Thursday, March 4, 2010

Herbs: It's What's For Dinner (and lunch and...)

Above is a photo of the hydroponic plant grower that we purchased after the holidays. In case you don't already know, hydroponic plants are grown using only water and an occasional nutrient pill. The water is contained in the base of the grower. No pesticides or harmful chemicals are used.
We're using it to grow basil, cilantro (coriander), sage, thyme, oregano and marjoram. It's making a huge difference in my cooking and in the entire family's and even in our pets' diets. For most every meal, I walk over and clip some herbs for our meal. Here are just a few of the ways we are using these herbs:
* Any pasta dish is a great place to add fresh herbs.
*I love a salad of sliced tomatoes, coarsely chopped basil, smalls cubes of smokey mozzarella and toasted pine nuts on the top.
* Any time I make a grilled sandwich or a quesadilla, I add herbs. Which ones? I like to use them all, coarsely chopping the bigger herbs. An otherwise boring sandwich becomes a delicious treat, something we all look forward to!
*My daughter makes sure to chop up herbs for the sandwich she takes for her school lunch.
* I am chopping up fresh herbs for my lovebird and for bearded dragon.
Most of us could use more fresh food in our diets and this is an easy and delicious way to do it.

2 comments:

A Novel Woman said...

I SWEAR we were twins separated at birth.

I asked for one of these for my birthday! I didn't get one, despite the gentle hints I gave my husband ("hey, look at that, no THAT, right there in the window. I want one for my birthday.")

Methinks I'll have to hie myself back and buy one!

Lottery Girl said...

Hey sis!

RUN and buy one of these ASAP. I cannot tell you how much I love this thing. It's so low-maintenace, and we are all eating better.

In the past, when I bought herbs and put them in the fridge, I'd forget they were there. I even clip a leaf as I am passing by and munch on it.