Of course, you have been using your herbs all summer long. You snipped bits of chives and parsley to scatter over eggs and creamed dishes or to spice up low-calorie diets. You gathered those which took your fancy as you wandered about the garden with the salad bowl in mind, or perhaps tucked a sprig into a favorite book or into your purse for fragrance.Now it’s harvest time, the time when the bulk of your plants must be gathered for your pleasure and used through the winter. Now you can go into the garden and gather loads of fragrance and fun.

Harvest time is a time of planning too. You must decide which plants to bring into the house, which to dry, which to make into gifts. You will want to mark those plants which you wish to pot for the winter, even though it is not necessary to dig them until just before frost. When making this decision, keep in mind that you will want:

A variety of culinary herbs for the kitchen window sill.
A few larger plants to provide sprays for bouquets or iced drinks, to toss into your bath, and for other favorite uses.
Several small compact plants to pot for gifts.
Pots of plants to place in different rooms throughout your own house.
Just when is harvest time? The time for harvesting is decided, not by the time of year, but by the readiness of the herbs. Most herbs are ready to harvest just as the buds are opening into full blossom. This is when the plants contain the most volatile oils and therefore the greatest fragrance and flavor. Fortunately for you, not all varieties will be ready at the same time. But if you should discover that several are just right on the same sunny morning, take a separate box, basket or tray for each herb and label it. Otherwise, unless you are more of an expert than most of us, you may have trouble sorting the herbs after they are dry.
It is best to gather herbs in the early morning of a warm, bright day when the dew has evaporated, but before the sun is high and hot. This is the most pleasant time for being in the garden, and it is a fragrant, relaxing way in which to begin your busy day.

It is important, too, to harvest as early as possible in the season so that the plants will come up again vigorously before the growing season is over. For me, this first harvesting is a difficult decision. I wander about the garden, enjoying the beauty of the plants, their delicious fragrance and lush growth. And each year, in spite of previous years’ experience to the contrary, I think, “What if they do not come back again? Will I ruin this lovely garden?”

But don’t you believe it! You are more likely to destroy by holding back than by cutting! If you wait to harvest perennial herbs late in the season, you will lose not only their flavor but probably the whole plants as well. Do cut early enough to assure regrowth. Otherwise, your plants may die during the winter. Do not cut annuals too close to the ground. Leave enough foliage so that the plants will continue to grow. You may hope for another harvest this season, at which time you can take the whole plant. Cut perennials about two-thirds of the length of the stalks and side branches, less if the stalks are stiff and woody.

You may pick sage, marjoram and basil at any time. The new growth of sage is always flavorful, and so is that of marjoram at any time before the young plants blossom. Basil scarcely has an off-season even though, like other herbs, it is at its best just at blooming time.

If for some reason you do not manage to harvest all you want of a particular herb when it is ready, gather some later on even though its peak cutting season has passed. Once I made a final bottle of basil vinegar in a greedy rush when the weather forecaster said, “Look for a freeze tonight.” The resulting product could barely be distinguished from that made earlier.

If the herbs you harvest are to be dried, it is important to gather them when the oils are at their best. If you do decide to dry some of the last-minute crops, it might be well to label your jars so that you will know which are prime and which are seconds. Of course, you will also keep some of your favorite herbs growing in the house throughout the winter, and those you will use fresh.
As soon as you have carried your herb crop indoors, quickly rinse off the dirt from the lower leaves and shake off all excess moisture. Then spread the herbs on either window screens laid across two chairs or on some stretched cheesecloth.

Remove any yellowed, decayed and very coarse leaves, and dry your harvest in an airy place away from direct sunlight.

When to Harvest

Harvest these herbs when they are just starting to bloom: basil, tarragon, horehound, mint, sweet marjoram, lemon balm, costmary, fennel, winter savory, sage, summer savory, lavender (also may be cut later).

Clip the tops of these at full stage of bloom: hyssop, rosemary, lavender, thyme.
You can harvest both the leaves and flowers of these four herbs, and you can also pick rosemary leaves separately.

The following herbs should be harvested in the young leafy stage: parsley, caraway leaves, chervil, lovage.

It is the flower heads of the following herbs that you will want to harvest: camomile, German camomile, and marigold. You can go ahead and cut the flower heads off and just dry them on a screen. Camomile is great for the skin and is used in herbal bath sachets along with some oatmeal (uncooked) and grated soap. Put equal amounts of each in a washrag secured with a rubber band and used as a wash cloth in the shower.

The culinary herbs that you will wish to dry include sweet basil, parsley, thyme, chervil, rosemary, spearmint, marjoram, summer savory, sage, tarragon and lemon balm. Lemon Balm cookies are easy to make with 2 tablespoons of chopped Lemon Balm added to a basic sugar cookie recipe. There are some great books on making vinegars and herbal seasonings at you local library and bookstore. With the holidays right around the corner, you may want to obtain one of these books and start crafting some gifts!

As far as the other culinary herbs in your garden are concerned, do not dry chives, but pot for winter use, put in vinegar or freeze. Dill should not be dried either, but the leaves can be frozen fresh or the seeds dried. Parsley may be potted, salted, frozen or dried. If you want to dry parsley, place it in the microwave between two paper towels for one minute intervals until dry. If you try to air dry it, it will simply turn brown and unappealing. Burnett, which is too delicate for drying, can be grown indoors in the winter.

Harvesting herbs in the fall is a fun way to bring your garden indoors for the winter. You will be rewarded with countless hours of fun for not only for you but those you bless with the gifts from your garden.

One area of exploration you could never avoid, even if you tried, is that of exotic culinary experiences — trying out new foods which are prepared traditionally, especially if your travels do indeed lead you to an exotic place, like Thailand’s Koh Chang island.

Those with particularly weak stomachs and go by the motto “If it tastes like chicken, then give me chicken” aren’t entirely at a loss though, since a lot of travel destinations have wised up to the fact that a lot of people who frequent those destinations are in fact tourists, so there will always but always be an escape to familiarity not too far off from wherever you may be based for that period.

If you are visiting the Thai island of Koh Chang, for instance, as much as you will have ample opportunity to dip your taste buds into a plethora of exotic local Thai dishes, you will have equal opportunity to get a real taste of some of the cuisines from all over the world, including Central and North America, South America and even Africa, in addition to the main offerings that are inclined towards native Asian dishes and there is also a very strong presence of European cuisine as well.

Such restaurants that offer a fair bit of familiarity include the likes of the Chill Restaurant as well as the Rock Sand Terrace Restaurant (situated on White Sand Beach).

Traditional Thai Cuisine

As far as dipping into the local Thai cuisine goes, Koh Chang offers a number of authentic Thai dishes which do very well to give the tourist area its deserved amount of exoticness.

Thai dishes are not exactly what you would call out of the ordinary and there probably won’t be any new or strange things you will be subjected to eating, since Thai food has a heavy emphasis on fish and sea food in general.

An authentic Thai culinary experience, in the form of a lunch or dinner (which are the two meals that probably encompass all the elements of Thai cooking), will take your taste buds on an adventurous journey, with emphasis placed mainly on how the food tastes as opposed to the portions, although the collective portions add up to a very filling meal, generally, so there should be no fear of leaving the dinner table hungry.

If your Thai dining experience has taken your taste buds for a ride that includes taste sensations that are sweet, sour, salty and even bitter, you have had the real Thai culinary experience as the authentic Thai chefs intentionally prepare their food to encompass serious flavours, through the addition of herbs and spices that complement dishes which are made up of the likes of crab, fish, a range of salads and a lot of different dishes to dip into.

A typical Thai dish, as enjoyed on this island, to the tune of a seafood platter of prawns and baked potatoes for example, wouldn’t be as simple as that. The Thai way of preparing such a dish would firstly have an edge by way of the prawns having been freshly-caught (some local restaurants allow you to come along for the fishing boat ride) and then the dish would typically be lightly-prepared, with the prawns cooked just right so that the authentic taste of the sea is preserved.

Along with the avoidance of loss of natural flavour due to overcooking, Koh Chang chefs love to add a little bit of their signature into the mix, characterised by something that would bring out the flavour of the prawns, in the case of the prawn-and-baked-potato dish, with a blend of herbs and spices accompanied by a number of dips and the presentation would be professionalised with an arrangement of something like a tomato and lettuce salad, presented uniquely with a locally prepared salad dressing and even more seasoning.

Be prepared to have a number of dishes placed in front of you, with the distinct possibility of getting overwhelmed by the seemingly endless choices offered all over the island of Koh Chang, at dining spots like the Smiling Buddha Restaurant, The Souk Restaurant and even the curiously named Pink Restaurant, which is more for those who are constantly on the move.

What is important to remember, when enjoying dishes like garlic stir-fried prawns, green curry chicken or yellow curry beef, is that the aim is to experience intense flavour in your food and not just have a filling dinner that you go on to forget about a couple of hours after dessert and this makes for the ultimate Koh Chang dining experience of Thai cooking and Thai food.

After a trip to Home Depot, I was armed with shiny silver tools, bags of potting soil to house my foliage friends, fertilizer to make them grow, and the inner drive to begin digging my way to becoming a green thumb farmer girl!

Now, 20 years later, it’s hard to imagine my kitchen without a bunch of basil on the counter, herbs drying on racks, and jars of dried oregano and chocolate mint within easy reach at each meal. From summer’s juicy ripe berries, peaches, and tomatoes to fall’s vibrant harvest of squash, pumpkin, and sweet potatoes, onto holiday turkey and ham feasts, and into hearty winter stews and casseroles, herbs enhance every season’s fare!

I’m still thrilled to witness the miracle of propagation each time with every plant. I shelter them in stormy weather, talk to them while watering, trim their leaves, and weed their beds. In return, I’m rewarded with savory, spicy, and fruity aromas, a relaxing hobby, a healthy method of adding flavor to food and cocktails that lasts all year long, and great natural photography backgrounds!

Do you have herbs and are looking for ideas on how to use them? Do you see those little plastic packets of greenery hanging in the grocery store but have no clue what to do with them? Maybe you want to expand your culinary horizons and explore your green thumb capabilities? Many people are lured into using fresh herbs through the culinary route.

This is the first in a series of articles on growing herbs for cooking, cocktails, and culinary crafts. Plus tips on pairing all kinds of flavors, from custom infused oils and balsamic vinegars to herbs, spirits, sweet and savory dishes. When you marry the right foods together into a succulent harmonious balance, the results are amazing and herbs contribute such character to your cuisine.

This isn’t about becoming a food snob or being tethered to rules, except for this one; seasoning is vital in cooking and herbs go hand in hand with that philosophy. I’ll offer general guidelines along with novel combinations I’ve discovered but there’s no one taste fits all. It’s thrilling to develop original recipes and tweak the traditional dishes we savor. Play with new ingredients. It’s great fun to use homegrown edibles but if you don’t want to grow plants yourself, buy a few freshly packaged herbs from the store and practice cooking with them.

Be daring with oil and vinegar selections. There’s a wonderful store called Savor The Olive in Virginia Beach that is a tasting room full of unique fused and infused oils and light and dark balsamic vinegars. If you have one of those in your area as well as wine tastings, take advantage of going for a visit. Experiment, so that your sense of taste gets stronger and more acute and it will tell you how much to use.

Herbs add to the enjoyment of cooking and help you personalize what you’ve prepared. Being a chef is an art. Each person has a unique touch and flavor palate. The kitchen is your studio, the plate your blank canvas. Let instinct and imagination guide you. Herbs are one of the tools in your aromatic arsenal that enable you to present a mouthwatering masterpiece.

Hope you’ll join me on a tasting tour of my fertile little deck farm as we pinch and smell the herbs, swirl and taste the wine, envision what main course will be the star of the plate, and tempt your taste buds with food that’s appealing to the eye and tongue.

However, if given the proper attention, forethought and preparation, diabetic cooking can not only become better tasting food than non-diabetic meals; but this is also a far, far healthier option to take. Here are some tips on how to make the best out of diabetic food.

1. Substitute. Substitute. Substitute. There is a long list of food that should not be part of a diabetic’s meal plan. Sugar is the most notorious of all. Fortunately, diabetics can substitute artificial sweeteners to use in drinks, in baking goodies and even in plain cooking preparations (like making marinades, etc.) This principle of substitution can also be used for the lot of foods that should not be part of diabetic cooking. For example, mayonnaise should be severely limited, but one can always substitute plain natural yogurt or balsamic vinegar for salad dressings. White bread can always be replaced with sugar free varieties, or better yet with whole grain varieties or breads that do not use leavening agents and sugar (i.e. sour dough and rye breads.)

2. Think fresh produce instead of packaged produce. Diabetic cooking would indeed entail the person to delve into some deep rooted culinary expertise – or at the very least, learn new ones. It should be noted that although this way of preparing often make recommendations for steamed, boiled and grilled foods, this does not mean that these are the only options allowed. The key here is to use as much natural ingredients as possible. Pre-packaged meals are all convenient, but when a diabetic person has to monitor calorie intake as well as sugar levels and slat levels, that convenience flies straight right out of the window. It would be best if the person prepares his or her own food since the ingredients can be carefully chosen and monitored in order to balance meals.

Again, the key here is to substitute natural ingredients for processed ingredients. Instead of buying the pre-marinated, ready to cook hamburger patties, why not make your own, using freshly ground meat, freshly chopped vegetables, freshly crushed pepper and sea salt. All these ingredients are natural and portions could be carefully monitored. Even marinades for grilled meat can all be made at home from fresh herbs and select spices.

Culinary management

Graduates of this coursework understand the basics and can even cook a little, but they are looking to see the big picture, they are the ones who want to be in charge of the show. They mostly work behind-the-scenes and take care of all the particulars that come with efficient supervision of the kitchen and venue or facility. Culinary managers run the daily operations of dining establishments including kitchen management, helping the chef create an array of menu options, promoting good customer relations, managing supplies in the kitchen and overseeing general upkeep of the restaurant.

In culinary, there are many programs being offered to enrollees and one of the most common courses of study is the Culinary Management degree. If you enroll in this program, you can expect to gain general knowledge of the culinary arts, restaurant management, and culinary business. You will also be studying about:

Contemporary/Modern Cuisine
Knowing about the newest food trends is very important to be able to manage a restaurant successfully. This subject will give you an extensive awareness of what the latest trends are in cooking. This subject also provides a better understanding of fine dining.

Running a Dining Room
Dining room operations have many facets so students are taught how to run this room efficiently and manage the food servers, chefs, and the rest of the staff working in the dining and kitchen area. The lessons will also give you knowledge about how to make the best use of your operations and generate bigger profits.

Management of Food Service
Culinary management is also about food costing and specific areas of food service. By learning good strategies through this coursework, you will have the ability to rise above all the challenges related to food service management.

Accounting
To have a profitable food business, you need some knowledge of accounting. As a culinary management degree holder, there’s a big chance that you will also be given the task of handling taxes and balancing the books so this is an important skillset to learn.

Culinary Arts

Culinary art is an interesting field that you can take on and build a career through. Everybody loves food and really enjoys eating. With a degree in culinary arts you will focus on preparing delicious meals, inventing new recipes, and creating luscious fancy desserts.

This branch of the culinary field is deemed to be both a science and an art. This is because, the coursework brings forward a multifaceted concept that does not just require cooking skills but the love of knowledge of everything that has something to do with the business.

When it comes to culinary arts cooking programs, there are courses designed for students who prefer to obtain a certificate or associate degree in culinary. These programs were created to help people in developing their cooking potential. Certificate culinary courses are one of the advanced methods of culinary education, so holders are seen as good enough to be regarded as professionals in their field.

With a full course or bachelor’s degree in the culinary arts, you can do more than cooking. In fact, you also have the opportunity to be a manager or director in a dining establishment. Below are several careers that you can explore after earning your culinary arts degree:

• Chef (private, executive, or fine dining)

• Baker

• Desserts or pastry chef

• Food and beverage director

Ultimately, culinary schools are institutions offering education for individuals who would like to delve into the art and science of food preparation and other things related to it. The culinary field will never go out of style so whether you have decided to study culinary arts or culinary management, you will most likely end up with good career. You must seriously look for the best culinary school for you because where you enroll can have a great impact on your future culinary career.