In a previous post I shared a recipe to make your own bouquet garni. Another great French blend is herbes de Provence which is often sold dried in little terracotta pots topped with the patterned cloth, or in brightly coloured bags of the same material. If you make herbes de Provence with fresh herbs I can guarantee that you will get compliments galore each and every time you use it.

Here's how to make your own herbes de Provence…

Mix one tablespoon each of finely chopped fresh oregano, savory, thyme, marjoram and rosemary.

This traditional French blend will add real French flavour to any Provencal dish. If you're not into French cuisine use it to complement your salads, vegetables, meat dishes and even hot desserts.

Never limit yourself to just one or two blends. Even if they are powerful in their own right you don't want to be accused of being a boring cook. Don't only look at French cuisine either. Study your own cookbooks and watch the celebrity chefs on television.

Look for recipes that use more than three herbs, spices or flavourings. Remember. For the best results never limit yourself to only one or two herbs per dish. Rather use three or four, plus a spice or two. It's the secret to greater depth in your finished dishes.

Foreign visitors to South Africa are often taken aback when they sample dishes like bobotie for the first time. The curiously tasty mixture of sweet and savoury is a legacy from the Malay cooks who adapted oriental recipes, and used local ingredients to create a new and unique culinary tradition.

Be patient with yourself and you will develop your own tried and tested herb and spice blends that you can use with just about everything. I love infusing my blends in vinegar and olive oil as well. That way they become truly universal, and they are popular gifts.

But don't just copy successful blends…

Take your culinary adventure one step further. Start changing proportions, next try to add, delete or substitute the ingredients in your blend recipe.

Which of your current recipes will benefit from a generous helping of herbes de Provence? Who can you invite to share this culinary adventure with you?

When will you become a Seasoned Chef?

As busy cooks we are always looking for easy ways to increase the flavour and interest of our dishes. One of the most overlooked ways of doing this is to use blends of herbs, spices and flavourings. And who better than the French to show us how to make these blends?

The French approach is one of both simplicity and subtlety. The classic French dish hardly ever uses a single herb, but usually combines a bouquet of herbs that add an indefinable quality to a dish, but never dominate it.

These blends of herbs and spices are known as bouquets garnis. The French term for a 'bundle of herbs.' But they are a lot more than a mere bundle of herbs.

A blend is a secret "SYSTEM" that will Save You Stress Time Energy and Money.

With a mere handful of carefully selected herb and spice blends in your cooking repertoire you will be able to create a nearly endless variety of nutritious gourmet meals at will. Dishes that will, without fail, get compliments galore!

The aim of a blend is simple: To produce a balanced, complex flavour that makes your diner want to take another bite, not analyze it. In other words - it's made for those that love good food.

Different blends are used for meat, fish, sauces, dressings, etc.  The success of a herb and spice blend, like any recipe, depends on:

1. Selecting herbs and spices that compliment each other.
2. Finding the correct proportions for each ingredient.

The original bouquet garni of parsley, thyme and bay is still used to flavour meat based casseroles, stews, stocks and soups. These days rosemary or a twist or orange peel is added as well.

It's so easy to make. You only need:
3 stalks parsley,
1 sprig thyme and
1 bay leaf

Tie the herbs together in a little bundle with a piece of sting. Add the bouquet garni to any stew, sauce or casserole you're preparing and remove the bouquet garni before serving. I prefer using fresh herbs but you can use either fresh or dried herbs.

What will you do in the next 7 days to get some compliments for your own cooking?

Source: The Seasoned Chef

Drying out of the soil (or water loss) begins at the top of the soil and works its way down.  Because you cannot see inside the soil, you need to test your soil to see how wet or dry it is.  This will tell you whether your plants need water or not.

Before you apply water, test how dry or wet your soil is by doing the 'knuckle test':

1. Press your finger (up to the first joint) into the soil. If you are checking a seedling tray, scratch the soil in the tray.
2. If your soil is dry at this level, the plants have used up all the available water, so you need to water.
3. If your soil is moist (damp) at this level, your plants are getting enough water and you are watering correctly.
4. If your soil is soggy at this level, your plants are in danger of 'drowning', and depending on weather conditions and other factors, you can miss a watering session or delay it till later in the day.

With experience you will be able to check whether your plants need water or not, just by looking at them and your soil. Whenever you are in doubt, do the knuckle test as described above.

Remember: your plants need to dry out slightly between watering sessions. Just like humans, plants do not like to have feet that are constantly wet.

Make checking the water condition of the soil part of your morning routine. When possible, water plants in the cool of the early morning because less water is lost to evaporation and this will give you the peace of mind that your crops are supplied with this vital nutrient for the day.

In very dry hot spells recheck the watering needs once more during the day. Water at any time of the day when plants show a need for it. Don't wait till the morning.

Source: Go Food Gardening