Five Garden Herbs that Outlast Summer

What about that blogging hiatus, huh?

We've been knee-deep in kitchen renovations and it is coming along rather beautifully.  We are in a holding pattern right now waiting for our backsplash tile order to come in so I'm sneaking in a quick post.  But first.. let me share my giddiness.  The gas range finally arrived last weekend - which means no more camping stove cooking!  Three weeks of that was more than I could bear (drama, drama!).

This Samsung NX58H9500WS gas range has a convection oven which was a top priority for us when we shopped for one.  In plain English, that means there's a fan inside the oven that circulates heat evenly.  We originally ordered a GE Profile range but three weeks of waiting and I threw the towel in.  I'm very happy (so far) that we ended up with this Samsung one which is as much of a beauty as it is a beast - plus when we bought it, we saved $1,000 smackeroos!  Maybe someday I'll get to write a full length review of the Samsung NX58H9500WS, but right now, it has to suffice that I am in love with this appliance.  Proof?  A deliciously and perfectly cooked tarte tatin baked in twenty five minutes flat!

But I digress.  I had yesterday off and I did some work in the garden which I've been putting off for a while now.  I yanked out the tomatoes, peppers, basil and zucchini but I was pleasantly surprised to see that so much of my garden herbs are still thriving - including the cilantro and parsley, which supposedly don't like hot summers like the one we had.

Tip: I planted them behind the tomatoes so they get a lot of shade, and apparently, it worked!

Here are five of my garden herbs that have outlasted summer in higher than average temperatures and little water (we're in a drought, people).  I've had them in the ground since spring and it is really gratifying to see them still alive and best of all, able to provide with cooking herbs this late in the season.
1.  Parsley

2.  Cilantro - even I was surprised!

3.  Oregano

4.  Rosemary.  Like thyme below, rosemary is perennial so it is very hardy and should live all year long.  Also, did you know that ragu bolognese uses rosemary as its main herb?

5.  Thyme

Bonus Round

I had picked up these herbs a few weeks ago and I've been trying to keep them alive indoors.  Herbs grown indoors are never quite the same as the ones grown outside and since I was already outside, I went ahead and transplanted them outside.  Because these are hardy-slash-frost resistant, these will have a few weeks left in them, as long as winter doesn't sneak up with a deep freeze.

1.  Sage.  I better get on with that saggia e burro we tried in Tuscany last May.

 2.  Lemon Mint.  Pan grilled courgette or squash,  with olive oil, mint, a drizzle of lemon, a crack of red chilli pepper - perfect fall vegetable dish!

And speaking of which... I gotta go make this right now!  Hope everyone's having a great autumn!