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Quote of the Day: Jerry Traunfeld

November 10th, 2013

“Fresh herbs offer an astounding palette of vibrant and glorious tastes, but their delights go beyond the flavors they lend to food. For a cook, there is joy in simply handling fresh herbs in the kitchen. Who can resist stroking the proud sticky needles of rosemary, rubbing a plush sage leaf, or crushing a crinkled leaf of verdant mint between their fingers? When yous trip the fragrant leaves off sweet marjoram or tuck a few sprigs of shrubby thyme in a simmering stew, you feel connected to the soil and the season, no matter where you kitchen is.”

Jerry Traunfeld from The Herbfarm Cookbook
thyme on roast
This time of year I’m always sad that cilantro and basil are gone, but thyme and rosemary will take their place. I have potted herbs in the house for winter eating, always thyme, and almost always rosemary.
lemon_thyme
I find thyme to be very easy to grow indoors, there are always a few different varieties. Lemon thyme is my favorite one, I use it almost daily. Rosemary can be hard to maintain as a houseplant, I have trouble with it dying on me. Recently, I read that if you plant it in the soil during the summer and dig it up for winter it will survive the winter much more easily. I’ll definitely be trying that method next year.

Do you have any potted herbs in the house?

11 Comments to “Quote of the Day: Jerry Traunfeld”
  1. kathi Cook on November 10, 2013 at 8:41 am

    I just bought a rosemary plant for the winter, but they do up and die suddenly. I have never tried bringing a thyme plant indoors, however lemon thyme is my favorite herb. I love that sage will last much of the winter. I just brush off the snow and harvest it. I am also still picking parsley and chives from my garden. I sometimes dry some herbs, but i definitely prefer to use them fresh.

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  2. amy on November 10, 2013 at 11:26 am

    I grow several different herbs in pots through the winter…..I keep rosemary year round….The trick is that it likes light but not direct sun….It likes a cooler area around 55 to 60….and never let it dry completely out….That will kill it quicker than anything…..I also take it out in the spring and plant it in the ground….then take it back up for winter.

    Reply to amy's comment

    • Joan on November 10, 2013 at 11:44 am

      Thanks for the hints Amy! I’m going to move my recently dug rosemary into a cooler room and keep it moist instead of letting it dry out between waterings (well, I’ll try)!

      Reply to Joan's comment

      • amy on November 11, 2013 at 11:11 am

        Your both welcome!

        to amy's comment

    • kathi Cook on November 10, 2013 at 2:59 pm

      Thanks for the tips! I will try them.

      Reply to kathi Cook's comment

  3. Joan on November 10, 2013 at 11:43 am

    I dug my rosemary last week, hopefully it will make it through the winter. I’m still picking cilantro and tarragon from the garden. I’m hoping to get some herbs started in pots soon – cilantro, basil, probably some arugula, not sure what else… I’ll have to look through my seed stash and see what inspires me!

    Reply to Joan's comment

  4. maggiewann on November 10, 2013 at 12:34 pm

    I plant my rosemary in big pots and put them in the unheated greenhouse for the winter. The temperature gets down to 32 degrees in there, but the rosemary does fine, I give it a little water if it looks really dry. I haven’t been able to keep them alive in the house, we use wood heat and the house is too hot and not enough light.

    Reply to maggiewann's comment

  5. amy svob on November 10, 2013 at 6:37 pm

    Currently I have parley, lemon grass, thyme, basil, and rosemary. I keep them in an unheated room in the house and on 16 hours of light. Also try putting the pots in rocks and water in the tray as well to add humidification. I just started more basil in a pot to keep it going. I love having fresh herbs and despise paying an arm and a leg for fresh in the stores.

    Reply to amy svob's comment

  6. Lemongrass on November 10, 2013 at 7:41 pm

    I have lemongrass, basil, spearmint and Cuban Oregano growing inside. Just have to make sure they get enough light. My thyme did not make it indoors as it was not a well established plant. Here in the Caribbean my outside garden is alive 365 days a year.

    Reply to Lemongrass's comment

  7. Alley @ Alley's Recipe Book on November 11, 2013 at 10:01 pm

    My thyme always seems to dry out indoors. I have basil, chives, rosemary, and sage growing in my gardening corner (windows east and south facing). I always have some basil in a pot… I cook too much Italian foods not to have it constantly growing!

    Reply to Alley @ Alley’s Recipe Book's comment

  8. Sara on November 13, 2013 at 8:43 am

    Rosemary has been one of the biggest successes in my little backyard hoop house (zone 5, WI). I’m not sure exactly why, but it’s super happy. Nothing better than going out on a crisp winter day and smelling herbs in there! I do have a bay leaf in the house too, but that’s it!

    Reply to Sara's comment

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This is a daily journal of my efforts to cultivate a more simple life, through local eating, gardening and so many other things. We used to live in a small suburban neighborhood Ohio but moved to 153 acres in Liberty, Maine in 2012.

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