Herbs All Year Round

On Thursday, August 19, Pawla Moore held a very informative workshop for us at the QWRC on “Herbs All Year Round”. She explained that we should keep our garden close to the kitchen, because the less you have to walk to get there the more likely you are going to use your herbs. She helped us understand how to pick the best spot for herbs to grow and who they make great companions too. There are different ways to fertilize, Pawla recommended using manure tea (very economical) or fish fertilizer once a week. Herbs benefit greatly from being cut back every 2 weeks, it encourages their growth. To store your herbs for the winter, and best keep their flavour, any herb with a big leaf, i.e. parsley, sage, basil; should be frozen. And anything with a small leaf or that is just stems, i.e. chives, thyme, rosemary; is best dried. To dry herbs, put them in a dark warm place (approx. 80F if possible). Put them in a jar once they are dry, but don’t crush them (it makes them loose some of their flavour). To freeze herbs, cut them into an ice cube tray, add a little water to the “herb cube” and freeze. Once they are frozen, store them in a bag in the freezer for up to 6 months.


Pawla also explained how herbs are used to flavour food in everyday cooking. Different herbs complement different dishes, i.e. basil in tomato dishes, rosemary in pork dishes. One can also use herbs as an alternative to salt.

It was a great workshop with tons of excellent information on herbs.