Winter Solstice in the Herb Garden

The Pacific Northwest has much in common with the climates of certain Mediterranean regions, including generally mild winters. Many herbs here don't die back & go dormant completely until mid-November or even later; I still have a prolific (although rather tough) crop of Lemon Thyme growing in the front yard. Rosemary, being an evergreen, flourishes all year round. Sages may get skimpy in winter but many still keep some of their leaves.

Although you'd need to buy the spices required for many world food recipes, you might be surprised at the number of herbs you can grow here. Check out Nichols Garden Nursery for great descriptions and good deals.

Here's an herb bundle you can use to flavor soups and stews:

• Gather 2-3 sprigs each of Sage, Rosemary, Winter Savory and Thyme.
• Bundle the sprigs together with string, tying tightly enough so that the string won't loosen and fall apart in hot liquid.
• Place the bundle in the pot, making sure it's completely covered by liquid.
• Remove when cooking is complete.

You can also stuff herb bundles inside the cavity of a turkey before roasting - the drippings will make wonderfully flavorful gravy.

Amazon List

I've created several Amazon lists for those who want to get started cooking world food from local ingredients & merchants. The first one focuses on cookbooks for farmers' market shoppers and home gardeners:

http://www.amazon.com/lm/R37PJ8937BPWR1/ref=cm_lm_pthnk_view?ie=UTF8&lm_bb=

The second one lists my personal favorites among world food cookbooks:

http://www.amazon.com/Exploring-Food-Along-the-Silk-Road/lm/R36VZIWFV3RIL4/ref=cm_lm_byauthor_title_full

You can find most of these titles in your local library system as well as on Amazon.