On the menu today was herb planting. We use handfuls of parsley in our cooking at a time and another huge favourite is coriander - Matt makes a tasty salsa with finely chopped tomatoes, red onion,green chilli and coriander with lime juice - so it's much cheaper to grow our own.
I've read in several places that coriander is a pain to grow. I myself have no inkling where that idea came from - it's the easiest one I know of - just pop them in an earth filled pot, cover lightly with soil and wait. Even if it's too cold for the seeds to germinate, they won't be killed off by the cold but will patiently wait and pop their heads up come warmer weather. And it's ever so easy to collect the seed off them for further planting.
Parsley, on the other hand, is a bit trickier, but worth the effort as its so versatile and also the plants grow for two years, unlike other herbs that need sowing annually. When I first attempted it I failed miserably, but now I think I've got the knack of it. I soak the seeds for twenty-four hours before sowing into small pots. They need keeping indoors until they germinate and have at least two full leaves. I've been planting out our parsley today, into larger pots on the terrace. And I mean the flat-leafed variety, which is much, much tastier than it's curly counterpart. Fresh herbs in general make such a difference when you cook and I find the price of them in the supermarkets ridiculous when its so easy to grow your own.
On a different note, I'm very grateful to my mum who just called and casually mentionned the clocks going forward last night. Had she not done this I would've been very unpopular at work tomorrow when I arrivied an hour late.
I've read in several places that coriander is a pain to grow. I myself have no inkling where that idea came from - it's the easiest one I know of - just pop them in an earth filled pot, cover lightly with soil and wait. Even if it's too cold for the seeds to germinate, they won't be killed off by the cold but will patiently wait and pop their heads up come warmer weather. And it's ever so easy to collect the seed off them for further planting.
Parsley, on the other hand, is a bit trickier, but worth the effort as its so versatile and also the plants grow for two years, unlike other herbs that need sowing annually. When I first attempted it I failed miserably, but now I think I've got the knack of it. I soak the seeds for twenty-four hours before sowing into small pots. They need keeping indoors until they germinate and have at least two full leaves. I've been planting out our parsley today, into larger pots on the terrace. And I mean the flat-leafed variety, which is much, much tastier than it's curly counterpart. Fresh herbs in general make such a difference when you cook and I find the price of them in the supermarkets ridiculous when its so easy to grow your own.
On a different note, I'm very grateful to my mum who just called and casually mentionned the clocks going forward last night. Had she not done this I would've been very unpopular at work tomorrow when I arrivied an hour late.
1 comment:
Where would we be without our mums? Obviously you would still be in bed.
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