Herbs are an interesting element of human history. They have been with us since the beginning. They are mentioned in most all the writings of ancient cultures including the Sumerians, Chinese, Greek, Romans, Aztec and Incas. Herbs gardens have provided mankind with improved cuisine, herbal beverages, medicinal remedies, fragrant aromatic delights, beautiful shrubs and flowers, insect control and crop enhancement. No wonder they were widely used and written about.
Much of the early foods man consumed were not of the quality of the hybrid improved, oven ready version groceries that are available in stores today. Herbs were an effective method of making foods more palatable. In the past herbs aided in making natural foods taste better. Today they make the improved hybrid foods available to us taste better. In both situations we OWE herbs a great deal of thanks for making man's life better.
Another significant contribution herbs have made to mankind is in the field of medicinal remedies. Before the advent of modern medicine herbs were the primary source of comfort to the sick. Modern drugs and medicines began to appear during the industrial revolution and herb remedies began to lose favor but herbal cures were the inspiration for the development of all modern drugs and still today provide a wonderful array of curative relief. Some of these medicinal herbs include: Nettles, calendula, burdock, echinacea, lavender and St Johns's Wort to name a few.
The Romans valued herbs greatly and utilized them extensively in their culture as did the Egyptians. The Romans had a tendency to take over neighboring areas and spread their influence in such areas as the law, architecture, engineering, military and cuisine. Among other things when they came they brought herbs with them. The early Britons have the Romans to thank for their introduction to herbal delights when they arrived in 43AD. It is believed that the invaders brought with them over 200 types of herbs from the Mediterranean including chervil, rosemary, hyssop, lavender, thyme, fennel, sage, dill, marjoram and parsley.
It is exciting to think that when you are using fresh rosemary in your cooking that you have a kinship with ancient Roman or Egyptian chefs who used the same herb in their dishes. It is even more exciting to grow your own herbs so that you will have a supply of fresh herbs on hand whenever you desire to use them. Growing your own may not be such a far fetched idea because in fact they are very easy to grow compared to a traditional vegetable garden. Herb plants are very productive so a lot of space is not required to produce more than enough for a family. They are also very suitable for growing indoors. You can have an aromatic herb in the kitchen that provides not only better tasting foods but pleasant aromas and in some case beautiful flowers.
Herbs are a wonderful gift to mankind. Now is a great time to join the "green revolution" by growing your own herbs. You will be joining your fore bearers in an exciting pursuit. It is fun, easy and rewarding.
