Imagine Cooking With Your Own Italian Herb Garden

There are many possibilities when growing your own Italian herb garden, whether large or small. Growing your own Italian herb garden is an excellent way to spruce up your cooking. Italy is home to some of the most delicious herbs in the world.
The following list are some essential herbs for every Italian herb garden.
Basil is a well know Italian herb and useful in many Italian recipes. Basil will not only add flavor to many Italian cuisines, it is useful in the garden to other plants. Planting basil next to your peppers and tomatoes will actually improve their flavor. Plus, basil will also repel flies and mosquitoes. No Italian herb garden would be complete without this useful herb.
Parsley is a more difficult hard herb plant to grow but it's useful for many Italian dishes as well as many other types of cuisines. Many generations ago before their were breath mints it was found that eating fresh, raw parsley after a meal eliminated the bad breath left over from enjoying a flavorful cuisine. The tradition arose to serve parsley on a small dish after the meal. The tradition lives today by using parsley as a garnish on a variety of meals.
Oregano is a beautiful herb in your garden as well as an essential herb for Italian cooking. As oregano matures it produces small, pretty purple flowers and the herb is actually the most flavorful when the flowers start to bloom. Oregano is great for many dishes including pasta sauces and meat dishes.
Fennel is a popular herb and is best known for its seeds. The fennel seeds are added to sausages and pizza, while the bulb can be cooked as a wonderful side dish. Fennel has a licorice flavor and is perfect for a wide variety of dishes.
Rosemary is another herb, like basil, that is essential for every Italian herb garden. It can grow into a shrub and resembles and evergreen tree. Rosemary grows little blue flowers than attract bees. It's a tough perennail herb, but should be protected from frost. Rosemary has a strong flavor and fragrance, so you need very little for cooking. Try it in your roasted potatoes or meat dishes.
Probably the best known herb in Italian cuisine is garlic. While not all Italians use much garlic, it's a great way to add flavor to any dish. Garlic cloves can be planted and will thrive in just about any garden with very little attention. They can be stored to be used at a later time after they are harvested by freezing them or pickling them to store in the refrigerator.
Sage is used in a variety of Italian dishes from meats to salads. New shoots of the plant contain the most flavor so it is recommended not to let sage plants to get to woody by keeping them trim. New shoots will be encouraged to grow. Sage can be harvested after it blooms.
There are many Italian herbs you can choose to plant in your garden, but I would start with these herbs because they are popular in cooking and easy to grow. Plan your herb garden before you start planting, considering the conditions the herbs need and also what they will look like when mature.
Italian herbs are not only wonderful for adding flavor to your cooking, but can be a beautiful part of your landscape. With a little planning, your Italian herb garden can be like taking a stroll through the countryside of Italy.

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