Adulting is hard okay, I have so many things to do, work and cleaning then I also have to pay all my bills – rent, water bill, electricity bill, internet bill. All these responsibilities have made me constantly stressed and constantly broke.
So, I was thinking how can I kill two birds with one stone, release some stress and save some money? Planting my own herbs! The gardening can deal with the stress, and I can save some money since western herbs can be super pricey. Plus, I can cook delicious food easily.
After some research, here are some herbs that you can easily grow at home:
1. Rosemary
Rosemary is definitely a herb that you can use in so many recipes. In case you don’t know what to cook with it, click on this link to find out what you can cook with rosemary.
How to keep it alive:
+ Water once a day
+ Do not our water on the leaves. Fill a bucket with 1/4 water and place the pot in it for a few minutes
+ Requires direct sunlight, so place it in a sunny area
2. Peppermint
Mmmm, I love the minty freshness of peppermint. Having some peppermint at hand is useful to make a nice tea for when you’re feeling under the weather, or just to use as a topping for certain dishes.
How to keep it alive:
+ Keep away from hot sun
+ Water moderately
3. Dill
My favourite way to use dill is with cucumber in a nice and simple cucumber sandwich, but you can also pair it with some citrusy lemon and make a nice lemon dill salmon dish. If you want some dill recipes, click on this link.
How to keep it alive:
+ Water regularly, avoid dryness
+ Requires direct sunlight, so place in a sunny area
+ Protect the dill from strong wind
+ It also requires good drainage, so make you add a good drainage layer to your dill pot
4. Sage
Sage is another useful herb to have around. Some say it wards off bad energy, but it can also be used in multiple dishes. Some traditional roasted chicken recipes use sage as the main ingredient when making the stuffing, trust me, I have tried this as it is amazing! Here are some recipes that you can make using sage.
How to keep it alive:
+ Water regularly
+ Do not pour water on leaves, use the bucket method – same as rosemary
+ Requires partial sunlight, so avoid too sunny areas or too shaded areas
+ Prune the woody stem once a year
5. English parsley
I know, this herb is mainly used as a garnish, but have you ever tried some traditional English parsley sauce? It goes well with many dishes. Here’s the recipe for it.
How to keep it alive:
+ Soil must be moist, so water regularly
+ Requires partial sunlight, so avoid too sunny areas or too shaded areas
6. Coriander
Or as we Malaysians know it, daun ketumbar. A herb that is used so many Malaysian recipes, from chicken curry to laksa and so much more. Since it is used often, it is good to have some growing in your home, so you wont have to run out to get some every time you need it.
How to keep it alive:
+ Water regularly
+ Requires direct sunlight, so place in a sunny area
+ It also requires good drainage, so make you add a good drainage layer to your coriander pot
