Tips and tricks for indoor herbs
It can be hard to get indoor herbs to last long, which means we often have to go out and buy new ones, which is a waste of both money and plant. Therefore, here is a small guide on how to take good care of your indoor herbs when, for example, standing in a herbal pot in the kitchen.
Choose the right indoor herbs
Not all herbs are equally suitable for planting in a flowerpot indoors. Below you will find some of the varieties that do not tolerate frost, and therefore are ideal for standing indoors - and then they smell great, and liven up the kitchen a bit.
Do you want to have winter hardy herbs, then the main rule is that the plants that stand indoors / under the roof of the nurseries are not winter hardy, but they are the ones around the perennials. They may look somewhat dull here early in the season, but in return they will return. Also, ask the gardeners for advice - there are often some good tricks out of it. Some of the ones I've got, I'll share with you here.
The rosemary stands in Rutile herbal pot size medium while the mint and the really nice basil stands in Rutile herbal pot size small. Find the entire Rutile collection here .
Tips and tricks for three popular indoor herbs
basil
Most people have probably had one (or more) basil over time, and it can be difficult to get just the basil for a long time indoors, as the stems quickly become tired or brown when you take leaves from it.
One of the best tricks to grow a basil and keep it indoors is to cut the leaves off the right way. After learning the trick, I managed to keep the same basil alive for over half a year indoors in herbal pots. The trick is something as simple as cutting the top shots, over two new shots (see photo). In this way, the basil plant shoots from the new shoots, making stronger and almost woody stems the older it gets. So use only the top leaves, rather than taking the big leaves here and there.
In addition to cutting it properly, basil likes copious amounts of water (but without drowning). Lacking that water, it quickly looks sad, and the leaves aren't as "crispy" as they used to be. My experience is that even a very sad and slippery basil can be brought back to life with a good deal of water - so don't give up on it.
The basil shown is in Rutile herb pot in the color light green in size small and it can be found here . Each herbal pot is unique and therefore the color varies slightly for each herbal pot.
How to cut your basil so that the plant shoots again, thereby lasting longer.
rosemary
In order to fit a rosemary indoors, it is important not to over-water it. Of course, it grows in warm and dry areas, so it is not enough to drown it. It can be advantageous to water it in the wash basin and pull it back into the herbal pot when it has sucked what it needs. It should be bright but does not necessarily need direct sun.
Rosemary is a popular herb that many people use often, either in a fresh or dried form. Personally, I think it is really delicious in food breads and on root vegetables and chicken in the oven. It will also fit really well for the lamb of the season and the new potatoes when they arrive.
A dish where the rosemary comes to mind is on a potato pizza. Sussi recommends this recipe from Meyers.
spearmint
The coin may not be the herb we use most often in Danish cuisine, but I think that is a bit of a mistake. Firstly because mint smells so nice and secondly because it is good for spicing up many summer salads and summer drinks. Or something as simple as getting a few leaves in a pitcher of water with a slice of lemon - then it is no matter to remember the two liters a day.
I also think I must try this one soon recipe for falafel pancakes with coin dressing from Emma Martiny, and this recipe for lemonade with mint from Sofie's Dining Room I will probably make it here at Easter, where the weather seems to be excellent. Also try Sussi's gluten-free version of Ottolenghi's Orange Cake with mint at the bottom of the article - mums!
As with most other herbs, the mint can bloom, and although beautiful and decorative, the mint spends a lot of energy on its flowers, which goes beyond the intensity of the taste. Therefore, it is a good idea to cut the flowers off as soon as you can see that they are forming on a stem. Cut off a bit.
When using mint, you can do the same with basil - using the top of the plant and cutting off two new shoots. Then it shoots again, as you can see in the following image.
The coin shoots from the two side shots. Always cut straight over these.
Irrigation and placement of indoor herbs
Water and light are two of the most important conditions for indoor herbs. Herbs generally like to stand bright, but the brighter they stand, the more often they need to be watered as well. You can usually clearly see a herb if it lacks water, as stems and leaves quickly become worn. If it is in a place with too much sun, you may find that the leaves are scorched, and then you can advantageously move it somewhere else.
When watering herbs, it is important that they get plenty of water, but at the same time do not stand and drown. If you keep your herbs in the plastic containers they come in, it is easy to take them over in the sink and get plenty of water, and then put them back in the flowerpot. You can also choose to plant the herbs in more soil directly in the flowerpot, but then you must be careful to make a drain so that not too much water collects. You can drain with, for example, leca balls or pebbles.
Fertilizing indoor herbs
To give your indoor herbs the best conditions, they may be a good idea to fertilize them during the growing season from March-April until September approx. Always remember to buy fertilizer made for herbs, as these are intended for plants to be consumed as food. It is also possible to find organic fertilizers, so if you have purchased organic herbs, they can stay that way.
New plant signs are on the way
You who have been following on Instagram and on Facebook have been able to see that Sussi and Louise have been working (at a distance) to make some new plant signs. The first tests have come out of the oven and it looks promising, so hopefully they are ready for the store and the webshop soon.
You can buy one at Aarstiderne herb box, with 10 selected herbs that you can plant out at home (not for indoor use, however). Soon there will be signs ready for all of them.
Sussi's gluten-free version of Ottolenghi's Orange Cake
Turn on the oven at 180 degrees. Take a 24 cm spring shape. Coat its bottom with baking paper and butter the sides, and sprinkle with cane sugar so it sticks to the butter.
Ingredients:
- 200 g butter
- 380 g cane sugar
- Juice and peel of 2-3 oranges & 1 lemon- unsprayed
- 400 g almond flour
- 5 medium-sized organic eggs
- Long strips of unsprayed orange peel for decoration
- 1 small handful of coarsely chopped almonds.
- 1 tbsp. coarse mint.
Butter and stir 300 g of sugar and citrus peel of both kinds of citrus, preferably on low speed stirrer until the mass is smooth, but not airy.
Add the eggs one at a time with stirring. Pour the almond flour in and stir until the dough is completely even.
Then add the chopped almonds and mint and turn it into the dough.
Distribute the dough in the spring form. Place the cake in the oven and bake it for 50-60 minutes. Insert a (bamboo) skewer to check if it is done. It should be a little damp when pulled out again.
Cook a syrup while the cake is baking. Pour the rest of the sugar and both kinds of citrus juice into a small saucepan and bring to the boil, which should be 1 1/2 dl of juice, so avoid adding more. Remove the saucepan from the heat as the syrup boils.
Brush the cake with the fire-hot syrup as soon as it comes out of the oven and make sure all the syrup is absorbed.
Now it's hard - Let the cake cool before taking it out of the mold.
Decorate with the orange strips.
Welcome and Happy Easter!
This post is written by Maria, who stands for social media and the website here at WAUW design. You can also meet her in the shop on Saturdays.
