Parsley, chives, chervil and tarragon. These names evoke sweet flavors. Indeed, these are the four aromatic plants that make up what are called “ herbs ” and which are renowned for bringing flavor to our recipes, such as our salads and our omelettes.
- List of the four aromatic herbs that make up herbs
- The advantages of the herbal kit
- How to plant herbs in a garden kit?
- How to grow herbs?
- How to store herbs?
- How to use herbs?
The list of the four aromatic herbs that make up herbs:
- Parsley is a herb of the Apiaceae family. You have surely already come across these shrubs around the Mediterranean, around which parsley originates. In the kitchen, this aromatic plant is recognizable by its very fragrant taste.
- Chives are an aromatic plant, from the Amaryllidaceae family, which is one of the bulbous varieties, with many bushy and cylindrical leaves. This aromatic herb brings freshness and has a rather spicy taste.
- Chervil is a herbaceous plant of the Apiaceae family, probably native to the Caucasus. The thin, green, climbing leaves of the bushy shrubs of this herb are cultivated and eaten to provide a light anise flavor.
- Tarragon, native to Central Asia, is a species of semi-evergreen, aromatic perennial herbaceous plants of the Asteraceae family and which has the advantage of having a strong, spicy and woody taste.
It's actually very simple, especially if you choose to opt for a garden kit specially designed for growing herbs. Several kits exist to help you make your vegetable garden and are available on the internet, for purchase and you can receive them at home on delivery.
Often made of wood, all you have to do is mount them and plant the seeds of your choice in them to obtain herbs, but not only. These kits offer the possibility of growing many varieties such as basil or cherry tomatoes . In addition, the purchase of a kit would make a very nice gift for the birthday of a loved one, for example, to allow him to have his own crops and his own trees, flowers and other organic varieties indoors, in his vegetable garden!
The advantages of the garden kit
The Garden Kit is a great alternative to the outdoor garden, allowing you to grow organic herbs all year round . You will no longer have to worry about the climate, or suffer if you live in a cramped space, the kit brings together everything you need to grow aromatic herbs indoors . This culture system, ready to use, also offers many advantages:
- First of all, it takes up little space and is easy to maintain. It is therefore perfectly suited to the city lifestyle and to people who have little time to devote to gardening.
- It is also easier to install, and no need to be a great handyman to achieve its manufacture as soon as we have received it in delivery or that we have procured it.
- The indoor garden kit can serve as a decorative object, and is very interesting from the point of view of the relationship between its price and its quality. In wood, it has the advantage of being very aesthetic and of adapting to all interiors.
- The garden kit appears to be an interesting option for those who do not have a garden but who still want to benefit from organic aromatic plants or many other varieties at home, at home, indoors and easily throughout. of the year.
How to plant herbs in a garden kit?
The kit offers the advantage of bringing together herbs and providing them with optimal growing conditions. To properly cultivate the aromatic plants present in your kit, you will need to provide them with specific care .
- The first step to start growing is sowing . The sowing of these herbs have in common to start in periods when the climate is rather warm, so the seeds must be sown in the spring.
- To sow herbs indoors, you must first moisten the soil with a little water, even before placing the seeds.
- You can then plant your seeds and immediately cover the container to maintain the proper humidity necessary for the growth of each plant.
- It is then obviously necessary that the plant benefits from light , but it should not be immediately placed in full sun which would deteriorate the seeds and do not help the growth of a plant.
- Once these actions have been carried out, your seeds are in the ground and your plant must now grow! Thanks to the kit, all your varieties will be brought together in the same space, which will facilitate growth and maintenance!
How to grow herbs in a garden kit?
- First comes the question of location . Herbs need about 6-8 hours of sun and light exposure per day. This must therefore be taken into account when installing your wooden kit. We recommend that you choose a location that benefits from good exposure such as the terrace or balcony for example. It is also advisable to place your herbs behind a window or behind a bay window, so that they can benefit from the light and the sun.
- Another important point in the cultivation of herbs is the watering and watering needs of your plant. Watering must be frequent in summer and must occur weekly in other seasons. It is always important to ensure that the soil for your herb plants is not dry. For this, several ways are possible to control the humidity level of your pot.
- For example, you can stick a finger into the substrate to measure the humidity or, on the contrary, the dryness of your soil.
- Another way to do it is to raise the pot slightly. If the soil comes off the pot, the soil is dry and your plant needs to be watered. These tips and advice apply to other varieties and also to different crops of trees and shrubs.
But really, all of this data relates to the varieties you grow in your indoor vegetable garden. It is obvious that basil, tomatoes and herbs do not have the same water and sun needs. The advantage of growing herbs is that they are varieties that grow well together , varieties whose sowing begins in the spring and which have similar needs for the growth of their shrubs, or their climbing leaves, for harvests in quantity and good quality in your vegetable garden!
Chives and chervil do not like either drought or humidity. It will then be necessary in spring and autumn to place them in the sun. So the soil will dry out faster. In summer, try to shade them, especially in the afternoon.
Tarragon and parsley have in common to appreciate strong exposure to the sun, even intense heat, but they must remain sheltered from cold winds and frosts.
These four varieties have in common that they need rather dry but well-drained soil. It is important to know the requirements of the varieties you are growing to ensure good harvests! This is why we advise you to keep a notebook with each variety listed and its specificities, its requirements for growing. We believe that this will make it easier to grow and properly maintain your sprouts!
Information about growing herbs
The first shoots of herbs appear about ten days after the installation of a garden kit. Your first harvests, meanwhile, will begin a few weeks after the shoots appear. The harvests of fine herbs extend over an approximate period of 3 to 5 months.
During harvest, you will need to cut the leaves of your aromatic plants . But be careful, in order to be able to enjoy your plants for as long as possible, it is important to cut the leaves correctly and cleanly.
Thus, the kit, in wood or other, will give you the gift of organic and quality herbs and throughout the year, thanks to its simple system of installation and use.
Simplicity and accessibility is also what the herb garden kit developed by URBAN CUISINE aims to make possible!
Indeed, our kit is composed of cork pots, made in France from cork oak harvested in France, allowing you to grow tarragon, chervil, parsley and chives together . Our cork pots offer the advantage, in addition to being sober and elegant, of not piercing, unlike the plastic pot for example.
Cork is a material specially designed to allow the best growing conditions for the plants. Indeed, cork protects the plants and the different varieties very well from external factors such as extreme cold, it is a powerful insulator which offers ideal conditions for cultivation.
This Balconnière , also called jardinière, has been specially designed to allow city dwellers to cultivate easily, without a bag of soil or additional compost, or seeds to plant, but thanks to an optimized and perfectly dosed growing medium .
It also has the advantage of being particularly aesthetic and design. Made in France, it allows you to grow two plants of fruit, vegetables and aromatic herbs all year round and has been specially designed for small outdoor spaces.
The iron planter can, in fact, be installed on a balcony ledge, a terrace or in an outdoor courtyard. It takes up little space and does not clutter your interior space. It is particularly resistant and helps protect herbs from various climatic hazards. The planter is therefore ideal for growing organic vegetables, flowers and aromatic plants available indoors thanks to the installation kits, all year round.
Our cork pots and our Balcony box (or planter) therefore constitute a garden kit specially designed to meet all urban problems and to allow you to obtain quality organic aromatic plant harvests wherever you live!
How to store herbs?
Did your garden kit allow you to benefit from beautiful harvests? It is now a question of knowing how to preserve them to benefit for a long time from what the vegetable garden offers to you!
Your chervil and tarragon shrubs and your chive and parsley plants have brought good harvests, which you have picked in the morning, for more freshness. Indeed, it is at this time of the day that they are full of water and therefore that they give off the most aromas.
- The first is drying . To carry out this conservation technique, after pruning your plant, take the stems with the leaves and, equipped with a rope, tie the stems. Once this is done, hang your bouquet upside down to dry . It will then be necessary to place it in a dry and dark place between 4 to 8 days.
- If you want to opt for another method of preservation, you should go for freezing . Indeed, the freezing system is particularly suitable for varieties such as parsley and chives. To do this, after harvesting your parsley and chive bulbs, wash your herbs and dry them. Then cut the chives into small rings and chop the parsley. Once this mission is accomplished, you can arrange your herbs in a freezer box . You can also place the contents of your plant in an ice cube tray so that it is ready to use when you want to use it for your recipes.
This preservation system allows you to keep your organic aromatic herbs longer than drying. Indeed, this will allow you to keep them for about 6 months and to be able to taste them even in the middle of winter!
How to use herbs?
After harvesting the leaves of your fine herbs, you are ready to incorporate them into your recipes. It is indeed fresh and directly after their harvest that they bring the most flavor. Aromatic plants can indeed be eaten directly, fresh placed on top of your dish.
You can prepare your herb omelette, an essential recipe with these aromatic plants.
For this recipe:
- Remove the sprigs from your chervil, parsley and tarragon.
- Cut the ends of your chives and its aroma bulbs that bring flavor.
- Chop your herbs and mix them with the eggs.
- Beat everything with a fork and cook your omelet in a pan until you get a nice color.
You will see, the taste of your omelet will be considerably enhanced thanks to fine herbs and you will be of the opinion that organic aromatic plants bring as much taste to your cooking as they do health benefits!
If you want more opinions or advice, you can consult the URBAN CUISINE website and discover lots of new recipes!