Deck Herb Garden

Every summer I plant an herb garden on my deck. I fill my pots with potting soil and buy the starter plants at the nursery. The spot is in full sun and the herbs do beautifully! I have fresh herbs through the fall. Nothing like stepping out to the deck and snipping a handful of fresh herbs to add to my recipes! I have Italian parsley, basil, rosemary, thyme, lemon thyme, cilantro, spearmint, chocolate mint, chives and dill (this is in the empty pot, the only one I am trying to grow from seed). I am not a gardener, but the herbs don't require a lot of care, just water regularly and prune them (pinch off the tops & flowers) to encourage more growth. I think its really hard to make a mistake with these, the more you pinch off the more grows back!



Basil

Italian Parsley

There is nothing more delicious in the summer than a ripe Jersey tomato topped with a drizzle of olive oil, a pinch of salt and fresh basil leaves. With an abundance of  basil and parsley, I can make a wonderful chimichurri sauce to use as a marinade for skirt steak. Fresh cilantro is great in homemade guacamole. 


Lemon Thyme

Rosemary

I have never heard of lemon thyme before I saw it at the nursery. I couldn't pass up its lovely lemon scent! Wasn't sure what to do with it? It has a mild thyme flavor combined with lemon.  I added it to baby yellow potatoes with some garlic and olive oil- nice!  I think I'll use it in a marinade for chicken.... Experiment! Finely chop rosemary, parsley, garlic and lemon zest as a topping for grilled tuna steaks. Hmm, maybe I'll add some lemon thyme!

Mint

My iced tea is always accompanied by a sprig of spearmint or chocolate mint! Chocolate mint gives a hint of chocolate flavor to a fresh berry salad. Combine strawberries, blueberries and raspberries with a little agave and add some chocolate mint leaves-this is my favorite quick gluten free summer dessert served with vanilla ice cream.


And...I look out my kitchen window everyday and see this beautiful display the entire summer!