 |
| Even in the snow, at night, fresh ingredients are available. |
OK, so it's Winter, it's cold and it's impossible to grow vegetables and eat fresh produce this time of year....food has to be bland, un-green and carbohydrate based....?
Well, with just a little effort you can have something fresh and green with your food everyday - honest!
My wife and I have eggs most mornings - either boiled, omelet or scrambled and when we have the latter two we have a scattering of fresh chives grown in the garden each time. There is a short period of about 7 or 8 weeks each winter when the chives have died down and are unavailable, so we have home-grown cress or parsley. Occasionally we'll have porridge (porrich) sweetened with local honey, but that's OK, we have something fresh for lunch or dinner.
 |
| A nice bed of chives right outside the back door |
I know a small sprinkling of parsley, chives or cress is not a major intake of vegetable goodness but at this time of year that little splash of green is a fillip to the soul, those little leaves are packed with vitamins and minerals and the growing of herbs and small green growing things is often simplicity itself, so here are a few ideas:
Most people have rosemary in their gardens, maybe thyme and sage too, but this summer if you don't have any make sure you plant all three close to your door - and use it fresh. These are the 'woody' herbs that we use and can be pretty much left alone to grow with just a few rules regarding their planting and upkeep - surprisingly, constant foraging can keep these small shrubs strong and healthy, that and a good soil base...
 |
| Fennel even in March.... |
They are mostly Mediterranean plants and like sunshine and well drained soil. I always plant mine on a bed of grit and compost - the more grit the better, they won't do well sitting on claggy, water retaining soil or clay. Leave them pretty much to themselves but cut the new growth as often as you can. You will also find that the pretty little flowers are excellent colourful and tasty additions to dishes too.
The next thing you can do is to obtain some parsley, chervil and coriander seeds and plant these in pots on a warm, sun facing windowsill, they will do well through the year with a little bit of TLC. I can't seem to do well with chives indoors, but I have a large bed right outside my back door that does so well I haven't really tried. In the summer you can also plant dill, fennel, marjoram and the others mentioned above outside in pots in the sunshine, just keep them watered and occasionally fed with a proprietary plant food and use them as and when you need to. If you use a lot of any particular one then plant more pots...
As for Basil, Greek Basil and oregano, these really need to be planted in full summer or in a warm conservatory or greenhouse and don't water them too much or too often, but fresh basil is a Godsend when the tomatoes ripen, grow some next to your tomato plants to keep away aphids and other pests.
 |
| Plant it.... |
 |
| ...and a few days later.... |
We also buy mustard cress seeds and plant them in a pot in the kitchen. As chicken keepers we have eggs all the time and if anything other than chives was meant to go with eggs, it's cress. If you can't recall your primary school days then just get a Chinese take away plastic tray, line in with kitchen paper sprinkle in a carpet of cress seeds and keep the paper moist. In less than a week you'll have greenery. Simple.
Some people buy pots of herbs from their local supermarket and are often upset when they don't last very long. You should remember that these are force grown at speed and in the heat of a glasshouse;when you get them home they are often shocked into decline, save your money, save your time, grow your own and use it!
