My Love Affair with Herbs

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I have lived most of my life in small places. What I like best about these places are the wild greenery that is still around , the kitchen gardens and grounds attached to the houses. Though apartment blocks keep springing up like mushrooms there are still outdoors where plants grow profusely. And that brings me to the herbs both growing wild and in our own yards. I love herbs and that is an understatement. I regularly put in mint, bayleaf, basil, lemon grass in the teas I brew depending upon the weather, all easily available here.The cost of simple herbs tied up in small bundles is exorbitant when sold in the city. And it is not only the cost. There is something so satisfying about plucking and adding freshly plucked herbs to one's cooking. Pepper is a great favourite of mine.Only the fact that I don't have a garden prevents me from growing these lovely green vines.The cluster of green peppers have a distinctive taste before they are dried. In the market I need to be careful while buying peppercorns as dried papaya seeds which look alike are sometimes mixed with them. The other thing which adds a zing is coriander. Though it grows hereonly in winter a long leafed stronger smelling variety does as fine in the summer months. With our palates turning global our kitchens are also stocked with spices like oregano, rosemary,galangal, thyme etc. Thank you to @Garden Gerty whose trip to a herb class got me going to write this post. Any other herb lovers out there? Photo: From the net