As I've said before, I'm from crawfish country, and I love the food from Louisiana! So, I learned to cook, and I must say, I learned quite well.  I also learned there are a few secrets that the cooks down there use. One is herbs and the other is garlic. Now garlic is especially good in food, as well as in your immune system. And the darn stuff is so easy to grow.
I don't know about everyone else here, but I try to have my garden turned and start getting it prepared in the fall after the first or second decent frost. I especially get a section ready for two 50-foot rows of garlic. If I've used all the garlic from last year, I just buy a dozen bulbs from the store. Sometime around mid October I plant.  I like to plant onions at the same time, but onion sets seem to be very hard to find here in late fall. However, by the time the first snow hits, I've got garlic about eight inches tall and slowly growing. 
The first year we were here I planted an herb garden. It has sage, parsley, thyme and oregano.
They are perennials so I can use them all winter. I had a rosemary plant, but it grew older than me this year and kicked the bucket. I'll replace it next year, since I don't use too much of it anyway. But it sure does smell nice.
I used to put a sprig on the dashboard. It made driving a lot nicer, and it looks a lot better than those stinking hanging tree things.
A lot of Italian folk live in Louisiana and their traditional food from Italy is spiced up somewhat as well. I learned from them, too.
In the Spring, I grow a lot of basil! I use it fresh in salads, on my homemade tomato sauce, and I even put it under chicken when I bake it. It gives a wonderful fragrance to the yard bird and is good for you as well.
I've learned that I like growing things, though I must admit I prefer growing plants and shrubs that are native to our area. The reason being,  they seem to do better, and it makes me feel like I know what I'm doing.
 I have put in some things that are not native, like daffodils, hyacinths and a chinese rose that puts out tons of rose hips that the birds like in the winter. I read that you can make a tea from rose hips, and they are supposed to be high in vitamin C. I haven't tried it yet. I prefer coffee. I guess that’s the truck driver in me.
Back to the food! I make a pot of red beans and rice that'll knock your socks off! But there is a problem in making a real good pot of red beans here. I can't find any real good smoked sausage. Most of the pork around here seems to go toward breakfast sausage. That’s fine, but good smoked sausage is a real necessity in making Louisiana food. So, if you know of someone who makes a good smoked sausage, let me know through the newspaper. If it’s as good as you say, I'll make you a pot of red beans to thank you for the info.
There’s just one thing you need to know; I do not take the methane out of my beans.
 See ya next week.