Planting Herbs for Health, Decor and Flavor

Have you ever wanted to add a little pizazz to your home without spending lots of time and money? Or wished you had a little something lying around to add some flavor to that clean soup or meat dish? Well, I know something that can satisfy both of those cravings - herb planting! A nice herb plant adds life to any part of your home and serves as an easy resource of flavor when it comes to your cooking endeavors.

As you may know from my previous blog posts, I love recipes that use fresh, yummy herbs. Plus, herbs have great health value - here is a great source for finding the nutritional values of herbs: http://www.nutrition-and-you.com/healthy-herbs.html

These are my top choices for what to choose when herb planting:

• Basil: This delicious herb is great for flavoring soups or adding some great seasoning to a pizza or bread dish. Consider basil when planting herbs for its fresh smell and decorative leaves.

• Cilantro: The perfect green of cilantro is great to add vibrant color to any dish or window sill. The popular flavor of cilantro is great in salsa and salads and is great when paired with lime. The key to planting herbs is choosing ones you will use often so make sure you love what you plant!

• Chives: One of my favorites, chives are a form of onion that can add flavor to almost any dish - they are even great as a raw snack by themselves. Chives are a great option for planting herbs at home because they are easy to grow and easy to use; it’s a win/win!

• Mint: In addition to smelling great, mint has all sorts of nutritional and medicinal values. It’s delicious in a nice herb tea, great for adding flavor to fresh water and adds a nice garnish to most dishes. I recommend planting herbs that have lots of versatility like the mint leaf.

Obviously, planting herbs is done best when you choose the ones that are most delicious to you and ones you will actually use. You don’t need a green thumb to plant a few herbs so what are you waiting for? Harvest the benefits of your own herb planting!

Herbs are an easy and great way to supplement your decor and add a little more delicious to your dishes. Planting herbs in your own home can also help boost your nutritional intake, so plant away!