You don’t need a garden to grow your favourite herbs. These three indoor plants can give anyone green thumbs and are packed with flavour to spice up any dish.  

Parsley

Whether you like curly leaves or flat leaves, parsley is a great addition to any herb garden. Indoor care is easy. Find a sunny spot close to a window, keep the soil lightly moist and make sure to empty the pot’s saucer after watering to prevent the roots from sitting in water. Parsley, with its slightly peppery flavour, is delicious chopped as a garnish, in soups and in pesto, and you can even make creamy parsley butter.

Recipes to make with parsley:

Tomato soup with anchovy-butter toast 

Walnut parsley and sundried tomato babka

Butternut and goat’s milk cheese pasta

Chives

Your thriving indoor chives will easily leave you feeling chuffed. This grass-like herb with a delicious onion-like flavour is one of the easiest plants to grow. Find a spot that gets about six hours of sunlight a day and water when the topsoil feels dry to the touch. “Harvest leaves by cutting stems near the base, allowing the plant to produce new growth,” says Sally McCabe, associate director of community education for the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society. Chives give a beautiful boost of flavour to scrambled eggs, quiches and pasta dishes.

Recipes to make with chives: 

Chicken, corn and chive mini quiches

Pasta puttanesca

Savoury cheesy muffins with Peppadew, tomato and feta

Mint

Unlike chives and parsley, mint doesn’t like direct sunlight. This refreshing herb with a menthol-like flavour should be planted in its own container due to its invasive nature. Keep the soil moist (not wet) at all times for it to grow at its best. Regularly pinch off leaves or stems to encourage new growth. Mint comes in common varieties like peppermint, spearmint and even chocolate mint, perfect for veggie pastas, dressings, desserts and refreshing drinks.

Recipes to make with mint:

Watermelon mojitos

Pink lemonade and mint sorbet

Steak and pear salad with home-made mint dressing

Image: Shutterstock

The post 3 herbs that will thrive indoors  appeared first on MyKitchen.

Make the most of our local medicinal herbs and plants with creative and nutritious recipes straight out of Africa. This aloe vera lemonade makes the most refreshing summer drink!

SERVES 4 // COOKING TIME 15 min

INGREDIENTS
⅔ cup aloe vera juice
1½ cups mineral water
¼ cup honey/agave syrup
1 cup lemon juice
Fresh mint
Lemon slices

METHOD
1. Stir the aloe vera juice and water together in a jug.
2. Dissolve the honey or agave syrup in the lemon juice, and mix through the aloe juice and water.
3. Refrigerate and serve with fresh mint and lemon slices.

Recipe & styling: Amerae Vercueil
Photography: Samantha Pinto // HMimages.co.za

The post Aloe vera lemonade appeared first on MyKitchen.