A Season for Herbs- Growing herbs indoors

Is there anything better than fresh herbs?  I feel rather domestic every time I snip off a leaf or two and add it to a simmering pot of something delicious.  The best part about herbs is the fact that they can be as happy indoors during the bleak wintery months as they are during the sultry summer.  Make an indoor herb garden as a perfect gift for a fellow gardener {or cooking enthusiast} or make one for yourself to brighten up your kitchen until the tulips start to bloom and we're back to work outdoors.

Step one for the perfect indoor herb garden is finding the perfect container.  The first qualification for us was the adorableness of the container itself.  We found this rustic Agrarian box at Williams-Sonoma {check it out on our Gifts for the Gardener pinterest board here}.  A container depth of at least 6'' is required for healthy rooting.  We know that the regular watering will break down the wood overtime, but since the box will be inside with relief from all the elements it should last a few years.

Finding potted herbs in the dead of winter can be a challenge.  We've had success at our local high-end garden center as well as the organic grocery store.  We also divided the parsley plant that has been roughing it outside in the garden.  Parsley, sage, rosemary, thyme, and oregano made the cut for our container{we're still on the hunt for a decent basil plant, so we left a space in our box}.

We weren't willing to drill holes in our Agrarian box, so we came up with an alternative form of drainage.  By placing medium sized pebbles in the bottom two inches of our container, then covering them with a porous material, we keep the majority of our dirt from sifting to the bottom.  We used no-slip matting {the stuff you put under rugs and what not} for our rock covering.  The small holes will allow the water to drain through while still holding the soil in place. 

Remember that since there are no drainage holes, over-watering will cause water to pool in the bottom of the container, drowning the roots of your herbs and smelling awful   The idea here is to water in smaller increments so that the soil is moist, not wet.

Make sure to use a high quality soil, we love Fertilome's High Performance Blend.  A good soil will help keep your herbs moist, reduce waterings, and allow for healthy root growth.  As you plant your herbs, gently massage the roots of plants that are a little too root bound, like the rosemary pictured below.

Bruschetta Bouquet

The summer harvest has begun and with it comes a a time of sharing.   So gather up those extra tomatoes, a few sprigs of basil and bundle up a Bruschetta Bouquet for a good friend.  Fill a jar with tomatoes, put a few basil stems in a florist's water vial and wrap it up with a ribbon and a tag sporting a recipe for your favorite variation of bruschetta. For my bouquets I used a couple of Wek jars that I found at Williams-Sonoma.  I think they are adorable and versatile and will make  great gifts.

If you're interested in whipping up a batch from one of my favorite recipes, give this a go:

 This recipe is what makes the gift of a Bruschetta Bouquet one of the most delicious gifts of summer.  It beats the heck out of a zucchini!
 Variations:
Sometimes I smear the pre-toasted bread with a bit of cream cheese or a small chunk of fresh mozzarella, toast it and top it with your tomato mixture.

A Bouquet of Herbs

                                                    Talk about aromatherapy!

Today was the day to trim back a few of the herbs in my garden. The oregano and chives are going to seed so they add an extra burst of color in my counter-top bouquet. For this cutting  I gathered oregano, lavender, peppermint, chives and fever-few. A light brush of the leaves as I pass them in the kitchen sends a burst of aroma that livens the kitchen. When I start looking for a vase to put flowers in (or in this case, herbs) ,  I like to find a unique container. Over the years my family has become connoisseurs of different types of root beer. We have collected several different bottles from many different places. I decided to bring one to the kitchen to hold my lovely bouquet of herbs. The clear winner for this project was the Sioux City Sarsaparilla.(who knew there was an "r" in Sarsaparilla? ) Our favorite root beer store is the Old Town Rootbeer Company in Temecula California, an enchanting find of my oldest son while he lived in California.

To make my new vase a little more unique I took the bottle cap and flattened it with a rubber mallet.

I punched a small hold in the top with a small nail, and then threaded in on an old wire.  Using a small pair of pliers I created a "curl" by twisting the wire around the pliers and then anchored in the bottle of flowers. 

Oregano, peppermint and chives provide the greenery for this bouquet while the perky "daisy-like" flowers of the fever-few adds the focal point.  Wrapped up together they brighten any kitchen and bring a spicy fragrance to delight the senses. 

P.S. I tossed in a bit of cilantro from the store just for good measure. That's not cheating is it?