Summer Herb Garden

Do you say "h-erb" or "erb"?

Just curious.

I say "h-erb" most of the time. But occasionally I say "erb" by (accident) due to the fact that I really don't know how Canadians are supposed to say it. I once saw a video of an Australian girl who declared that down under, they pronounce it, "h-erb."

Am I being un-patriotic if I want to sound like an Australian sometimes?

Well, whichever way you pronounce 'herb', we are all talking about the same thing. Those brilliant flavor additions that can change the composition of an entire dish. And in my humble opinion, no garden is complete without some!

Today my mom and I bought a few new ones, and they are sitting beside my back deck awaiting my next meal. We went with our favourites: thyme (the lemon version) and basil. And a few new ones: dill and chives. I usually go about picking my herbs based on what is most familiar to me. If I know that a particular recipe that I love needs basil, for example, I will choose that herb in the hopes that I will find other recipes that will use it too.

Today instead of the regular basil, which was apparently sold out, we bought a Japanese basil. It smells the exact same as the regular stuff accept it has a pretty yellow border on each of the leaves. I think it will make for a really pretty garnish!


Going for the unfamiliar is sometimes fun! You can venture into a new flavor rhelm, equipt with new herbs that won't steer you wrong. I mean, have you ever tried an herb you didn't like?

Ok, wait. I have...

...cilantro.
Photo courtesy of http://pinchmysalt.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/07/cilantro-for-web.jpg

Bleh. (Sorry if you're a fan!)

But for the most part, I would say with conviction, that almost all herbs are delicious.

Get your green thumb going today and plant your favourites! (Making the transition from regular food to colourful, accented dishes, literally only a few steps away).