by Effie Moore Salem

Created on: September 19, 2008

What better way to identify yourself as a good cook than a sunny kitchen window full of sage, parsley, chives, rosemary and basil? Not only will these be aromatic and comforting to the senses, they will be convenient aids while you are cooking. While you may not take the time to rush outside to grab a snippet or two of chives to enhance that baked potato and sour cream treat, you will if it is growing near by.

Deciding which herbs to grow together in a pot designed for groupings to fit a window ledge or whether to grow each in its own individual pot - or a combination of each method - is a first big decision. I favor each having its own little pot nestled in a bigger elongated container filled with gravel and kept moist. With this method each can be moved to sunnier locations whenever necessary and brought back to the window for display when company comes. What to grow?

Basil:

This is an aromatic herb that is popular and is easily grown. It is mostly known as a good additive to tomato dishes but it has many other uses as well. It does well with eggs, cheese dishes and with vegetables. If you are especially fond of the flavor, it will make a good tea.

Chives:
This is an all time favorite planted indoors and outdoors. It is of the onion family although much milder but still gives that certain flavor distinction when a milder flavor is desired. Traditionally it and sour cream have been paired together as delightful culinary partners. (Outside it does double duty. It is an attractive border plant for sidewalks with its lavender colored pompons; it is a perennial needing little care and grows more beautiful each year.)

Parsley:

No garden should be without a row of parsley and no well adorned kitchen should be without a pot of either the curly or smooth leaved variety growing. It is a favorite salad ingredient and it does quite well as a salad ingredient when combined with wheat germ and tomatoes. To learn more about this dish ask your Mediterranean neighbors. I always add this to spaghetti sauce, vegetable soup and meat loaf. As with most other herbs, it is a good breath enhancer if chewed when fresh.

Thyme:

Thyme on your hands is a good thing when it is in the form of an herb growing nearby. A little pot of this herb grows inside and a little bit goes a long way. Outside it grows well when it gets a good start and grows in cracks and crannies of walls and fences - in some locations at least. Where this happens it is indeed ornamentally pleasing as well as useful in cooking.
Chefs know thyme as one of the herbs making up a Bouquet Garne, a little packet of favorite herbs that is routinely dropped into stews and cooking pots. Each chef no doubt has his own particular recipe for this cooking aid. The idea behind wrapping up the herbs in a little pouch and dropping them into the vegetable soup is to eliminate stems and flakes from the finished dish. In other words, herbs in these stews are sniffed and tasted, but not seen floating around to add even a hint of aggravation to an otherwise perfect food concoction.

Herbs have many other uses other than food and are often times used as medicine, room fresheners, sachets and even as treats for your pet. Try a little catnip for your cat but I would not attempt to grow it inside, however. It is said to be intoxicating to felines. Whatever, herbs add joy and excitement to lives and have been around since the beginning of time and is in now way showing signs of obsolescence.

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