How to Live the Farm to Table Life

With farm-to-table restaurants and cafes growing more and more popular, we all now get to taste food in its purest, freshest glory. But did you know that it’s possible to enjoy the farm-to-table experience right at home too? Here’s how!

No need for ample resources and expensive organic ingredients! Simply create your own steady supply with a windowsill garden.

With a little bit of space, you can grow your own herbs for cooking. Our Southeast Asian climate is optimal for growing basil, pandan, mint, curry leaf and chilli padi — all of which are essentials in Asian cuisine. Now that your windowsill garden’s set up, grow herbs that are easy to work with and versatile to make a wide range of dishes.

Basil is a nice mix of sweet and savoury, with hints of pepper. Of all its uses in pastas and salads, the most exciting is pesto. Making it is extra easy. Simply blend basil and pine nuts together, and achieve a smooth, fine texture in no time!

Another great starter herb is mint, which gives a refreshing sweetness and a lingering cool taste. Add it to your water or yogurt for extra flavour, or even make your own mint tea.

Quick tip: Pick your herbs just when the flower buds first appear. This is when the flavour and fragrance are at their peak, which lets you prepare even tastier food!

Now that you’ve grown your own herbs and picked them at the perfect time, preserve their freshness for maximum aroma and future use with these methods.

Vacuum sealing is now more readily available and is a great way of keeping herbs fresher for longer. This minimises contact between your herbs and cold air from the refrigerator, reducing the effects of oxidation and dehydration.

Another way to extend their shelf life is by cooling. If you’re not using the herbs immediately or have excess for future use, keep them in the VitaFresh compartment of your Bosch refrigerator. The spacious compartments give ample storage space and keep your herbs fresh for up to 3x longer! Find out more about how your Bosch fridge’s humidity drawers come in handy here.

A third method is to air-dry them. Dried herbs tend to have stronger flavour, and are great for soups, stews and sauces. Tie your stemmed herbs into a cluster and hang them in a dry area with plenty of air circulation. Don’t forget to keep them safe from areas with high moisture, such as the sink.