Category — Herbs

If you have an high-yielding herb garden or even if you’ve bought some beautiful fresh herbs but can’t use them all, don’t let them go to waste! Here’s some tips on how to savor the flavor through winter!

1. DRY METHOD for oregano, sage, marjoram, bay, rosemary, lemon verbena, mints, lavender, dill and thyme. Gather a small bunch and tightly tie a piece of twine an inch from the bottom. Hang the bunches upside down in a well-ventilated area out of the sun. When the leaves are dry enough to crackle, strip the leaves from the stem and store them in glass jars. They’ll stay fresh for up to 18 months.
2. ICE CUBE SYSTEM for basil, parsley and chervil. While these herbs are at their freshest, wash and dry the leaves. You can leave them whole or I suggest chopping them by hand or using a herb chopper. Mix the herbs with water or olive oil. Pour the mixture into and ice tray to freeze. Pop out the ice cubes and pop in the fresh flavor!

Special thanks to Organic Gardening magazine for these herb saving tips.

This recipe came to me from combined moments of genius in the kitchen with friends from Europe. It’s been tried and tested on the East coast and West with meat-eaters and vegetarians alike and gotten nothing but thumbs up all around. You will need:

• One medium deep dish with cover
• 1 pound chicken - any cut you like or use unbreaded veg chicken nuggets
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, pressed
• 10 springs fresh thyme - use the leaves only
• 1 1/2 T chopped rosemary leaves
• 1 T fresh grated ginger
• 2 lemons - use juice only
• 1 T Dijon mustard
• 1 T brown sugar
• 1 t cayenne pepper
• sea salt
• cracked pepper

Rinse the chicken and place it in the dish. Add the rest of the ingredients and stir until all the chicken is coated. Cover and put in the refrigerator. Obviously you’ll need to double it for more meat. This recipe does not need to be exact so go with your gut! It’s best to marinade at least over night. If the chicken is fresh you can leave it for two or three days even, just stir it every once in a while. You can add veggies and make skewers or slap it right on the grill. Either way you’re gonna love it!