5 Easy & Creative Ways to Use Your Herb Garden’s Leftovers
There’s no question that indoor herb gardens are a chef’s dream partner. The culinary uses for herbs are endless (and so delicious), but sometimes we end up with too many leaves to consume.
The good news is that herbs are good for way more than just eating. Here are five creative ways to use your fresh herb gardens.
1. Lime Cilantro Soap
You can never have enough good-smelling things. Perfumes, candles, sprays, soaps…add this lime cilantro soap to your collection of aromatic items. A fresh, light green, this soap is super easy to make, smells divine, and will use up all those extra cilantro leaves!
WHAT YOU’LL NEED
16 cubes ‘melt and pour soap base’ of your choosing
20 drops of lime essential oil
3 Tbsp fresh cilantro
Soap Mold
HOW-TO
Place the soap base cubes in a microwaveable bowl, and microwave on high for 30 seconds. Check on the soap, then microwave for another 10 seconds. Continue until melted.
Add the drops of lime essential oil and fresh cilantro and stir. Pour into soap mold of your choosing, and let sit for 40 minutes to an hour before removing.
2. Sage All-Purpose Household Spray
Why spend all that money on chlorox wipes when you can make your own household spray using your leftover herbs? Use any herb you like, but we recommend sage. Sage’s leaves cut through the alcohol and vinegar scent. Plus, they have natural antibacterial capabilities!
WHAT YOU’LL NEED
Warm water
White vinegar
Isopropyl alcohol
Drop of dish soap
Sage (or your favorite herb)
HOW-TO
Place leaves—the fresher, the better—in a plastic spray bottle and muddle to release the oils. Mix one part warm water, 1 part vinegar, and ½ part alcohol. Add a drop of dish soap to the mixture and shake.
3. Herb Dryer Sachets
Does anything smell better than linen, scented and newly out of the dryer? With these rosemary and lavender sachets, all your laundry will smell divine and fresh. Simply take those extra herbs, dry them, and quickly throw together these fabulous pouches.
WHAT YOU’LL NEED
Heat-sealing tea bags
Dried lavender
Muslin bags (or the materials to create your own)
HOW-TO
Fill each pouch with lavender, then seal each pouch by pressing down on the side with an iron for about 10 seconds. Place each pouch in drawstring muslin bags.
4. Herb Ice Cubes
Okay, so this is technically consumable, but how could we not share this elegant ice cube recipe with you? Since you’re freezing the herbs you’ll be using to make these ice cubes, they’ll last a long time, and you won’t be wasting any of your fresh herb gardens. Throw these in cocktails or sodas for a beautiful and tasty flair.
WHAT YOU’LL NEED
Mint springs (or any herb of your choosing)
1 cup water
HOW-TO
Fill each ice cube cell halfway with water. Add your herbs. Place in freezer for a few hours until liquid has solidified. Then, fill the second half of each cell with water. (These two separate steps are necessary if you want the materials in the middle, and not at the bottom.)
Put back in the freezer until completely frozen.
5. Herbal Hair Rinse
Herbs have way more up their sleeves than good taste and aromas—their rejuvenating qualities are really incredible. In this hair rinse, you can use almost any herb you fancy to harness the medicinal power of herbs. Our favorite is a rosemary and lavender rinse. The two herbs complement each other wonderfully, will soothe your scalp, and will increase the shine on your locks.
WHAT YOU’LL NEED
4 cups water
½ cup dried lavender
½ cup dried rosemary
3 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 large pitcher
1 large bowl
1 pot
1 mesh strainer
HOW-TO
Bring 4 cups water to a boil. Turn off heat, add herbs to water, and steep until the water temperature cools enough to handle.
Strain rinse into a pitcher. Pour herbal rinse over hair so that run-off falls into a bowl placed in the sink. Repeat.
Try out these fresh ideas to minimize waste and create a more herbaceous and wonderful lifestyle. For even more tips, check out these ways to harness your herb’s natural power and clear your skin.
