I collect cookbooks and love to experiment with interesting dishes from other culture like a Mexican mole. Do you enjoy cooking yummy international meals? Like me, you cultivate many of the ingredients if you start your own themed kitchen herb garden.

Just about any plant you’ll need for your flavorful dishescan be cultivated in your herb garden.

A themed kitchen garden can be cultivated in the ground or you can grow your themed kitchen garden in pots.

These are some suggestions on raising your own themed kitchen garden:

• Asian: There are so many different cultures and folks in Asia, including Thai, Chinese, Indian and Vietnamese, so how could the food be boring? Some fabulous herb plants to grow in your Asian-themed garden are lemongrass, cayenne pepper, cardamom and anise. The licorice taste of anise adds a warm sweetness to baked goods, soups and Indian dinners. You can also try it in tea as well as in baking a savory-sweet cookie. The growing popularity of Asian cooking has helped it fall back into favor in the US in recent years.

• Mexican: Would you love to chow down on a Mexican herb fiesta? I love to eat my favorite Mexican meals, including burritos, fajitas or quesadillas at least once a week. Can you even cook a real Mexican dish without Cayenne pepper, Cilantro and Garlic?

• Italian: What’s your favorite Italian dish? Mine is lasagna, of course. The best I ever had was my mom’s which included all these awesome herbs: basil, fennel, parsley, garlic, marjoram, oregano, rosemary and thyme. You can add garlic to all your favorite Italian dinners and savor the oniony flavor! Put a little of it on your roasted chicken or add it to your soups and stews. You can even put some chopped garlic in your mashed potatoes. Do not overcook your garlic because it loses its flavor the longer it cooks.

• Middle East: Foods from the Middle East and north Africa are only growing in popularity these days. The flavors are so varied and the recipe items are so out of the norm for most of what I usually have in my recipes, such as chick peas, figs and couscous. These herbs are often to be found in the recipes for Middle Eastern dishes: cardamom, garlic, parsley, rosemary and saffron.

• German: You can have your own Oktoberfest any time you like if you have got all the right German herbs. For authentic German dishes, use these herb plants: chives, dill, horseradish, sage and thyme. Horseradish, which is related to mustard, is a wonderful condiment, opening the sinuses while adding tang to the taste buds. Horseradish is a fantastic addition to your meals. Try horseradish in mayonnaise and potato salad. Horseradish will also go well in cream cheese spreads or meat loaf.

One of the great things about herb gardening it that herb plants are a gift that keeps on giving. Once you snip off some lemongrass for your pad Thai, it can grow back. Most herbs appreciate being cut back from time to time and will likely grow bigger and fuller as a result.

Good luck with your herb gardening. Be sure to let me know how your herb garden grows.

Here is more information on Fresh Herb Gardening. Here is a website with a free mini-course dedicated to Herb Gardens.

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