Of all things that I have grown in my vegetable beds this summer, the most successful HANDS DOWN are the herbs.
I planted a ton of basil (four different varieties) - and I will do the same next year. Basil is lovely in the garden, and indispensable in the kitchen. I've used my Genovese basil, 6 plants worth, consistently since April - in pastas, pestos, salads - it adds such a burst of yummy! My favorite discovery of this season is the basil variety 'Siam Queen' - a gorgeous Thai basil that has narrow leaves tinges with purple, and whose flowers are beautiful little mahogany bouquets. It is a great looking plant, but it wins the day on flavor - it has spicy overtones of licorice and hit of something else I can't quite identify - cinnamon maybe? The robust taste adds so much to any dish you can imagine basil in - and invites you to dream up other recipes. What a winner!
Grow your own potted herb and veggie garden with this step-by-step guide.I have to say, my lemon basil tasted a little like sawdust. This same off flavor occurred in a couple of my Genovese basil, but not the whole crop. I wonder what caused it? My 'Purple Ruffles', 'Siam Queen', and cinnamon basil weren't affected - their flavors were bold and clean. I must investigate - any help will be appreciated.
Marjoram is a delight. I let it flower - those blossoms are bee magnets, and they are so lovely in a vase. I often don't even bother with a vase - I'll snip a blossoming stem and lay it across a cheese plate (after a good rinse and drying) for a fragrance, flavor, and prettiness. So many people don't know what it is, and they are always surprised that blossoming marjoram is so attractive. I also love it in my bath. The scent is clean and slightly pine-y, but not at all antiseptic. If I ever create my own line of bath products (I am a closet Cosmetics Maven) I would make a Parsley/Marjoram Bath Gel and Body Lotion. It would be a SMASH!
I love culinary sage in the garden, but I don't use it in the kitchen as much as I always intend to. I love fried sage leaves as a garnish, and I can't cook beans with without the savory herb - but that's about all I use it for. I need some more recipes. My Salvia 'Berggarten' is so beautiful, I would never consider having an herb planting without it!
I use parsley so much, I had to plant as much as I could and cross my fingers that they grew in robustly. And they did! Practically every dish I cook is finished with a sprinkle of the fresh green stuff, and I also make a very garlicky chimichurri that I have not been able to live without this summer. If you us it s much as I do, it never has time to bolt (flower), and the flavor stays fresh and mild rather than turning bitter. Oh, parsley! I love it!
Steal these secrets from top garden designers and add earthy polish to your outdoor space.Thyme - one can never have enough thyme - both literally and metaphorically! I start out almost every dish with a sprig of thyme, a sprig of rosemary, and a chile pepper. I let these scent the oil for a few minutes and then discard them - but those moments really bring alot of depth to a dish. I didn't make this up - it's a trick I learned from my favorite chef, Suzanne Goin, in her book Sunday Suppers at Lucques.
Rosemary! I am hard pressed to imagine cooking without this herb - it makes so much food so much better. What would roast chicken be without it? What about potatoes? And savory breads? Whenever I clip rosemary, my salivary glands start working - it's pavlovian. But I also use rosemary in other ways - it is a stimulating herb, so it makes for a great addition to a salt scrub (I especially like to use this rosemary/salt/olive oil concoction on my feet!). Try it!
1 cup kosher salt or coarse sea salt
1/2 cup coarsely chopped rosemary leaves
1 - 1/4 cup olive oil
mix these three ingredients together in a glass jar with a lid (I
like a lidded mason jar) and keep it in your bathroom to dip into
when a little stimulating exfoliation is needed. You'll LOVE
it!
I am such an herbivore - my meaning, a voracious consumer of herbs - that I don't know how I managed before I grew them. Beautiful, useful, tasty - and easy to grow! All they truly need is good drainage and benign neglect. And they give so much.
I hereby designate today National Be Kind To Herbs Day!
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