Herbs

I look forward to my new herb garden.  I especially look forward to having fresh coriander once again.  I still have a supply of coriander seeds, which I harvested and dried last year from our allotment.  Because it is such a strong herb, you only need a little bit - a few crushed seeds will flavour an entire casserole.  Unlike fresh coriander, dried seeds are good for casseroles - slow and long cooking recipes. Thyme is great for stews and sauces too - so I have a packet of thyme leaves ready to be planted this weekend. Hopefully we get the balcony-pot soil this weekend, some nice weather too, and all the herbs can be planted! (below is a photo from last year's out-of-control dill jungle)

I found that making herb butter is one of the best ways to ensure that I have plenty of herbs in supply well into winter.  Here are a few photos and a recipe I made in June 2010.   I made parsley butter, coriander butter and dill butter.

Directions: Wash and dry all herbs and check for any garden immigrants.  Chop herbs in a mixer or by hand - quite finely.

 Soften butter to room temperature butter, cube and add to the herbs. Add a dash of salt and for the coriander version I also added garlic.
Cool down the mixture a little and roll into sausages in grease-proof paper. Then put them in the freezer. Once frozen they can stay in the freezer for a while and then just slice pieces off with a sharp knife and add to whatever. 

Coriander seeds can be dried - place in an oven at a low temperature (~80-100 deg C) for a few hours.  If you pack them away without being completely dry they will rot and grow mold - as it happened to me first time I collected the seeds.  Thyme and rosemary can be dried too, but rosemary is fine to be stored in the freezer for a long periods without drying.  I wrap it in a damp kitchen paper towel and leave it in a Tupperware box.

Delia's ideas with herbs are quite inspiring.  She has a particularly good mixed-herb butter recipe with parsley, chives, tarragon and more.  Check it out!