November 29, 2016

Living in Florida has the benefit of keeping my outdoor herb garden alive for a few more months after summer has ended.  Right now, the rosemary and basil are all that is left.  Come spring, I’ll replant with cilantro, mint, and more basil, but for now, I am happy to still have any fresh herbs left in the garden.

I cook with herbs constantly.  Fresh herbs measure differently into recipes than dried.  Plan on using 1 1/2 times the amount fresh herbs as you would dried herbs.  To approximate it, I will use about one tablespoon of fresh when a recipe calls for one teaspoon of dried.

My herb garden was built from a kit we ordered through William Sonoma four years ago.  It was a Mother’s Day present from my kids.  We have a tradition going now that on every Mother’s Day each one will engrave a picture and their name in the wood of the herb garden for me.  All four sides now have some sort of sweet engraving from 2013, 2014, 2015 and now 2016.

The herb garden is an inspiration for me to get in the kitchen and start cooking.  I will use them in all kinds of recipes, salads and cocktails.  If I have herbs left over that I need to use, I’ll make a compound butter with them.  (Right now in my freezer, I have logs of rosemary and sea salt butter.  It is a great to slice up and put on your grilled steak just before serving.)  Whatever the use, herbs are just another fun part of cooking for me.

So here’s to enjoying the last few weeks I’ll get with my herb garden until Mother’s Day 2017.