Nan Fran’s birthday present the herb- gardening project

Dan woke up very early this morning and went downstairs as quietly as possible. It was Nan Fran’s birthday and he wanted to surprise her with a nice breakfast.  He made a wonderful fruit salad, some pancakes and made her a cup of her favorite herb tea with honey. He decorated the table with a wonderful bunch of daffodils that he picked up from the garden. Nan came down as usual and was delighted by Dan’s surprise and she was very happy, because that was just the beginning of it.

Dan knew that Nan Frans favourite things were cooking and children, so he arranged for her the perfect present to teach a cooking class for Jasmine, Jake and their friends. That way Nan Fran cold have a quality time and lots of fun “which is the best thing to have anyway” according to Dan.

Miss Pickles thought it was a wonderful idea to give a lesson about how to use all the various herbs, which everyone had grown in their herb-boxes at home.  Both of them prepared a nice selection of herbs, which they have displayed in a classroom.  All that Nan Fran had to do, was to share her knowledge about how to use the herbs.

She is eager to tell you some of her personal magic- taste tricks:

• Herbs give more flavour if you use them dry.
• You would want to add them to the dish at the last minutes of cooking, because the flavour is easily harmed by too much heat.
• Fresh herbs preserve their flavour if you tear them with fingers, instead of chopping with a knife and it is also safer.
• You could make wonderful decorations with herb leafs like butterflies with parsley leafs or anything else that pops into your imagination...

Magical tasting combination with which foods:

• Sweet basil is a great with tomatoes, other vegetables and pasta.
• Dill goes nice with chicken or fish.
• Oregano is also yummy with vegetables and pasta.
• Summer Savory is great with beans and cheese sandwiches.
• Rosemary enriches the taste of the potatoes.
• Thyme is good to use with meats and poultry.