One of the delightful pleasures of life are herbs. Besides adding beauty to your garden they make foods taste better and provide a nice smell to the air we breathe. In George Washington days everybody had a herb garden that they used for culinary, teas and medicinal purposes. That practice is slowly coming back.
A spaghetti garden is one of the most popular kitchen gardens. Anyone which has a sunny patch of ground or a window-box can grow these herbs of parsley, garlic, basil, bay laurel and oregano. A little garden space can simply yield all the herbs that you’ll need for tasty Italian meals. They are even simple to grow in a sunny window for your all year use.
Let us take a closer look at the spaghetti garden herbs:
+Oregano is an evergreen ground cover plant. Oregano is a prolific grower that may send out shoots that grow to six feet in a single season. If pruned and bunched, oregano can grow into a small border plant. It might rather have light, thin soil and plenty of sun, so keep it on the south side of your garden. When the plants reach 4-5 inches harvesting can start. Pinch off the top 1/3 of the plant, just above a leaf crossing. The young leaves are basically stronger dried than fresh and are the most flavorsome part of the plant. To dry, lay the leaves on paper or a drying screen in the sun till the leaves crumble easily. It will keep its flavour for months.
+Bay leaves add a favorable hint of spice to stews, soups and spaghetti sauce. The bay laurel is a tiny tree that grows about a foot per year, this makes it suitable for growing in a container. If you live in a mild climate sector leave the container outside, but if temperatures go below 25 degrees keep the tree in a pot and bring it indoors during the winter.
+Basil seeds itself so easily that you may never have to buy another plant after the 1st year. There are a few different categories of basil, but all grow rapidly and require frequent pinching back to prevent them from growing tall and leggy. When the plants have reached about 6-8 inches tall, you can begin cropping. Pinch off the top 1/3 of the plant, just above a leaf junction. Pinch off any flower buds before they’re going to seed. 6 to eight plants will supply enough basil for the complete neighborhood.
+Garlic is perhaps the simplest plant to grow. Break apart a clove of garlic, and plant the cloves about 4 inches apart, 2 to four inches deep in a light soil. Gently water and watch them grow. You may harvest when tips of the leaves turn brown but do not let them flower. Just dig up the bulbs, and use them. To keep a fresh supply take 1 or 2 cloves from each bulb and replant them.
+Parsley is perhaps the most used herb across the planet. You will find both flat ( Italian ) and curly types. They complement the flavour of everything from sauces to hearty stews. It is employed as a garnish on plates, or cut up and added to soups, dressings and salads. Parsley adds vitamins and color, and quietly brings
out the flavour of other ingredients in the dish. Parsley is a biennial, flowering in its second season. It likes a little shade on a hot sunny day, and is going to be kept watered to avoid shriveling and drying. Pinch back older stems to the base, allowing new leaves and branches to grow.
Grow your own tomatoes and you are well on your way to turning into an Italian chef.
If you enjoy cooking and making food, visit cooking101.org for more recipe and guides on how to cook quality meals. Along the way, you might want to check out how to make tomato pasta.
Tags: Make Your Own, Spaghetti Garden