little herb garden looks pretty sad. I will be looking for some new plants that I can refresh the herb garden with. I will definitely grow more basil as I love it.

A forest of Thyme

As the thyme has not been growing wonderfully in the little herb garden we have potted up large thyme plant that can easily be moved outdoors. The above picture is a close up. Last night I gave it a trim as I made lasagna and needed some for the bolognese sauce. The recipe I used was from Stephanie Alexander Cook’s companion. It turned out really well. We are eating it again tonight as I made so much.

I have included a link for a Stephanie Alexander lasagna recipe too.

http://www.cuisine.com.au/recipe/ham-and-eggplant-lasagne

Watering day for the little herb gardens

The little herb gardens get watered in the bath, usually once a week. They are so big that I have to sit them across the top of the bath as they would not fit side by side. Below is a close up of the basil looking fresh and vibrant covered in water.

The little herb gardens needs more sun

As these little herb gardens are grown indoors they do not dry out nearly as fast as outdoor plants would. The curtain that goes behind them to give out flat privacy has started to mould a little. I have taken a few pictures. I have put the curtain on the outside of the plants so as they get more sun.

I will be buying a new curtain as I do not like the mouldy appearance very much.

Here is a picture of the lemongrass that was hiding behind the curtain.

Perennial Basil chicken burgers

This recipe is a bit of a favorite as you can really taste the flavor of the Basil. You will need:
3 X large handfuls of Basil or perennial basil or both
5 garlic cloves
500 grams of chicken breast fillets (preferably organic)
olive oil
mayonnaise
1 tomato
salt and pepper
4 bread rollsMethod: Tear off all the leaves of the perennial basil and put them in a bowl or mortar and pestle. Crush the garlic cloves and add them to the leaves. Add the salt and pepper too. Combine with the mortal and pestle until it looks like this.

Add a little olive oil to combine


Then add the chicken fillets and coat.

Cook the chicken fillets on a low heat with a little olive oil until cooked properly.
Then cut open the rolls, add the cheese, sliced tomato and a little mayo.

The Marjoram is cascading

The marjoram is cascading over the edge of the little herb garden, when I walk past it there is a light aroma that fills the air. Marjoram is such a appealing herb, even when it's not flowering the foliage is quite pretty to look at. This is why I love herbs. They are easy to grow, they smell great, you can eat them and they flower too.

The Thyme is going wild

The thyme is growing like wild, this is great as when growing plants in the little herb garden it's hard to know how they will perform as they are grown indoors. I will make a pasta sauce with thyme, oregano, basil and garlic soon. I will make sure to post the recipe too.

Different Basil varieties

I am fortunate enough to have 2 basil varieties growing in herb garden 2. The above picture is the sweet basil. This is great for eating raw on brushetta or in salad. There are many other recipes that it can be used for too. I have included a link to give you some additional recipe ideas. The below picture is the perennial basil. This has a much stronger flavor and is best used in cooking.

http://www.recipezaar.com/recipes.php?q=basil

Oregano pizza recipe

The time has come to start posting some recipes on the blog too. One of my favorite dinners is pizza, we discovered the other night it is even better with the fresh oregano. We picked this from little herb garden 2.

I admit we don't make the base ourselves as the ones from the supermarket turn our great. First add the oregano.

Then the prosciutto and some shredded cheese (use a mix of mozzarella and tasty)

Then some green olives that have been stuffed with capsicum. Always break them in half to make sure there are no stones hiding.


Then add artichoke hearts, more prosciutto and more cheese and oregano. Cook at 180 degrees for about 25 minutes.

This is the end result. Yummy.
I give credit to my boyfriend as he made this and I took the pictures.

Oregano

The oregano is starting to flow over the edge of herb garden 1. Herbs looks great when they start to cascade and grow where they want to. I looked up the plants name origin on Wikipedia and it’s from a Greek translation that roughly means delight in mountain. I have included the link at the bottom of this post so as you can read up on more oregano info if you like.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oregano

The progerss of herb gardens 1 and 2

It's funny how things work. Herb garden 2 was planted 1 day later than herb garden 1 and it is doing so much better. It is most likely that the plants are happier in their environment. I have been rotating them to make sure they both receive even amounts of light.

Here is a close up picture of herb garden 2. It looks so lush and full. I feel very pleased at how it is progressing. Taking into account it was only planted 24 days ago it is a huge success.

Herb garden 1 is a little slower to flourish. The mini tomato is unfortunately dead. This has been removed. I went back to the nursery and its brother and sister mini tomatoes looked a little worse for wear too. I think when it was planted it had already peaked. You can see the space in the middle where the tomato used to live. Any ideas for a replacement would be appreciated.

This is the dead mini tomato, as you can see I was hopeful it would come good.

Perennial basil

The perennial basil has grown so much since it was planted in herb garden 2. It makes the little herb garden look so full and fresh. I am in the process of choosing a recipe that I can use lots of it for as it is stealing a lot of light from the smaller plants below. I will probably make a basil pesto to marinate chicken in and make it into chicken burgers. Perennial basil has a stronger flavor than regular basil and it better used in cooking for this reason.

rip little rocket

I have a confession, the little rocket is no longer residing in the little herb garden. I think I may have killed it with love so to speak, so I am doing what what any good gardener would do which is to remove it and replace it with a slightly larger stronger specimen.

The below picture is of the new rocket forest. This rocket may do better as it has been planted as a seedling plant rather that by seed. Time will reveal the truth.

The mini cos on the right hand side is looking a lot healthier so I am keeping it alive so as I can eat it in my salad sandwich.

The Marjoram is about to flower

Although we only planted the Marjoram just over a week ago it is about to flower. This is great as it is a perennial herb which means it will continue to grow once it has flowered, and will live all year round. Marjoram is a great flavor to add in meat, egg and vegetable dishes. It origin is the Mediterranean. As usual I can't wait to start cooking with this herb. I will add links to recipes once I start to do this.

lemongrass

The lemongrass is looking great. It has such a vibrant color and a lovely smell when the leaves are brushed. It is going to get to 1.2 meters tall so I better keep an eye on it. I am looking forward to making a Thai curry with this as I have heard this is a must have ingredient for this cuisine. This herb can also been used to make an herbal tea. This type of tea has medicinal qualities too. One of the benefits of drinking this tea is it will re-energize a person.

The lemon thyme is smelling fantastic

In herb garden 1 we have planted lemon thyme. This has the most wonderful smell when the leaves are rubbed. It can be used in cooking and is especially good with fish and chicken. It can also be added to boiling water to make a soothing tea. We also have thyme growing in the same little herb garden. This has a much stronger flavor. It tastes great with tomatoes and is traditionally used in a bouquet garni in soups and stews. The other ingredients used in bouquet garni are parsley and bay leaf.

Butter lettuce

As I have mentioned in a previous post I have included lettuce in the little herb garden as it goes so well with herbs in a salad. The above variety is the butter lettuce. It is still very small and won’t be ready to harvest for a least another 4-6 weeks depending on its growth. Lettuce is also great as a garnish. When making a cheese platter with antipasto a few leaves of lettuce on the base can make all the difference, especially when it is freshly grown.

little rocket

When we started off herb garden 1 we planted rocket from a seed packet. You will not believe how fast it has grown before our eyes. It was planted on New Year’s Eve and is already quite tall. There is something really great about having herbs and salad leaves growing on your window ledge that you can pick as you need them, they taste so fresh and are such a pleasure to watch grow. I have included oregano in the above photo so as you can see how it is coming along too. Oregano tastes great fresh but has a stronger flavor when it is dried.