There are so many upsides to growing your own herbs—their lovely aroma and deep flavors as well as the gorgeous greenery on your windowsill that is bound to brighten up your home are just a few. However, with so many of us living in cold cities and dark spaces that are the opposite of sun-soaked, it can make growing at home a little difficult.
The best herbs to grow inside
When it comes to growing herbs indoors, Prasad strongly recommends fines herbes, which consist of parsley, chives, tarragon, and chervil. They are less susceptible to major weather changes, so they will flourish year-round if properly taken care of.
“A lot of it is finding a window with the right light,” Prasad says. “These delicate herbs are more sensitive. If you have the sun baking down on them, they’ll dehydrate in six hours, so I’ll find a window with a lot of ambient light and not direct light, or a filtered light.”
The best herbs for each season
In terms of seasonality, Prasad embraces the different herbs that come with the changes in weather, since certain herbs tend to pair well with the foods that are also in season alongside them. “Every season has herbs that do the best, so when it comes to growing, you work with the seasons,” she says.
In the winter, Prasad says to go for your heartier, more woodsy herbs, like rosemary and thyme, while summer is the time to embrace basil and cilantro. She particularly enjoys herbs that flourish in the spring, like marjoram and oregano. Her favorite, however, tends to grow well in late spring as well as late summer in the shade.
“One of my favorite herbs, and you don’t see it often, is summer savory. It’s halfway between cayenne and rosemary, and it’s kind of peppery,” says Prasad. “I chop it up really fine and toss it with little halved cherry tomatoes and olive oil.”
How to store your fresh herbs
One of Prasad’s favorite things about growing her own herbs is that she gets to choose how much she picks from her garden, as opposed to store-bought plastic containers that have a set amount and don’t promote freshness in their storage. When she picks too much from her plants, however, she makes sure to properly store them.
“I really like to store herbs in water, like they are still living,” she says. “I will often either do that or I will dampen a paper towel and wrap around that, and maybe stick the stem of that in water so it’ll last longer in the fridge.”
Post time: Feb-28-2022
