Herbs

Last weekend we had unseasonably warm weather for Central Ohio. It was FABULOUS. At the end of each winter, I can hardly wait for it to warm up. This year was no different but it seems way worse. I'm not sure if it was because it has been SO cold, or what, but I really needed a sign that warm weather was on the way.

Last weekend did it. It was 70! There was a wonderful breeze that even allowed us to open up the house for some fresh air. It was AWESOME!

In my search for signs of all things spring I found that my chives had started to poke through the dirt. This means it's really going to happen, we are really going to get warm weather soon! I am so excited I can hardly stand it. I've been dreaming about what to plant this year and my mouth is salavating. YUM!

A major player in my garden has always been my herbs. I grow enough basil for a small army and eat it with my fresh tomatoes everyday. Umm... Drooling... Back to reality. By the time that February rolls around each year, I always forget what it is like to have an herb garden that I can wonder out to each night to pick the flavors of that night's meal.

I am working on what herbs to plant this year and am looking forward to mid May so that I can finally get them in the ground. This year I'm thinking that I'll be planting the following:

Basil (did I mention how much I LOVE basil)
The last several years I have planted a couple of basil plants right in front of my tomatoes in a little sliver of land. I don't know what's in my soil (I haven't put fertilizer in it for a few years now) but basil LOVES it. By the end of each season, I have a gigantic basil bush that is usually close to 3 feet tall. Last year I made several batches of pesto that have come in handy this past winter. I'm looking for a way to freeze the bazil on it's own so that I can have fresh tasting basil in the winter too.

Thyme
I am going to have to work on using my thyme more often this year. I always use it for fun marinades but I need to find some other things to use it with. The last several weeks I have been making a lot of salads in antipation of the warm weather. I make my own salad dressing and have been using a fair amount of thyme in that. It's yummy!

Rosemary (my other go to herb, it's awesome in a turkey marinade!),
Rosemary might surpass basil as my favorite herb except that tomatoes and basil are a match made in heaven. I LOVE rosemary, especially in foccacia bread.

Chives
I love chives because the are a great addition to lots of meals and I love the purple flower they have for summer salads. And an added bonus is they come back every year without me doing anything, love it!

Taragon
I have a love/hate relationship with my taragon. I got a start of it a couple of years ago from someone in my husband's office. It is triving in my garden, however it is also taking over my garden. I don't use taragon as an herb as much as I would like to. I have to look for some new recipes. That being said, it's beautiful in a fresh flower arrangement! I am always picking flowers from my yard for a vase inside and taragon make a great "filler" for my arragements!

Dill
I have never grown dill before, but I hope to this year. I love it in salads and hope to find lots of other uses for it this summer!

Cilantro
Due to the ridiculous amount of tomatoes that I grow and eat, my husband and I make salsa a lot. I would love to be able to use my own cilantro. However, I but a plant every year and every year within a week it goes to seed and dies. I will win this war and am going to try to plant it in a pot with sandy soil this year. We'll see how that goes.