Thursday

Saving the herb plants from the cold. . .




As I said in my previous post the weather turned very chilly here on the South Gulf Coast. 
The temps dipped into the 20's over night and I would surly have lost my potted herbs and tomatoes.  They all came inside for the past two days, lined up along the front hallway.
It was time to harvest some of the Sage, Basel and Parsley.


I love to cook with fresh herbs and dry mine all year.  I cut the stems and hang them upside down in the window mostly but there is not much space, so some get cut and placed in pie tins for a few days.  It really does not take long to dry when snipped with scissors into tiny pieces. I just leave them to air dry for a few days, then store in jars.




Sage


Basel

Once the potted plants were thinned they went back in the hallway and will stay until the temperatures rise above 50' during the night.


The aroma in the kitchen is wonderful.  I love the look of the drying herb plants also. Wish I had more room to hang them.  How about up in the rafters?  But then I don't have rafters and besides, they would get greasy from all the cooking, don't you think?


One day, I will have a green house!
"One day"

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I'm linking up to






19 comments:

Jean Campbell said...

Yum! There's nothing like fresh herbs.
Night temps are on the rise here, some 400 miles north of you, so I guess there, too. I'm glad when the wind changes and zephyrs start again.

Beth said...

Hi Sandy, Your herbs are lovely. Bet they smell wonderful!

cherry said...

Wish I could keep pots of herbs inside but the kitty's would eat them before I could..lol I dried some lemon verbena during the holidays and added it this morning to some older potpourri. I love the fresh lemon scent it adds..
hugs from Savannah, Cherry

Unknown said...

Beautiful! Great job! I should have broght some in too

Andrea said...

We have a few herbs also in the province but i only love the rosemary. If i air dry it, how can i package it so i can smell it in my house in the city? Is it fine to just leave them in an open bowl just like some potpouri? What do you do with your plenty of dried stored herbs? thanks, i have a lot of questions!

Rocky Mountain Woman said...

They are not only tasty, but beautiful. I love how they frame your kitchen window...

Judith @ Lavender Cottage said...

I like to keep a couple of pots of herbs on the windowsill but mine look nothing like yours. Robust and bushy certainly provides lots of clippings.

Teresa said...

Your herbs look so green and beautiful! I share that desire for a greenhouse. With a long Iowa winter, I really struggle to overwinter herbs sometimes.

Betty said...

Your kitchen must smell wonderful. I wish I could do something like that, but I know my cats would ruin it for me.

Vicki/Jake said...

I love herbs too, even if just for the green during the winter months:) Please go visit the link I shared on my post this week...

Unknown said...

They fill our kitchen with such a pretty green.

Pondside said...

I can just imagine how good your kitchen must smell! I'm trying to grow a pot of herbs on the kitchen windowsill, but I'm afraid there's not enough light.

anitamombanita said...

Oh, I'd love to have fresh herbs, but I have only a brown thumb. :( Lovely post.

Anonymous said...

Gorgeous colourful photographs! Herb growing is so relaxing! Not to mention looks good, smells good and tastes good - it's a win win win thing!

Pat said...

So envious of your warm enough weather to still have fresh herbs. My own herb garden was put to sleep back in October and is now covered in snow. The only thing I can bring in are all the rosemary plants to winter over and use for fresh during the long winter months. Everything else was gathered and dried last Fall.

Enjoy the fresh flavors!

Deborah Kay at The Paint Splash said...

I made the mistake of planting basil and oregano in my flower bed...They are huge and continue to come back every year even though I did them up. oh well, lot's of pesto to give away! Blessings

21 Wits said...

You almost have one now! What a picture of beauty too, and it's always good to have greenery around our house too!

Unknown said...

The hall way is a great idea for your herbs - doesn't get warm like in the kitchen...basil, thyme, rosemary are my favorite herbs;)

Jenny said...

I bet your Hallway and your Kitchen smell Heavenly...

And I bet your Herbs are Happy you didn't let them freeze, Hooray!!!

Thanks for linking to the letter "H"!!!

Great job,

A+