Bouquet garnis can be made using tiny muslin squares.
Put into
a cellophane outer bag and prettily labelled, they are popular in
specialist groceries and as gift items. Thyme, bay, parsley and
- tarragon are traditional in these little bags. Put the little twig
bundles on to the muslin square and tie the muslin to make a little
bag. You can experiment with other mixtures. Special ones for
cooking game are very nice. We add bought juniper berries to
home-grown thyme and dried balm: this is delicious with wild
duck. Using the little muslin bags means that you can put in whole
spices and slivers of dried orange peel that would be unpleasant
whole in a casserole.
Much of the selling of herbs lies in giving
information and making suggestions. A lot of nice products such
as the bags for smelling drawers really sell because of their pretty
packaging. Even herbs growing in pots sell better if the pots are
slightly unusual, such as hand-thrown ones. If the thought of
growing all these personable plants appeals to you but the thought
of pretty packaging does not then it is a good area for a joint
venture. There is bound to be someone who would enjoy doing
the fiddly tying of muslin bags and the designing of colourful
labels who would hate to be involved with growing the initial
product.
Bouquet Garnis