Grow your own herbs : the 40 best culinary varieties for home gardens

Nothing tastes better than herbs harvested fresh from the garden. In Grow Your Own Herbs , garden experts Susan Belsinger and Arthur O. Tucker share everything a new gardener or home cook needs to know to grow the forty most important culinary herbs. Grow Your Own Herbs starts with basic gardening informationwith details on soil, watering, and potting. Profiles of 40 herbsincluding popular varieties like basil, bay laurel, lemon verbena, tarragon, savory, thyme, and morefeature tasting notes, cultivation information, and harvesting tips. Additional information includes instructions for preserving and storing, along with techniques for making delicious pastes, syrups, vinegar, and butters. Grow Your Own Herbs is perfect for those new to gardening, gardeners with limited space, and anyone looking to add fresh herbs to their daily meals. Cover 1 Title 4 Copyright 5 Dedication 6 Contents 7 Preface 9 Introduction 12 About This Book 16 Growing Herbs at Home 20 Different Conditions for Different Herbs 21 Getting Started 22 Growing Herbs in Containers 24 Propagation 28 Growing Herbs Indoors 31 Maintaining the Health of Your Herbs 33 Harvesting and Preserving Your Herbs 40 Harvesting Herbs 41 Drying Herbs 44 Freezing Herbs 48 Using Herbs in the Kitchen 50 Herb Syrups 52 Herb Vinegars 54 Aromatic Herbal Pastes 57 40 of the Best Homegrown Culinary Herbs 64 Anise hyssop 66 Basil 68 Bay laurel 72 Black cumin 74 Calendula 76 Chervil 80 Chives 82 Cilantro 86 Dill 90 Fennel 94 French tarragon 96 Garlic 100 German chamomile 104 Horseradish 108 Lavender 112 Leaf celery 114 Lemon balm 116 Lemongrass 118 Lemon verbena 120 Lovage 122 Mexican oregano 124 Mexican tarragon 126 Mint 128 Monarda 132 Nasturtium 136 Oregano 140 Parsley 144 Roman Chamomile 148 Rosemary 150 Saffron 154 Sage 156 Salad burnet 160 Scented Geranium 162 Sorrel 166 Stevia 170 Summer savory 172 Sweet marjoram 174 Thyme 176 Viola 180 Winter savory 184 Metric Conversions 187 Sources 189 Suggested Reading 191 Acknowledgments 193 Photography Credits 194 Index 195 About the Authors 205 "Nothing tastes better than herbs harvested fresh from the garden! Grow Your Own Herbs shares everything you need to know to grow the forty most important culinary herbs. You'll learn basic gardening information, including details on soil, watering, and potting. Profiles of 40 herbs including popular varieties like basil, bay laurel, lemon verbena, tarragon, savory, thyme, and more feature tasting notes, cultivation information, and harvesting tips. Additional information includes instructions for preserving and storing, along with techniques for making delicious pastes, syrups, vinegar, and butters. If you are new to gardening, have a limited space, or are looking to add fresh herbs to your daily meals, Grow Your Own Herbs is a must-have"-- Provided by publisher Nothing tastes better than herbs harvested fresh from the garden! Grow Your Own Herbs shares everything you need to know to grow the forty most important culinary herbs. You'll learn basic gardening information, including details on soil, watering, and potting. Profiles of 40 herbs including popular varieties like basil, bay laurel, lemon verbena, tarragon, savory, thyme, and more feature tasting notes, cultivation information, and harvesting tips. Additional information includes instructions for preserving and storing, along with techniques for making delicious pastes, syrups, vinegar, and butters. If you are new to gardening, have a limited space, or are looking to add fresh herbs to their daily meals, Grow Your Own Herbs is a must-have