Herb garden

I started my herb garden as a way to plant perennials that would lower my need for yardwork.

I planted lemon thyme as a ground cover in the front flowerbed. It smells fantastic. I have never cooked with it, but the next time I make chicken francaise I plan on using some.

In the back yard I have chives, oregano and spearmint.

I use the spearmint for iced tea. I use a lot of chives. Occasionally, I remember to use oregano in sauces or chili.

I try to plant parsley and basil every year. Basil is yummy and parsley, according to elook.org, is a good source of vitamin A and vitamin C. For organic gardening, different herbs deter different pests because of their strong scents.

In the past, I've planted catnip. I haven't had good luck with it, which is probably good since it tends to grow like nuts if it really takes off.

I also had a lavender bush die this spring. My mother-in-law planted a new baby lavender, which I use to make lavender sorbet at the end of every summer.

I started freezing my herbs so less "go to waste." I've read that they won't stay firm, but they will retain flavor. One person advocated chopping them roughly and putting some in different sections of an ice cube tray, but I carefully arranged mine in small labeled plastic bags and then laid them on top of a box in the freezer. I made sure they weren't touching so it'd be easier to grab them from the others when I need a pinch. Once they froze, I added the little bag to a big freezer bag labeled fresh herbs.