Spices in the Garden

What better place for spices than in the garden? I wish I had a green thumb and could grow them. But alas, my thumb is as black as black and be. Plants die when they see me coming just to save time and agony.

So I buy my spices. But as I experiment in the kitchen I'm realizing that a little spice goes a long way. You don't want someone to taste something and say. Wow this has, this or that or the other it it. You want the spice mix to blend so smoothly that people savor the taste and wonder 'What did she use? It was just right." And then guess at what the hint of this or that was. See where I'm going with this?

If you're making a pot of something 3 tablespoons of spices is probably too much. Maybe 2 or 3 teaspoons would be good. So if you want to use a blend of 5 then it should still equal 2 or 3 teaspoons.

Okay that all being said I've played with a spice blend for ordinary every day pot roast. And I hit pay dirt. I'm sure I prepared the roast and trimmings like most of you did, but maybe I used the spices different. Anyway I'm going to share what I did and I hope you try it and let me know if you enjoyed it.

Mary's Crockpot Pot Roast.
2-3 lb Beef Roast
1 lb of small (1") red potatoes--I'm not sure if they have a special name or not.
2 cups baby carrots.
1 onion sliced and the rings seperated
1 stalk celery chopped
2 cloves garlic chopped
2 cups water
1/2 tsp sage
1/2 tsp ground mustard
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 tsp Tarragon
1/2 tsp Marjoram
1/2 tsp Basil
1/2 tsp Thyme
2 bay leaves
Place water in Crockpot then roast. In a bowl add all the dry spices and mix thoroughly. Then sprinkle half the spice mixture over the roast, turning to make sure it's all over. Add vegetables over the roast. Sprinkle the rest of the spices and chopped garlic over the top. Cook on low for 8-10 hours or high for 4-5 hours. Enjoy!