Month: October 2020

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Herb Garden Kit – Indoor Kitchen Herb Garden

Herb garden kit is perfect for amateurs and professional gardeners. It includes everything you need and it is very easy to use. There are lots of kit variations to choose from. Find one that would best fit your needs. It’s an easy way to start gardening whether it is indoor plants growing in pots or outdoors in the yard. Great thing about these indoor types herb is that they can be easily moved from places to places, especially outside for their need of sunshine and it is always within reach for their maintenance. They already have the utmost ideas of what to consider about. But what they really need is the easier way of gardening.

Some of the herbal garden kit versions have artificial light to keep the plant from growing even if it’s away from the windowsill. If you prefer the window herb garden kit which includes everything but the sunlight and water, you can go with that too. You can even choose a kit with plants that grows and submerge in water, this solution eliminates the possibility of dirt spilling and resulting to a messy home. Professional gardeners have already the knowledge about gardening.

It is a great idea to nurture herbs for whatever reason it is appealing to you and it is also fairly simple. People’s everyday routine is to rush from work to their job and vise versa. Do you have the time to keep your herbs happy and healthy? Any herb that you grow has to be tended to, from beginning to end including the harvesting part.

Determine what herbs you will need to grow. Will it be for flavor in cooking, for medicinal use or even herbal tea? How many times am I going to use it? Will it be for personal use or a source of income? For professional gardeners, getting the herb garden kit is a walk in the park. If they get too busy with other things and less time for gardening, they can just order the kit. Not only does it require a little of your time, but it can also take up a little space at home.

There is also a choice of a larger kit that could take up a 10 by 10 feet space and has different kinds of herbs to choose from. Some kits have field contraptions that are used to make sure that the growth of the herb plants under any weather conditions. A small kit is available if they just need easy access of their herb garden inside the house. If you chose culinary herb garden kit, you can put it near where you cook. If you chose beautification garden kit, you can put it outside to attract beautiful looking insects to your garden with the right mix of colors and fragrances. Or even a medicinal kit for therapeutic needs.

As long as you know the category of herbs that you are planning to grow and the usage it would be easier to determine the space and the kit that would be perfect for you.

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Wrap It Up With Herbs and Spices

It’s important to prioritize your health when you’re aiming to trim some pounds. That’s why it’s important to eat nutrient-dense foods like fruits, vegetables, herbs and spices. It’s easy to get discouraged if you’re not enjoying your weight loss food, so variety is important.

Why not try these herbs and spices wrap recipes? You’ll surely love flavorful low-calorie snacks!

Tuscan-Style Herb Tuna Wraps

What you need:

  • 2 whole grain tortillas
  • 1/2 cup light tuna, drained
  • 1/2 cup diced tomatoes
  • 1/2 cup baby spinach
  • Juice of 1/2 lemon
  • 2 tbsps. chopped fresh parsley
  • 1 tbsp. olive oil
  • Salt and pepper to taste

In a small bowl, mix together tuna, tomatoes, spinach, lemon juice, parsley, olive oil, salt and pepper. Stir until ingredients are well-blended. Divide tuna mixture among the 2 tortillas fold over to make wraps. Top with fresh spinach. Serve immediately.

Turkey and Five-Spice Lettuce Wraps

What you need:

  • 1/2 kg. lean ground turkey
  • 2 heads lettuce, leaves separated
  • 1 cup water chestnuts, chopped
  • 1 carrot, shredded
  • 1 red bell pepper, diced
  • 1/2 cup chopped fresh herbs (basil, cilantro, mint and/or chives)
  • 1/2 cup instant brown rice, cooked
  • 1/2 cup reduced sodium chicken broth
  • 2 tbsps. hoisin sauce
  • 1 tbsp. minced fresh ginger
  • 2 tsps. sesame oil
  • 1 tsp. five-spice powder
  • 1/2 tsp. salt

Heat oil over medium-high heat in a large saucepan. Add turkey and ginger then cook for 6-7 minutes until turkey is cooked through. Crumble turkey using a wooden spoon. Add cooked brown rice, water chestnuts, bell pepper, chicken broth, hoisin sauce, five-spice powder and salt. Cook for 1-2 minutes or until heated through. Remove from heat and add spoonfuls of the turkey mixture into lettuce leaves. Top with carrots and fresh herbs. Roll into wraps and secure with toothpick.

Spicy Guacamole and Bean Burrito

What you need:

  • 2 6-inch whole grain tortillas
  • 1 cup shredded romaine lettuce
  • 1/2 cup low-fat refried beans
  • 1/4 cup salsa
  • 3 tbsps. prepared guacamole
  • 1/2 jalapeno pepper, diced

Combine beans, salsa and jalapeno pepper in a small bowl. Microwave for 1-2 minutes. Arrange romaine lettuce in each flour tortilla. Top with warm bean mixture and guacamole. Roll up to make wraps. Serve immediately.

Herb Hummus Vegetarian Wraps

What you need:

  • 2 cups herbed hummus
  • 4 large collard green leaves, steamed
  • 1 cucumber, peeled and sliced into thin strips
  • 1/2 jicama, peeled and sliced into thin strips
  • 1 carrot, peeled and sliced into thin strips
  • 1 ripe avocado, sliced
  • 20 fresh basil leaves
  • 1 stalk celery, sliced into thin strips
  • 1/2 cup toasted cashews, slightly crushed
  • 1 tbsp. chopped fresh chives

Mix together cucumber, bell pepper, jicama, carrot and celery in a medium bowl until well-blended. Divide the mixture among 4 collard green leaves. Top with avocado slices, basil leaves, cashews and chives. Roll up to make wraps and secure with toothpick.

Enjoy snacking for weight loss with these fun and easy herbs and spices wrap recipes!

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Types Of Basil

It may not be well known, but basil is part of the mint family, or family Lamiaceae. The most common type used in cooking is sweet basil, which has been used for thousand of years in Italian dishes. There is almost no limit to making great dishes using basil when there is 150 different varieties.

Here are some of the most popular and not so widely known types of basil that you can grow in your garden and add to any dish when cooking.

African blue is one of the most cold tolerant types of basil. It has a strong, aromatic scent of camphor. The leaves of a young African blue basil plant are purple and turn green as the plant matures.

Cinnamon basil, not surprisingly, has a strong scent of cinnamon, caused by a chemical called cinnamate, which gives cinnamon its flavor. The leaves of a mature plant are small to medium in size. Cinnamon basil is commonly used in hot drinks and added to fruits.

Genovese is one of the popular types of basil, and is often used to make pesto. In Italy, this type of basil is considered a sign of love. It is claimed that the best Genovese basil, used to make real pesto, is grown in Northern Italy near the city of Genoa.

Holy Basil, also known as tulsi, is commonly used in Thai cuisine and teas. It is native to the Old World Tropics, and often grows as a weed. Holy basil has been used for thousands of years to heal people and is even worshiped in parts of India.

Lemon basil is a hybrid of basil and African basil, and is typically grown in south Asia and north Africa. A typical lemon basil plant will grow to be 8 to 15 inches tall and have narrow leaves. Popular for its strong, lemon scent, lemon basil is most often used in dishes in Indonesia, Thailand, and Laos.

Originating in Italy, mammoth basil has leaves that resemble lettuce and have jagged edges. When mature, the plant will be about 14 to 18 inches tall. The large mammoth basil leaves are often used in pesto or used whole in salads.

Red Rubin basil is a unique, sweet type of basil that has dark purple leaves. Its flavor is sweet like sweet basil, and is used commonly in salads and as a garnish.

Thai basil, used commonly in Thai and Vietnamese cuisines, has a flavor of licorice and mint. It has small green leaves and purple stems. Thai basil goes great with seafood, chicken, pork, and in curry sauces.

Spicy globe basil is similar to the taste of sweet basil. The main difference with this type is that is grows small, dense, and compact, at most 10 inches tall. Spicy globe basil is perfect for pots and small gardens.

Sweet basil is one of the most common and important culinary herbs in the world and is considered the king of herbs. It has been used for thousands of years in Italian dishes. Sweet basil can be used in almost any dish including meat, pizza, pasta, salad, and in sauces.

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Despite the Heat, Summer Gardening Can Be Rewarding

Sunpatien Compact Pink Candy

Growing summer flowers can be a rewarding experience. Flowers add a lot of color and beauty to your summer garden, especially if you love summer blooms. You can plant summer flowers as early as the late winter or early spring. When summer hits it is time for summer gardening to get your summer garden in shape! If you are growing summer flowers, these summer gardening tips will help you have a beautiful summer garden. While July is typically too hot to add most vegetables and flowers to the garden, some plants do surprisingly well when planted in the summer heat.

Summer Gardening Tips: Summer Flower Seeds

One of the best summer gardening tips when growing summer flowers is to start with seeds. There are many different types of flower seeds that grow into an array of different summer bloomers. Also, they are usually less expensive than starter plants at garden centers and nurseries.

On average you should start summer flowers 4-6 weeks before the last frost in your area. You can also plant summer flowers that grow into perennials, but be sure to check the summer gardening tips on their specific care needs, such as whether they need to be divided every year or if they spread over time.

When planting summer flower seeds, one of the summer gardening tips is to make sure you have good drainage. Summer flowers prefer well-drained soil and will wilt quickly if there is too much water or rainfall around them. Also furrow planting summer seedlings helps with this problem and ensures a better success rate when growing summer flowers because ground moisture won’t be a problem.

Tips and Ideas for Summer Garden

Plant Hibiscus: Hibiscus trees love heat and will quickly take root when planted in July. Plant in nutrient rich, well-draining soil. Deeply water the tree so the roots remain moist for the first two weeks after planting. Hibiscus flowers only last a day, but new flowers are quick to take their place. Hibiscus can also be planted in pots.

Plant Beans and Squash: While most vegetables should already be producing in July, add corn, cucumber, lima beans and summer squash now for a late summer, early fall harvest.

Plan Your Watering Routine: Although water restrictions have now been lifted, still conserve. Set lawn sprinklers for early morning–6:00 a.m. or earlier, three times a week for 15 minutes. This will enable the water to reach the roots and help reduce evaporation once the sun comes up.

Eliminate Snail Damage Naturally: Snails love to eat their way through tender vegetable leaves, which can damage or kill the plant. Place natural barriers around your garden to keep the snails away. Since they move by sliding on smooth surfaces, place crushed eggshells or diatomaceous earth (an abrasive sedimentary rock) around plants. Mulch is another good snail deterrent because it is made of rough wood chips.

Keep Deadheading Flowers: Summer is the time of year when flowers want to grow. Give new buds the maximum nutrients they need by removing fading or dead flowers daily. This way, plants will focus their energy on new growth.

Plant Shrubs: One way to easily fill out a yard is by planting shrubs. Use them as groundcover or low hedges. Easy-to-maintain, low water users are Lily-of-the-Nile, Star Jasmine, Indian Hawthorn, New Zealand Flax, Rosemary and Mediterranean Pink Rockrose. All will need regular watering until established.

Fill In Your Flower Garden: Add summer-to-fall bloomers like alyssum, marigolds, petunias, red sage, verbena, vinca and zinnias to your garden as other plants slow their flower production. Flowers that do well in shade are amethyst, begonia, coleus, geranium and impatiens.

Replenish Mulch: To help cut down on water use, add a 3-inch layer of mulch around plants and trees. The mulch keeps water in and roots cool even during the hottest times of the day.

Unlike plants and trees that enjoy the heat, begin your gardening day early before temperatures rise to unbearable highs.