Harvesting Herbs From The Windowsill

Date: Fri 29-Mar-1996

Publication: Bee

Author: KAAREN

Quick Words:

garden-herbs-windowsill

Full Text:

w/photo: Harvesting Herbs From The Windowsill

In winter and in the early spring before the buds are out, herbs provide a

means of keeping the sprit of gardening alive. If your expertise with herbs

has been limited to shaking a few flakes out of a jar, there's an entire world

of enjoyment and satisfaction you can explore right in your own kitchen.

Most herbs, including culinary, fragrance and medicinal types, will thrive

indoors in a sunny window, under florescent lights or with a combination of

both. Your own windowsill garden can supply the ingredients for exciting

recipes, herbal teas, natural cosmetics and fragrant sachets and potpourri to

use at home or give as gifts.

Herbs are easy, inexpensive and truly rewarding to grow at home.

How to Choose

Herbs are available at garden centers as seeds or started transplants.

Generally speaking, herbs are either annuals, which grow for a season or two,

or perennials, which can live for many years and become quite large.

Sweet bay, for example, the secret to savory soups and stews, will grow into a

medium-size tree indoors. Other familiary culinary herbs include annuals such

as basil, coriander, dill and parsley, and perennials such as chive, rosemary,

oregano, sage and thyme.

You can also grow catnip, a perennial, for nerve-southing tea and contented

housecats. Lavender, lemon verbena and scented geraniums are all long-lived

perennials that will lend their heady aromas to herbal bathwater, sachets and

potpourris. Lovage, a hardy perennial which can become huge indoors, has long

been used to make natural mouthwashes, while both spearmint and peppermint are

said to be effective against headaches and indigestion.

Growing Herbs Indoors

Whether you start herbs from seed or transplants, grow them in a good-quality

potting mix with some sand or vermiculite added for drainage.

Perennial herb seed can be started in shallow pots or flats and transplanted

to individual four-inch pots when the plants are a couple of inches tall.

Annual herbs like parsley, dill, coriander and caraway don't transplant well

and should be sown in the container in which they will remain.

Keep seeded containers in a warm spot and uniformly moist until the seeds

sprout, then move them into a sunny spot. If natural light is insufficient (at

least four hours of sun per day) supplement it with flourescent "grow lights."

Good drainage is essential to the success of container-grown plants; in a warm

indoor environment the growing medium in the pots may dry out quickly. The

plants need regular and often frequent watering, but they will not do well if

allowed to become waterlogged. Be sure your pots have adequate drainage holes;

they can be placed inside larger decorative containers if appearance is

important.

Enjoying the Harvest

As a general rule, you may harvest herbs gradually, snipping off a couple of

inches as needed, but never removing more than about one-third of the plant.

Some herbs, especially those grown for their seeds, might be allowed to

mature, then harvested and used whole.

Herbal vinegars add zest to a salad, make a bracing facial splash or a natural

after-shampoo conditioner. To make, combine white vinegar and your favorite

herbs. Some chefs like to let the herbs steep in the vinegar for a few weeks,

then drain and rebottle, but rebottling is not strictly necessary. For added

flavor and decorative appeal, you can add garlic cloves, olives, jalapeno

peppers or pimento on wooden skewers.

Try a few different food colorings for variety, and use clear glass bottles.

Fancy liquor and wine bottles with corks work well. Herb vinegars make lovely,

thoughtful housewarming gifts that soon become a favorite kitchen item.

Recipes for potpourris and sachets generally call for the addition of scented

oils. It's possible to make your own if you have a herb garden but you

probably need more herbs than you can practically grow indoors. Scented oils,

along with powdered orris root, a fixative, are available at many stores

including some garden centers, herb farms, and craft stores.

Herbs For Cooking

With herbs at your fingertips in the kitchen, you'll discover creative cooking

ideas impulses you never knew you had. Herbs can turn ordinary foods into

gourmet treats, and they're a great way to add flavor and excitement to

salt-free diets.

Use your windowsill or garden-grown herbs in salads, soups and stews, pasta

sauces, omelettes, stuffings, rice and vegetables. Remember that fresh herbs,

though more flavorful than dried, are less strong, so if a recipe calls for a

teaspoon of dried herbs, double that amount when using fresh herbs.

And after enjoying that fabulous meal, chewing a sprig of fresh parsley makes

the world's best natural breath freshener.