Italian Oregano

Basil- Ocimum Basilicum Basil plant is an herb and comes in different varieties.  It belongs to the family of mint (Lamiaceae). As you can see in the picture, I have tried planting most of the types of basil but my most favorite is the sweet basil which I always use in cooking especially in making…

Laurel or Bay Leaf is an important spice I use in my recipes. I have to buy a small seedling from a nursery for this one because obviously it won’t have seeds and I know it would take a long time for me to even try to grow it from cuttings. I just have to…

Pandan leaves is widely used in the Philippines as a food flavoring especially with rice cakes. I would consider it as a tropical herb just like lemongrass. The plant has long, green bladelike leaves just like the amaryllis, hence the botanical name pandanus amaryllifolius, with aerial roots and grows up to at least 3 ft….

Kinchay is an herb like celery but it is mainly the leaves that are being utilized. It is equivalent to lovage. I use it in stir-fries, chop suey, fried rice and noodles especially pancit bihon. Kinchay would also go together with green onions as a garnish for rice soup we call arroz caldo. The Kinchay…

Lemon Verbena is my favorite herb in the garden. I like to use it for flavoring my tea. Ever since I recovered from cancer, I have to make sure to drink green tea for its antioxidant properties but I don’t particularly like the taste of it, so I have this idea of putting an herb…

Bay leaf is an herb that imparts a good flavor for any cooking especially European cuisine. I use it practically for all my Spanish style recipes like adobo, menudo, afritada and much more. I want to use it so much I bought a small plant and it is taller now. I actually pruned it already…