Not everyone has the time, energy, inclination, or space to plant a veggie garden, but most of us have a sunny windowsill where a little pot of fresh herbs can happily grow. If you don’t already, I urge you to try growing just a few. Having access to fresh herbs transformed my cooking. Snipped parsley turns grilled meat into a feast. Torn basil leaves add an undeniable brightness to a simple salad or pasta dish. And a pot of tea made from fresh mint, lemon balm, or verbena leaves is deeply refreshing in its clean, pure flavor.
. . . and on edible blossoms
One of the greatest revelations for me in filling our small backyard with edibles was learning that when plants go to seed, it isn’t a bad thing. As arugula, broccoli, fennel, kale, parsley, and onions bolt for the sun, they bloom with little flowers, which turn out to be one of the garden’s great (and tastiest) gifts. I like to pick these little flowers and add them to my salads, grains, and pastas in much the way you would snip fresh herbs over a dish. All the delicate flowers taste of the plant from which they sprouted. Often we’ll snip some blossoms and stick them into a mason jar with water, making a little edible flower bouquet for our kitchen table. We can then pluck a flower or two to nibble on whenever we please.