Herbs & Herb Classes

I became addicted to herbs about 20 years ago with my first herb garden.  There are so many options for building different beds, the colors, shapes, flexibility, design, and of course the herbs themselves with the many different smells and tastes.  I am at my fourth (and final) home since then and have built around a dozen different herb gardens.  One of my step-daughters even chose one for the location of her wedding.  It was beautiful.  I have a huge collection of herb books, both for design and cooking, which I read and reread and glean information which I use in my classes.  After taking the Master Gardener class in Giles County several years ago, I then taught the herb session the following year and received rave reviews.  My schedule for this years classes is still being determined and will be posted here by the beginning  of April at the latest.  There will be one in June, July and August and will include information on many different types of herbs, designing and building a herb garden, incorporating herbs into flower beds, propagation, cooking, and using herbs in crafts & gift items.  You will go home with 8 different herbs and information on how to start your own garden, whether it is a container garden or large bed. It will be an intensive class that will include lunch and snacks using a variety of different herbs.  I am also available for seminars, classes and field trips for garden and cooking clubs.  Plans are being made for a commercial kitchen and class room that hopefully will be finished by 2010.  I have just moved to a new farm, so this year all the beds are under construction which will enable you can see the building of herb beds from the ground up.

Here is a sample of some of the herbs and information about them

BASIL   Called the King of Herbs, used in making perfume, in cooking and in adding visual interest to the herb garden, the flower bed and both landscape and potted plantings.  It is a native of India and has been cultivated for at least 5,000 years.  This herb comes in a wide variety of flavors, colors and sizes.  There are actually more than 50 varieties of basil. Sweet Basil is the one used for classic tomato sauces and pesto.  Its leaves are soft and fleshy, its stems succulent and its flavor and aroma part clove and part mint.  A single plant will grow 2 to 3 feet over the course of a season.

Scented basils are named mostly by their smell and flavors such as cinnamon, licorice, lemon, chocolate, etc.  There are purple basils such as Red Rubin or Purple Ruffled, which makes a beautiful rich burgundy wine shade of vinegar.

Basil is an annual and very sensitive to cold.  It should be planted in full sun and well drained soil.  It can be planted by seed directly in the garden or transplanted.  You can get a better variety by planting seeds and they can be started 6-8 weeks inside before last date of frost.  Keep the tops nipped off to keep the plants bushy and don’t let it go to flower if you are using the leaves to cook with. Cut sprigs 4 – 6 inches just above leaf axil with 2 leaves.  If you let it flower it attracts bees and butterflies.  It is reputed to repel flies and mosquitoes.  Keep a pot on your kitchen window to keep the flies out of the house.

“Genoa” strains are Italian classics for pesto and other basil dishes. “Piccolo” are small leaved that are shiny and smooth.  It has excellent flavor and aroma for using fresh or in flavored oils and vinegars. “Globe or mini Basils” are small rounded bushes only 6 to 9 inches high and are very aromatic. Scented basils have striking fragrances and are valued for potpourris and vinegars. Lemon basils blend well with pasta, rice, fish and chicken dishes. Opal basil has deep purple leaves and makes a flavorful rosy pink vinegar.  Cinnamon, anise and clove varieties are handsome plants with purple or green flower heads. Holy basil is similar, but has fuzzy leaves. 

It is used in pesto, vegetable soup and in tomato-mozzarella salad, or in green salads.  Basil adds zest to mild tasting vegetables like zucchini and eggplant and is a natural seasoning for carrots. It is better used fresh or to freeze it.  It loses a lot of color when dried.

***It was precious to lovers in Italy and considered sacred in India.  A cup of basil tea after dinner helps digestion.***

Add this herb early to long cooked dishes, but remember to remove before serving.

CHERVIL  Chervil is a hardy annual that grows better from seeds directly sown in the garden.  It is one of the few herbs that does well in partially shady spots and likes moist soil.  It is one of the traditional “fines herbes” in French cuisine.  It has a mild parsley-like flavor that has a hint of licorice and goes well with fish or eggs.  This attractive plant will grow into a ferny, 2 foot mound with dark green leaves. 

***It was said that eating a whole plant would cure hiccups and also warm old and cold stomachs.***

CHIVES  Chives are a perennial that grows in clumps.  It needs full to partial sun and can be grown by seeds or root division.  It is one of the easiest herbs to grow.  Chives are a member of the onion (allium) family.  They add a delicate hint of garlicky-oniony flavor to many foods.  The round clover like pinkish purple flowers are edible as well as the stems.  Garlic chives don’t spread as much as regular chives and are good to use when you want the extra flavor of garlic.

 Each chive seed will sprout into a skinny scallion-like plant.  Over time each single perennial shoot will divide to form clusters of skinny little onions about 8 inches tall.  To harvest cut the clumps off about an inch from the ground.  Don’t just cut off the tops.  It will turn brown and be useless.  Harvest chives with scissors to avoid bruising the juicy leaves.

Chives work well to flavor fish, poultry and eggs.  It is used in soups, stews, salads, sauces, marinades, mushrooms, in herb butters and sour cream potato toppers, or any place a hint of onion is needed.  Chives can be planted in rose beds and with other flowers.  It deters Japanese beetles and the flowers add interest to any bed.

***Bunches of chives hung in your home were used to drive away diseases and evil.***

 DILL  Dill is a hardy annual that is planted in full sun and grows to about 3 feet.  You can plant it about the time of the last frost.  This plant uses both leaves and seeds for cooking.  Plant every two weeks to keep a good supply of the leaves.  Grow Fernleaf or Dukat as they stay shorter and bushy for a longer time.  It is used fresh and has a mild faint anise taste.  Use it on cold salmon, boiled potatoes, cucumber salad, beets, fish dishes, cottage cheese, most any vegetable dish and hard cooked eggs.  It is used to flavor pickles.  Snip feathery ends of fresh dill when adding to dishes and use the sprigs as garnish.  Dried dill may be labeled “dillweed”. 

***Romans made wreaths and garlands out of dill.  It is reported to keep witches away***

MINTS  Mint is an invasive perennial with square stems and toothed very fragrant leaves.  It has tiny purple, pink or white flowers on spikes in July and August.  It usually grows to 2 feet tall.  Plant near cabbage or tomatoes.  It deters the white cabbage moth.  Plant in full sun or partial shade in rich, well drained soil.

***It was believed to cure hiccups and counteract sea-serpent stings.  The Romans wore peppermint wreaths on their heads.  It was added to bathwater for its fragrance***

OREGANO  Oregano is a perennial that grows into a wide shrubby plant about 2 feet tall.  It can be planted in full or partial shade.  Oregano tolerates poor soils and drought.  It can be planted by seeds, root division or cuttings.  Greek oregano is the best, most flavorful.  It produces white flowers.  Some sold as oregano that has pinkish or purple flowers are really wild marjoram and has a very mild flavor.  Taste or smell to make sure you are getting a plant with good flavor.  It has erect, hairy stems with oval pointed leaves. 

It is used in garlic bread, pizza, Italian tomato sauce, chili, Greek salads, stews, and grilled fish.  It can be used interchangeably with marjoram.  Oregano adores tomatoes, loves beef and lamb (toss a handful of  fresh oregano on the coals when grilling meat), seafood and eggplant. 

***Used for “sour humours” that plagued old farmers.  It was also used for scorpion and spider bites.***

PARSLEY  Parsley is a hardy biennial that grows 2 feet and needs to be planted in full to partial sun.  It is best grown from seeds, but can be started inside early.  There are two kinds of parsley, curly leaf, which makes a great appearance for a garnish and the flat leaf which is much more flavorful.  It is a biennial which goes to seed the second year, so it is best to plant each year for the best results.  To grow from seed you must first rinse the seed with water to remove a naturally occurring growth-inhibiting substance and keep the soil moist until the seeds sprout.  You have to transplant the plants early if started inside since older plants grow a long taproot which makes transplanting difficult.  It is used as a garnish for boiled potatoes, cold soups, parsley butter on fish and vegetable, and used in the dish tobbouleh.

***A fine harvest is assure for parsley if it is sown on Good Friday by a witch or a pregnant woman*** 

***Used in wreaths and in funeral ceremonies.  It is believed to repel head lice and attract rabbits***

ROSEMARY  Rosemary is a tender perennial that grows as an evergreen shrub.  It can be planted in full or partial shade.  You can grow it from seed (which takes a long time to get big enough to use), root division or the best way is from cuttings.  It can’t withstand very cold winters so you can plant it in a pot and keep outside during the summer and bring inside during the winter.  You can bury the pots in the ground for the summer if desired.  It must have a lot of light and doesn’t like heat inside, so put in the coolest room of the house.  A lot of people in this area plant as annuals and if they lose them in the winter, they replant.  You can take cuttings in the fall to keep inside if the winter kills the plant.  Plant near beans, cabbage and carrots.  It deters bean beetles, cabbage moth and carrot fly.  It is used to flavor leg of lamb, meats, shellfish, cheese, eggs, mushrooms, most vegetables, roasted potatoes, split pea/bean soups and in poultry dishes.  At Thanksgiving and Christmas I cut sprigs and put under the skin and in the cavity of my turkey.  It adds a great flavor as well as fills the house with a wonderful aroma.  Rosemary works well in potpourris, makes a lovely cold beverage tea and as a rinse it darkens the hair.  It has been cultivated and revered since 5000 BC. ***Rosemary in you hair will improve your memory.  It will protect you from evil spirits if you put a sprig beneath your pillow***

SAGE  Sage is a hardy perennial grown in full to partial shade and is grown from seed, root divisions or cuttings.  It is a beautiful plant and is either culinary or ornamental.  The green is a traditional Northern Italian herb that is used a lot in cooking.  It can be sauté whole in olive oil and garlic and served over pasta with grated fresh Romano cheese.  Sage is also the classic ingredient in poultry stuffing and breakfast sausage.  People either love or hate the flavor of sage.  It is very strong and should be used in moderation. Purple sage has fragrant dark purple leaves and golden sage has brilliant variegated foliage that shines all year.  There is also a tricolor that has purple, cream and green leaves.  Most sages are hardy to zone 4 and can be grown easy from seed or cuttings.  It is used in poultry stuffing, butter sauce for ravioli, risotto, pork roast or chops.  Slip springs of fresh sage under breast skin of chicken before roasting.  Rosemary is widely used in homemade herbal medicine.  Its Latin name, Salvia, means “to heal”.  ***Thought to promote strength and longevity and believed to cure warts.  American Indians used it as a toothbrush***

TARRAGON  Tarragon is a hardy perennial that is planted in full or partial sun.  It is started by root or stem cuttings.  You have to be very careful buying tarragon.  French tarragon is the one you want.  Russian tarragon is tasteless.  Pinch a leaf to test the flavor.  French tarragon cannot be grown from seed.  It has a delicate licorice-like flavor that goes great with fish, chicken, eggs or sauces.  It doesn’t grow well in the hot humid climate of the south.  Mexican Mint marigold is a good substitute for the south.  Its yellow flowers are beautiful and edible also.  After it flowers, cut the plant back to the ground and it will be ready to harvest 6-8 weeks later.  It is used in roast or sautéed chicken, omelets, or in sauces for fish or seafood.  It is the flavor in the classic French Béarnaise sauce that is great on beef, chicken or fish. 

***Put in shoes before long walking trips to give strength.  It has been used to relieve toothache and as and antifungal.

THYME  Thyme is a perennial that likes full sun and can be started from seeds, cutting, root division or layering.  Thyme comes in over 100 different varieties and flavors including caraway, lemon, lime, orange and oregano and each of these types will add overtones of those flavors to salad dressings, sauces and marinades.  The basic thyme is English thyme.  It is dainty 1 foot high spreading clump with tiny leaves.  When the plants start dying out and getting woody in the center, it’s time to divide and prune them.  Layering is one of the best ways to propagate thyme.   Simply bend down a stem and use a rock to hold it in contact with the soil.  Soon you will have a new plant ready to cut off, dig up and move.

 Plant near cabbage as it deters the cabbage worm.  It is used in many French and Italian dishes as well as in tomato dishes, clam chowder, jambalaya, mushroom soup and rice and beans. 

***Burning thyme gets rid of insects in your house.  A bed of thyme was thought to be a home for fairies***