💚 Dill-ightful herb gardens

Hello, Saturday! Today we're featuring your edible gardens and sage advice.

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If growing your own food sounds daunting, start with herbs.

The big picture: Fall is the prime time to plant perennial herbs like sage, chives, cilantro, oregano, thyme and rosemary.

• Hardy herbs like sage, rosary, cilantro and thyme can survive Denver winters and thrive in containers indoors, according to local gardening pros.

What they're saying: "The beauty of herbs is that you don't need to grow a large crop for them to be useful," Cheesman Park resident Cindy Wolf says.

• A few sprigs here and there is all you need to dress up your home cooking.
• They can also make great gifts. Denver-based Mary Hilken dries her herbs and jars them for holiday gifts.

The biggest learning curve is knowing which herbs can be planted together — and which don't work for your setup at all, Wolf says.

• For example, rosemary and basil don't like any other herbs. Parsley only likes sage. And thyme isn't compatible with mint, basil and chives.
• Oregano and chives work well together, and mint and tarragon get along with most other herbs.
• To save "precious garden real estate," Wolf avoids growing dill and cilantro at home because they tend to take over the plot.

The bottom line: There's never a bad thyme to start your own herb garden.

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Denver-based Kait Welch wrote an entire cookbook based on urban homesteading practices. The recipes are designed to be low-waste and beginner-friendly.

Here's her straight-forward basil recipe:

• 2 cups basil, packed
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/2 cup parmesan
• 1/2 cup pine nuts
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1/2 tsp sea salt

Directions: Add all ingredients into a food processor and pulse until desired consistency (about five minutes).

Pro tip: This pesto keeps for a week in the fridge, if stored in an airtight container.

• You can also freeze the mixture for up to six months by pouring it in ice cube trays and putting those trays in an airtight container in the freezer.

Forward to a foodie

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Our picks:

🤞 Bri has (cautiously) high hopes for her new basil plant. Send some encourage-mint her way.

🪴 Sami is restocking her favorite Trader Joe's pesto.

Thanks to our editor Ashley May.