Last month I wrote about preparing for Spring. This month, I'm backing up a bit to discuss gardening in Winter. Here in South Central Texas we have had an unusually mild winter. I think it's only dropped below freezing one or two nights. We've finally gotten some good rains and the pastures are looking very spring-like with green grasses for grazing.


Green Pastures!!

So, if you live where the weather has been warm, you have a terrific opportunity to continue growing hardy herbs, edible flowers and vegetables in your beds and outdoor containers. If you live further north where the weather prevents you from growing outdoors this time of year, I hope you brought in some herb pots and maybe planted some edible annual flowers and lettuce for your winter salads.

Many of the hardy winter herbs we grow outdoors here do well because they tolerate the lower light levels of the winter sun and the shorter days. These herbs also will do well indoors, given enough light. Parsley, Salad Burnett, Sorrel and Cilantro are a few that will do well indoors as well as outdoors this time of year in the South or Western U.S.


Lovely Rosette of Salad Burnet

Herbs that like more sun such as Rosemary, Thyme and Oregano will also do fine indoors, but will need more light. Putting them under a fluorescent lighting fixture will help give them the light they need. In the South, the sun-loving Mediterranean herbs will do beautifully outdoors, too.


Beautiful Italian, Flat-Leaf Parsley

Parsely and Sorrel are great additions to winter soups, as well as salads. Sorrell is much under used here in the U.S., I think. It's tangy, lemony flavor adds zip to salads and mixed with other winter greens such as Kale or Swiss Chard, it makes a delicious soup.


Sorrel Planted in September of 2011

KALE SOUP WITH SORREL

If you have a lot of Parsley, you can use it in pesto sauces as well as dry it for later use. Sometimes, Parsley doesn't thrive in our Texas summer, so a supply of the newly dried herb will get you through the summer months.

Parsley can be mixed with Basil for a lovely pesto. I like it with Roasted Walnuts added, rather than the traditional Pine Nuts. You can also make a Parsley and Sorrel pesto to flavor soups and even stews where you'd like a tangy flavor.

BASIC PESTO RECIPE

1/4 - 1/2 cup nuts. Pine nuts are traditional, but you can use pecans, walnuts, almonds, hazel nuts or cashews for a different flavor. Roasting the nuts beforehand brings out their flavor.

1/2 cup grated hard cheese such as Parmesan, Asiago or Romano, or a blend.

5-8 cloves of garlic, according to your taste

Approximately 1/2 cup olive or other vegetable oil.

The amount of oil can vary depending on how much cheese and nuts you put in.

Food Processor:

Add all ingredients and process until you have a smooth, well-mixed pesto. The consistency should be similar to that of mayonnaise.

Blender:

This is a little more work than using a food processor, but makes an equally delicious pesto.

Place about a quarter of the basil leaves in the blender jar adding 1/2 cup oil, the nuts and cheese. Blend (I use the puree setting or high setting.) You'll need a wooden spoon or rubber spatula to push the mixture down onto the blades fairly often.

--Don't do what I did one time.... and stick a wooden spoon in the jar before the blades stopped turning. The spoon was jerked from my hand, bounced out of the jar, sprayed oil and basil everywhere and broke the spoon inside the jar. I threw the whole mess away and had to start over so I didn't have splinters in the pesto. In other words.... wait until the blades have stopped turning before sticking the spoon in!!!

After you have that first mix pretty well blended and the nuts are well ground, just keep adding the basil leaves about a handful at time until all the leaves are used up. If the mix is too thick, add a little oil to thin it down. It doesn't have to be perfectly smooth. In fact, I like the pesto a little coarse so I can see the leaves, but the nuts should be well ground.

To preserve the pesto, I fill ice cube trays with the mixture and freeze it over night. The next day I remove the pesto cubes and store them in a plastic bag or tub in the freezer. One cube is one serving. If you make different pesto with lots of green ingredients, be sure to label the bags so you'll know which is which!

Don't let winter stop you from growing those tasty, savory herbs either indoors or out. Your menu and family will thank you!


Lush, Winter Hardy Curly Parsley

QUOTE FOR THE MONTH

So many gods, so many creeds,
So many paths that wind and wind,
While just the art of being kind is all the sad world needs.
-Ella Wheeler Wilcox, poet (1850-1919)

Until Next Time,
Good Growing to You,
Cindy Meredith, proprietor
The Herb Cottage
442 CR 233
Hallettsville, TX 77964
phone & fax: 979-562-2153
http://theherbcottage.com/
Visit Cindy's Blog at http://theherbcottage.blogspot.com/