I'm a Frugal Shopper: 7 Herbs I Grow in My Kitchen To Save Money
Buying fresh herbs every week might not seem like a big expense until you add up how often you toss out wilted, unused bunches. For frugal shoppers, growing your own herbs is one of the easiest ways to cut grocery costs and reduce waste. Even if you don't have a yard, you can create a small garden right in your kitchen using windowsills and repurposed containers.
Discover More:
Find Out:
GOBankingRates spoke to Anup Mutalik, founder of HouseplantsNook, a Brooklyn-based community of seven roommates who turned their kitchen into a thriving indoor herb station.
Here's a look at the herbs they grow to save $20-$30 a month and how long it takes to harvest.
Basil is a popular culinary herb that adds sweet, peppery, and aromatic flavor to various dishes. According to Mutalik, basil grows up to 24 inches tall and prefers a pot that's 6 to 8 inches wide and at least 6 inches deep.
It takes three to four weeks to plant basil from seed to harvest. Give it at least six hours of direct sunlight daily and consistently moist soil. He recommends pinching tops early (just above the leaf node) to make it bushy. 'Basil becomes pesto for pasta nights,' he said, making it one of their most-used herbs.
Mint grows quickly and well in a shallow, wide container — preferably 8 to 10 inches. It prefers indirect light and consistently moist soil.
'Start from cuttings in water. They root in about a week and are ready to harvest in three weeks,' said Mutalik. He emphasizes trimming often to avoid legginess. 'We use mint in hummus and iced tea.'
See More:
Rosemary is a woody herb that prefers drier soil and full sun. You need a 6 to 8-inch wide pot that's at least 8 inches deep. You'll wait two to three months before your first harvest. 'Harvest soft tips only, never woody stems,' he said. 'Rosemary flavors our baked dishes and herbal infusions.'
This herb grows about 18 to 24 inches tall indoors. Mutalik recommends using a 6 to 8-inch pot, at least 6 inches deep, ideally clay or unglazed ceramic for breathability. 'Start with a young plant instead of seeds. Flowers take two to three months, but leaves can be clipped after a few weeks,' he said. 'Lavender adds depth to our cookies or simple syrups.'
Parsley is compact and perfect for smaller spaces. A 6-inch-wide and deep pot is enough. It takes six to eight weeks to grow before it's ready to harvest. 'We harvest the outer stalks once it's mature,' Mutalik explained. Keep the soil evenly moist and place it where it gets indirect to moderate sunlight.
Thyme is low-growing and needs little space — just a 4 to 6-inch shallow pot. It's ready to harvest after six to seven weeks. 'We've even started air-drying thyme for longer-term use,' said Mutalik. It loves strong light and dry soil. Let the top inch or two dry out between waterings.
Dwarf chili plants stay under 16 inches tall but need at least 8-inch-deep containers. It takes eight to twelve weeks from seed to fruit. 'They need full sun and consistent moisture. Don't let the soil dry out while flowering or fruiting,' Mutalik shared. 'We even started air-drying our own chili flakes for longer-term use.'
More From GOBankingRates
Mark Cuban Warns of 'Red Rural Recession' -- 4 States That Could Get Hit Hard
6 Hybrid Vehicles To Stay Away From in Retirement
Mark Cuban Says Trump's Executive Order To Lower Medication Costs Has a 'Real Shot' -- Here's Why
This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: I'm a Frugal Shopper: 7 Herbs I Grow in My Kitchen To Save Money
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
One of Brooklyn's oldest homes — believed to be a stop along the Underground Railroad —asks $5.95M: ‘It is a museum'
A home in Brooklyn Heights not only offers a glimpse of old New York — but also the chance to live in a strong piece of local history. Built in 1829, making this one of the oldest residences in the borough, the clapboard Federal-style home at 69 Orange St. has just hit the market for $5.95 million, The Post has learned. It offers not only four to five bedrooms and a private garden, but also what locals say is a living link to the Underground Railroad. Indeed, this property is believed to have been part of the network that led escaped slaves to their freedom. To walk through the house, which includes a mansard roof and Victorian-era gingerbread trim, is to step back into a version of Brooklyn that predates the Civil War. The home, landmarked as part of the Brooklyn Heights Historic District, still retains original handrails, moldings, hardware, six fireplaces and even milk-paste paint. But the real stories are below the surface. 'My late husband who died last year, Henry, discovered the crawl space,' current owner Rasa McKean, 73, told The Post of a tell-tale feature inside the dwelling. 'In the cellar, the walls are made of large stones, not bricks. He noticed one was slightly out of place and suspected something was behind it. After wiggling it loose, it was clear there was an opening. We believe it was part of the Underground Railroad.' That hunch is supported by the home's immediate neighbor, Plymouth Church, a cornerstone of the 19th-century abolitionist movement. Its first preacher, Henry Ward Beecher, famously auctioned enslaved people to freedom from the pulpit, which drew the likes of Abraham Lincoln and Mark Twain to worship. McKean said she and her late husband found additional clues while doing outdoor chores. 'We dug up the garden to replace the soil, and that's when we discovered a tunnel underneath, leading along the back fence,' she recalled. 'It looked like it went all the way to the church.' McKean and her husband, Henry McKean, a mathematics professor, bought the home in the early 1990s for $345,000 after spotting its photo in a Montague Street real estate office. Over the next three decades, the couple made it their mission to preserve it — eschewing modern renovations in favor of historical fidelity. 'The other parishioners' houses around the church all participated in the Underground Railroad, but they're gone now,' McKean said. 'Ours is one of the few that remains — and we changed all the electrical systems, water pipes and heating in a way that preserved the history.' Their preservation efforts extended to its decorations. 'They tried all these years to keep the same paint, which was a milk paste paint,' said listing representative Monica Luque of Douglas Elliman. 'They only did what was absolutely necessary in terms of heating and cooling and plumbing, but everything else is there. All the original bones are there.' Luque is now marketing the home alongside co-agent Gabriel Suarez, and said the late McKean's wish was that the city step in to preserve the house after his death. 'It would be amazing if the city or the state bought it instead and kept it,' she said. 'It is a museum.' Though the home is already protected from demolition under its landmark designation, Luque noted that many historic interiors in the neighborhood have not fared as well. 'Everyone else — if they didn't tear them down, because they must be preserved as landmarks, thank God, then they destroy them on the inside and make them completely modern,' she said. 'This family tried so hard to preserve it.' And while the home has landmark status, Luque said the owners had begun the process of seeking official certification recognizing the property as part of the Underground Railroad. She noted that while such designations can take years, the documentation they've gathered — from physical tunnel evidence to oral histories — will eventually help secure the home's formal place in the national historic record. To that end, the listing includes a preservation clause to ensure future buyers maintain the home's integrity, Luque added. McKean, who now lives in a co-op in Manhattan, said the decision to sell was both emotional and necessary. 'I'm in my 70s and it's too much for me to take care of, and my husband is gone,' she said. 'Our mission was we wanted to leave a legacy. We wanted to maintain the history. Because … it's part of you.' Every room in the 2.5-bath home tells a story. There's a parlor with views of the leafy 55-by-25-foot backyard, which borders Greenacre Park and a library filled with built-ins that recalls a quieter century. Two additional rooms function well as offices or nurseries. It's a residential time capsule — but one grounded in some of the most pivotal movements in American history. The home's original owners, members of the Gracie and Middagh families, were part of Brooklyn's early elite. Middagh Street and the 'fruit streets' of Pineapple, Orange and Cranberry owe their names to the same lineage — legend says Lady Middagh renamed them to poke fun at the neighborhood's pretension. The house later passed to Henry L. Pratt, a deacon of Plymouth Church and ally of Rev. Beecher. A manufacturer and devout abolitionist, Pratt reportedly hosted religious leaders and Underground Railroad operatives in the home. McKean notes the uncanny coincidence that her husband, also named Henry Pratt McKean, was born in Massachusetts — just like Pratt. 'That always felt like more than a coincidence,' she said. McKean still visits the house frequently. 'Every time I leave the house, I cry,' she said. 'It really makes a big difference when you work on your home. It feels more like yourself. When you make all the decisions about the details and how you want things, it becomes part of you.' The home is awaiting a buyer who not only values old Brooklyn charm, but also recognizes the weight of its legacy. 'The city has to make a decision,' Luque said. 'Not only to purchase it, but to preserve it.'
Boston Globe
5 hours ago
- Boston Globe
Archbishop Henning to lead 'Into the Deep,' a first-ever eucharistic procession by sea for Boston archdiocese
Henning, who is serving his first year of archbishop, decided to take the procession in a new direction, inspired by Boston's long history with the sea. 'When I look out on the ocean, I just find it a place where it's easy to pray, easy to sense the presence of God,' Henning said in a Over the two days, Henning will stop at seven North Shore communities and four Boston neighborhoods. Advertisement 'What if we just brought the Lord to them? What if [people] just have to go as far as the town dock?' Henning said in the video. At each stop, the boat will pause for brief blessings and prayer. The two-day voyage ends with a closing Mass at Gate of Heaven in South Boston. 'The mayors of all the towns we are visiting have been invited, including Mayor Wu,' said Liz Cotrupi, Director of Family Life & Ecclesial Movements at the archdiocese. Harbormasters from multiple towns will guide the Shepherd's Pie into their local harbors, and State Police and fire boats will escort it into Boston Harbor on Sunday morning, Cotrupi added. Advertisement The boat—donated by the Winchester-based Shepherd family—will be captained by Mark Shepherd, Frank Harrington, Winthrop Harbormaster Charles Famolare, and Father Dan Hennessey of Topsfield and Middleton. Below is the full schedule of stops and estimated arrival times. Saturday, June 21 8:30AM – Mass at 10:50AM – 12:20PM – 1:30PM – 2:50PM – 4:15PM – 6:00PM – Prayer Service at Sunday, June 22 8:15AM – 9:20AM – 10:15AM – 11:05AM – 12:00PM – Mass at Rita Chandler can be reached at
Yahoo
7 hours ago
- Yahoo
I'm a Frugal Shopper: 7 Herbs I Grow in My Kitchen To Save Money
Buying fresh herbs every week might not seem like a big expense until you add up how often you toss out wilted, unused bunches. For frugal shoppers, growing your own herbs is one of the easiest ways to cut grocery costs and reduce waste. Even if you don't have a yard, you can create a small garden right in your kitchen using windowsills and repurposed containers. Discover More: Find Out: GOBankingRates spoke to Anup Mutalik, founder of HouseplantsNook, a Brooklyn-based community of seven roommates who turned their kitchen into a thriving indoor herb station. Here's a look at the herbs they grow to save $20-$30 a month and how long it takes to harvest. Basil is a popular culinary herb that adds sweet, peppery, and aromatic flavor to various dishes. According to Mutalik, basil grows up to 24 inches tall and prefers a pot that's 6 to 8 inches wide and at least 6 inches deep. It takes three to four weeks to plant basil from seed to harvest. Give it at least six hours of direct sunlight daily and consistently moist soil. He recommends pinching tops early (just above the leaf node) to make it bushy. 'Basil becomes pesto for pasta nights,' he said, making it one of their most-used herbs. Mint grows quickly and well in a shallow, wide container — preferably 8 to 10 inches. It prefers indirect light and consistently moist soil. 'Start from cuttings in water. They root in about a week and are ready to harvest in three weeks,' said Mutalik. He emphasizes trimming often to avoid legginess. 'We use mint in hummus and iced tea.' See More: Rosemary is a woody herb that prefers drier soil and full sun. You need a 6 to 8-inch wide pot that's at least 8 inches deep. You'll wait two to three months before your first harvest. 'Harvest soft tips only, never woody stems,' he said. 'Rosemary flavors our baked dishes and herbal infusions.' This herb grows about 18 to 24 inches tall indoors. Mutalik recommends using a 6 to 8-inch pot, at least 6 inches deep, ideally clay or unglazed ceramic for breathability. 'Start with a young plant instead of seeds. Flowers take two to three months, but leaves can be clipped after a few weeks,' he said. 'Lavender adds depth to our cookies or simple syrups.' Parsley is compact and perfect for smaller spaces. A 6-inch-wide and deep pot is enough. It takes six to eight weeks to grow before it's ready to harvest. 'We harvest the outer stalks once it's mature,' Mutalik explained. Keep the soil evenly moist and place it where it gets indirect to moderate sunlight. Thyme is low-growing and needs little space — just a 4 to 6-inch shallow pot. It's ready to harvest after six to seven weeks. 'We've even started air-drying thyme for longer-term use,' said Mutalik. It loves strong light and dry soil. Let the top inch or two dry out between waterings. Dwarf chili plants stay under 16 inches tall but need at least 8-inch-deep containers. It takes eight to twelve weeks from seed to fruit. 'They need full sun and consistent moisture. Don't let the soil dry out while flowering or fruiting,' Mutalik shared. 'We even started air-drying our own chili flakes for longer-term use.' More From GOBankingRates Mark Cuban Warns of 'Red Rural Recession' -- 4 States That Could Get Hit Hard 6 Hybrid Vehicles To Stay Away From in Retirement Mark Cuban Says Trump's Executive Order To Lower Medication Costs Has a 'Real Shot' -- Here's Why This article originally appeared on I'm a Frugal Shopper: 7 Herbs I Grow in My Kitchen To Save Money
