Florida cooking essentials: A kitchen herb garden

My kitchen herb garden

I can't tell you l how long I have lived without using dried basil, thyme, and oregano.  As a cook, it is hard not to take advantage of how easy it is to grow culinary herbs for fresh use in Florida.  There is very little that can top fresh basil just picked from the garden.

I used to have a large-ish pot that had thyme,  oregano, and (a horribly stunted) parsley.  After moving out to the country, the pot started to disintegrate (granted, it was 3 year old plastic) - so Jay constructed a small herb garden just off our front porch.  All the plants went into the ground with a bed of our own (not so decomposed) compost, and a couple bags of jungle growth and black kow.  Notice in the picture the mango volunteer who originated from our compost.  He will be replanted soon.

The basil really took off - and has flourished.  Those of you planting basil, beware!  The first hint of frost can kill a large, healthy plant!

My happy basil plant

Pretty soon Jay is going to expand the boundaries - my next plants will be dill, parsley, and cilantro.  These would be my next favorite group of herbs - used in pasta salads, salsas, and tabouli!  yum.

One of our household favorite short notice meals is a pasta dish using basil, thyme and oregano... its kind of a "leftover meal" for us, but it doesn't have to be!

Summer Pasta

1 box or so of spaghetti, angel hair, or thin spaghetti
butter (to taste)
olive oil
balsamic vinegar
Cherry tomatoes (I quarter them)
Scallions (these also come from our garden)
fresh thyme, basil and oregano - chopped and mixed together
Parmesan cheese or feta
leftover chicken, bacon, or pork chops
salt and pepper
Minced garlic (optional - I LOVE fresh garlic - Jay, not so much)

Just mix them all together and enjoy!  Really, all the ingredients are to taste.  I generally have a few sprigs of each herb, I've never used too much (not sure if that's possible).  The butter or oil really need to be added right after draining the pasta, because that will melt the butter and evenly distribute it, and it will keep the pasta from sticking together.

My husband and I have been eating this meal since we were roommates - way back in 2008!   Really, you can throw anything in there that suits your fancy - we've even been known to put in sunflower seeds and craisins.