Dehydrate

Dehydrate - To preserve by removing water from

August 21, 2009

I am so glad that I have 2 basil plants. I cut one almost down to the ground, dried it, and all I have left is enough to fill this shallow bowl. I should have cut it before now so it could grow again and I could cut it again, but it's one of those things that is so easily forgotten. I'll cut the other one tomorrow. Luckily, basil is something that is used sparingly, so I think it will be ample to get me through a year.



I am a firm believer that everyone needs to grow herbs. Whether you grow a garden or not, you need to grow herbs. I took an excellent class on herb gardening a bunch of years ago (for those who know Tonya Lemone, you know what I mean!) and have grown herbs ever since. There are some staples that must be in every garden: basil (annual), parsley (biannual), thyme, rosemary, chives (all perennial), and dill (annual that becomes a perennial if you aren't careful!). Sometimes I grow cilantro, but both dill and cilantro are very tempermental and I haven't had good luck with them since we moved. I'm still looking for the perfect spot where they will get enough sun but not burn up. Herbs are an excellent investment. Consider that an herb start costs about $2.50 at walmart, and then consider how much you pay for herbs in the little bottles. Especially for the perennial things that you only have to buy once. Not only is it a money saver, but also consider that if we actually had to eat what's in our food storage and garden, a little basil and rosemary for seasoning might help things go down a little easier. Provident Living, Tonya Lemone calls it. I have even grown garlic a couple of times. Once I had parsley that was so plentiful I had to give it away as gifts. Another time I had chives that were taking over the yard, and just took bunches of them to my neighbors, whether they wanted them or not (who wouldn't want chives?).



I learned a neat little trick recently. I read somewhere on the internet that if you take the root end of your green onion, and plant it in a pot in a sunny window, it will keep growing back. I have some little daisies trying to grow in my kitchen window, so I thought what the heck, and stuck some root ends into each of the 3 pots. What do you know? They WILL keep growing! I have cut back each of those 3 onions several times, and they just keep growing back. I haven't bought green onions in weeks, and you all know how I put green onions in everything! Whodda thunk?