Even a novice gardener can grow herbs

Herb gardens are relatively carefree, which makes them ideal FOR THE novice gardener. AND with minimal planning AND preparation, your herb garden -- whether on a windowsill or IN a flowerbed IN your backyard -- will produce flavorful herbs that can BE cut fresh FOR you TO enjoy anytime IN your low-carb recipes.

Step 1: Grow herbs you like TO eat

Select THE herbs you already use when planning your garden. Low-carb advocate Karen Barnaby, executive chef at THE Fish House IN Stanley Park, Vancouver, British Columbia, names basil, parsley, tarragon, mint AND cilantro as THE herbs she uses most often. Barnaby's cookbook, The Low-Carb Gourmet offers several low-carb recipes that include THE fresh flavor OF herbs.4075

Herbal Butter

Recipe by Karen Barnaby OF Vancouver, British Columbia4436

Step 2: Select a location

Location is everything, especially when choosing THE perfect spot FOR your herb garden. Planting it close TO your home makes spur-of-the-moment picking easy. Wherever you plant, keep IN mind that it's much easier TO maintain a garden where every plant is easy TO reach than one where plants are inaccessible. Most herbs, especially those used FOR culinary purposes, like sunny, hot AND dry conditions. Strawberry jars AND large pots make wonderful containers AND can BE placed on THE patio close TO THE door. "Many herbs are variegated, fragrant AND beautiful, which makes them ideal FOR window boxes," says Deb Bragg, a master gardener from Fort Wayne, Indiana.698
Shirley Jump, an author from Fort Wayne, Indiana, has enjoyed eating low-carb FOR nearly three years. "I use basil, rosemary AND cilantro a great deal. I grow them IN my garden, as well as dill, oregano AND thyme," she says. One OF THE simplest ways TO enjoy THE taste OF herbs IN recipes, she says, is TO experiment: "I love TO slip fresh herbs under THE skin OF a chicken SO they infuse into THE meat when it's baking."4568
Don't stop with THE aromatic plants you HAVE known all your life. "Most people don't realize that herbs can BE used with desserts," says Barnaby. "Basil goes well with strawberries, mint pairs nicely with blueberries, lavender is wonderful IN creamy desserts like custards, AND whipping cream with tarragon is quite fine with blackberries."5611
Tips FOR growing AND cooking with fresh herbs7172
Place 1/2 cup room-temperature sweet unsalted butter AND 3 tablespoons chopped fresh herbs IN a blender or food processor AND mix until smooth. Roll into a log AND refrigerate. It can BE sliced AND put on meats AND vegetables. Garlic, shallot or green onion AND citrus zest can also BE added.5143
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Place 4 cups packed fresh basil leaves, 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, 1 cup grated Romano cheese, 3 garlic cloves, 2 tablespoons pine nuts AND salt TO taste into a blender or food processor. Mix until it is THE consistency OF soft butter. Drizzle 1 cup OF olive oil into mixture AND stir. Serve immediately.2966
Pour one pint OF boiling white wine or cider vinegar over 1/2 cup cleaned fresh herbs. Cover THE container tightly AND set IN a cool, dark place. Lightly shake THE container daily. IN two TO three weeks, strain THE vinegar AND place IN a decorative jar with a sprig OF THE herb, then cork AND label.3073
Most herbs flourish IN full sunlight, although a few herbs -- such as angelica, catnip, chervil, chives, feverfew, germander, lemon balm, lovage AND sweet woodruff -- tolerate or prefer at least partial shade.2753
Growing an herb garden TO fit any home3714

Fresh Herb Pesto

Adapted from a recipe by Paula Cox OF Leo, Indiana8174

More on growing herbs

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Step 3: Plant THE herbs

While some herbs such as lavender require special soils, Bragg suggests that even poor soil is sufficient FOR most herbs. But if THE nutrient level OF your soil is a concern, add compost FOR nourishment. Mulching is also a good idea because it cuts down on weeding AND watering AND improves THE soil.

Step 4: Maintain your garden

If you HAVE planned AND planted well, THE herb garden only requires watering AND weeding. Watering deeply every few days TO moisten eight inches or SO below THE soil encourages root growth AND is actually better than sprinkling THE soil surface every day. You can weed daily or weekly, but weed you must because weeds compete FOR THE same nutrients AND water AND can stifle THE growth OF your herbs.

Step 5: Harvest your fresh, beautiful herbs

Once your herb garden begins growing, you can harvest it every day. TO enjoy THE most flavor, take early morning cuttings or young leaves before their plants bloom.

Low-carb recipes featuring homegrown herbs

Herbs are celebrated FOR many uses, but they most often earn their keep by being wonderfully fragrant AND delicious FOR cooking. Fresh, homegrown herbs picked just moments before you use them add SO much zest TO cooked AND uncooked dishes, you'll wonder how you ever managed without them!

Herbal Vinegar

Adapted from a recipe by Paula Cox OF Leo, Indiana871
Grow a sensual herb garden6705