growing herbs – EcoSalon

Green Your Spring Garden with 9 Easy-to-Grow Edible Herbs

Sierra Magazine — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 07:00:32 +0000

Herbs can be lovely—but if you’re looking to buy the organic, locally sourced kind, prepare to leaf out a lot of green. We propose a fun, economical alternative: Grow your own, either indoors or out. These are some of the best types to harvest at home.

1. MINT

Many experts recommend growing mint but warn against letting it run amok—best to keep it in pots. Elise Bauer, who runs Simply Recipes, says she prefers spearmint because it’s so easy to grow and maintain. “Once it’s established,” Bauer says of the hardy herb, “you never have to plant it again. It keeps coming back every year.” Mint is happy in shade, so she plants it along the side of her house, which also prevents bugs from coming in—they hate the stuff. And its culinary uses abound: Slice mint leaves into a chiffonade, mix sprigs with spring peas, or steep them in tea or lemonade. Also: Juleps! Mojitos!

2. ROSEMARY

Isaac Eliaz, an integrative doctor and herbalist at Northern California’s Amitabha Clinic, appreciates rosemary for its rich folkloric history. “Its elegant, needle-like leaves impart a delightful piney flavor to complement meats and savory, garlicky dishes,” he says. Eliaz adds that you can steep it in hot water for 10 minutes to make a soothing tea. Rosemary is an easy but slow grower and thrives year-round. Mature plants like full sun and well-drained soil.

3. CILANTRO

Cilantro is a love-it-or-hate-it herb, but Christy Wilhelmi, the founder of the gardening website Gardenerd, decidedly loves it, in anything from Indian dishes like chana masala to Asian stir-fries to south-of-the-border creations—especially guacamole and green chili. “Its fresh flavor is more potent when you grow it yourself, and you can grind the seeds for coriander,” she says.

Cilantro grows best in cool weather and, in most places, can be planted from February through May for a summer harvest. In hotter areas, though, cilantro grows best in fall. Collect as needed, Wilhelmi advises, cutting the outside stems and keeping the soil moist but not soggy. If left to flower, cilantro should reseed itself each year.

4. SAGE

“Garden sage, Salvia officinalis, is an herb everyone should have,” says Tania Gybels, a landscape designer and horticulturist in Los Angeles. “It goes with all poultry dishes, and the leaves can be simply flour-fried in organic olive oil and served as a light appetizer. Pair it with a California merlot, fresh figs, and locally made chevre, and it’s always very well received.” The plant’s purple flowers make a nice addition to a fragrance garden, and it’s perennial, so in warm zones you can plant it any time of year—though it does need full sunlight and good drainage.

5. THYME

Linda West Eckhardt, a James Beard Award-winning cookbook author and the founder of the website Everybody Eats News, is a fan of woolly thyme. “It grows like a weed,” she says, “and makes an attractive ground cover that’s wonderful in many recipes. Plus, you simply can’t kill it.” This drought-tolerant herb is commonly used in Mediterranean dishes and in bouquets garnis for soups. Eckhardt recommends planting it in spring in a full-sun location with plenty of room to spread. Water sparingly, and snip off flowers to get more leaves.

6. BASIL

John Thompson loves edible flora so much that he co-invented the AeroGarden, a hydroponic device that helps plants grow indoors. Within four months, he produced $150 worth of basil at home. “I grow a lot of different herbs,” says the lifelong gardener and cook, “but Genovese basil is always on hand in large amounts.” The hot-weather plant, which germinates reliably and grows fast, shouldn’t go out before the last chance of frost—but you can start seeds indoors a month ahead. Once the weather warms, transplant them to a very sunny spot. By mid-July, your basil stalks should be big and prolific. Harvest early and often, and cut flowers off to produce more leaves. Basil goes well in just about anything, rounding out sauces, soups, salads, and, as Thompson says, “it makes pizza taste healthy and alive.”

7. NASTURTIUMS

Few herbs are easier to grow than nasturtiums, according to Maggie Lawrence, a culinary farmer at North Carolina’s Umstead Hotel). “They actually thrive on neglect,” she says, “and benefit from little to no soil amendments.” Plus, a single plant is enough to supply a bounty. Seeds grow best after an overnight soaking in late spring. Keep the soil damp until germination, then lightly mulch around the seedling and water during dry periods for about 20 days, at which point you can start snipping leaves. Flowering takes about two months and lasts through summer and fall. Layer the bright-green leaves in sandwiches or blend them into soups, sauces, and dressings. The beautiful, edible blossoms have a radishlike flavor and serve as colorful garnishes. For “poor man’s capers,” pickle the seed pods.

8. PARSLEY

When Briscoe White, who owns the online plant shop Growers Exchange, was asked to name his favorite herb, he protested, “That’s like asking which child I love best!” He eventually settled on Italian parsley because it’s “delicious to eat and very easy to grow.” Its gentle flavor enhances most cuisines, though it’s especially great in soups, stews, and egg dishes. The lush plant grows best in 60-to-65-degree weather, so in spring, plant parsley in well-drained soil and full sun; during fall and winter, keep it in a pot by a sunny window. Harvest the outer leaves, leaving the central rosette to grow. White reminds us that the best way to eat parsley is fresh: “That little sprig used as a garnish may well be the most nutritious thing on the plate.”

9. CHAMOMILE

“Chamomile just screams—or maybe I should say, ‘softly and lovingly whispers’—relaxation,” says Zoe Kissam, a clinical herbalist for the tea company Traditional Medicinals. The Matricaria recutita species is easy to grow: Plant it in early spring in full sun or partial shade to yield an apple-and-honey-flavored botanical that’s said to be an antidote to stress-caused physical problems. Harvest the flower itself, Kissam advises, as it’s the blossom that imbues those healing properties. Mixed into tea, infused into honey, or planted on a lawn, chamomile enhances every herb garden.

—Avital Andrews

This article appears courtesy of Sierra Magazine.

Image: KateMonkey

The post Green Your Spring Garden with 9 Easy-to-Grow Edible Herbs appeared first on EcoSalon.

Two Different Kinds of Pesto: Sorrel and Basil & Celery

Johanna Kindvall — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 17:28:31 +0000

Two different variations of homemade pesto, both equally delicious.

Some may think it’s silly to grow your own sorrel when you have it growing wild just around the corner. As the cultivated sorrel has a slightly milder and nicer flavor, I believe it’s a great idea to include this sour and lemony herb in a garden plot.

It’s best is to harvest the young light green leaves, as when the leaves gets older and larger (darker green) they get tough and unpleasantly sour. Sorrel can be cooked like spinach for soups and omelets or raw in salads and pesto (see below). I also think the sourness in this pesto works terrifically well with fish, poached or cured. Spread on crackers, this sorrel pesto can be a simple and delicious appetizer.

Sorrel Pesto

About 2 cups of young sorrel leaves
2 garlic cloves
A handful of walnuts
Fresh red chili to your own taste (I use about ½”- 1″ depending on hotness)
½ cup grated parmesan
Olive oil
A few sprigs of parsley (optional)
Season with: salt and pepper

Pick about 2 cups of very young cultivated sorrel leaves. Rinse the leaves in cold water and drain while you prepare the other ingredients. Chop the walnuts and the chili a little. Grate the parmesan roughly.

When the sorrel is dry, run them in the food processor (or use a mortar and pestle). Add chopped garlic and run the machine a bit before adding chili, walnuts, (parsley) and parmesan. Drizzle some olive oil over. Blend the mixture carefully as it should have a crunchy texture. If necessary add some more olive oil. Season with salt and fresh pepper.

Note: Sorrel contains plenty of vitamins but the plant contains some oxalic acid which is not healthy if eaten too much (especially if your body easily creates kidney stones). I think to have sorrel on a few occasions though over the summer can hardly harm you.

This spring I have seeded plenty of basil and they are now all growing on my window sill. They are doing well but are still too small to be harvested. If you don’t have the patience to seed basil you can of course buy a plant from the plant shop. You can also sometimes find small pots at the vegetable shop which work really well replanted in a larger and nicer pot. I use basil to spice up almost any vinaigrette and as a main herb when making hazelnut baked cauliflower. But why not try basil as a flavor in cocktails! I like it with cucumber in my favorite summer drink Pimm’s Cup. Even if it’s well known, I still think basil on fresh tomatoes and mozzarella is magical.

This basil pesto is made with the addition of celery stems (and leaves) that gives a nice grassy flavor. Instead of pine nuts I use walnuts (or roasted sunflower seeds). I use this basil pesto with spaghetti, as a side to vegetable patties or on bread topped with tomatoes.

Basil & Celery Pesto

2 stems of celery
About 2 cups basil leaves
Two cloves of garlic
Handful walnuts (or sunflower seeds)
½ cup fresh grated parmesan
Olive oil
Salt and pepper

Rinse the basil leaves carefully under cold water. Set aside and let dry while preparing the other ingredients. Chop the celery and garlic into small pieces. If the celery comes with leaves I would add them to the pesto as well. Mix all ingredients in a blender, starting with the basil, garlic and some olive oil. Add the celery, walnuts and lastly the grated cheese. Season with salt and pepper. Add as much olive oil as you like. Use less if you like to spread the pesto on bread and more if serving with pasta.

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Both of these pesto variations, when packed nicely in a jar, are a great summer present – especially when you have a place in your garden where sorrel or basil grows better than any flowers.

If you like to learn more about sorrel I suggest reading Sarah Smith’s article about sorrel at The Foodie Bugle and Clotilde Dusoulier’s 50 Things To Do With Fresh Sorrel post.

Over at Food52 you can follow Amy Pennington’s City Dirt column on how to grow plants from seeds, etc.

Illustrations by Johanna Kindvall

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Now That is Living! Planting an Herb Garden is Très Bien

Heather Brubaker — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 18:50:04 +0000

I still remember a friend of mine telling me about a visit to Italy when she and a new Italian friend were cooking dinner. He went out on the fire escape to grab some fresh basil for the pasta, which she found awe-inspiring. Maybe it was only because she was a young, impressionable college student at the time or the aura surrounding Italians and food, but she thought to herself, “Now THAT is living!”

Enjoying an herb garden is indeed living at its best. Growing herbs is not very difficult and can truly transform your daily cooking experience (don’t miss our Pesto recipe from yesterday). Especially if you’re lacking space, an herb garden doesn’t take up much room and can work almost anywhere: straight in the backyard in and amongst flowers, in potted plants on your deck or fire escape or even right in your kitchen.

Not only is it profoundly satisfying picking a few herbs to accompany a favorite meal, I’ve found that I save money and no longer suffer the guilt of throwing away mounds of rotted cilantro because I only needed a few sprigs the day I bought it. I use what I need, as I need it and herbs are always more flavorful when freshly picked.

An herb garden is also a great entry into gardening because you don’t have to invest much into it. It’s not like waiting three months of patient nurturing for your beefeater tomatoes to finally start producing, only to have them get a disease and wither before you can taste a single one.

Herbs vary in how they grow. Rosemary and thyme tend to grow more like bushes and may take longer to establish, whereas basil, cilantro and parsley grow relatively quickly in large sprigs. Mint on the other hand, can grow like ground cover, spreading quickly. Herbs can be grown from seeds or if you’re impatient like me, I suggest buying small plants already started and transplant them. Here are a few details about what herbs to consider and what you might expect.

Basil

Basil is imperative during the summer months and especially at the end of the summer when tomatoes are in season. It is particularly virtuous freshly cut and scrumptious in bruschetta or pasta. It thrives in sun and warmth and does better with frequent trimming. When Basil starts to flower- be sure to remove the flowers quickly, as the plant will produce fewer leaves with less flavor if allowed to flower completely.

Italian Parsley

Parsley doesn’t always get the attention it deserves. I grew up with the kind of parsley that was only meant to be a garnish, a sprig on the side of chicken for decoration purposes only. Parsley is versatile herb that works well in all kinds of dishes, from pasta to Indian curries.

Of all the herbs I’ve grown, my greatest success has been growing Italian parsley, which I prefer over other varieties. It can grow into a large, strong plant that withstands frequent cutting. (Cut stems close to the base of the plant.) Parsley likes the sun or partial shade and bi-weekly watering. Eventually it will “bolt” or “go to seed” growing straight up into a flower, which like lettuce, means it’s reached the end of its usefulness. Best if grown in large pots or directly in the ground.

Cilantro

Cilantro, not to be confused with Italian parsley, has a distinct flavor that seems to elicit passionate responses of either love or hate. While it was an acquired taste for me, I fall firmly into the “love” camp, as this herb works well in so many recipes, including salsas, Asian stir-fries and with fish. Cilantro likes sun and can be tended much like parsley, cutting sprigs as needed. Trim flowers if they start to appear.

Rosemary

Rosemary grows well in many climates and is often used as an ornamental flowering bush in people’s yards. There is nothing quite like fresh rosemary with roasted chicken. Rosemary is a hardy plant that grows quickly and lasts a long time with little tending. Grow directly in the ground or in a large pot.

Thyme

Nobody should live without thyme. I may use thyme more than any other herb. It is particularly aromatic and goes well with everything, such as tomato sauces, bouquet garni’s for soup stocks or meats and vegetables. In fact, thyme makes an excellent alternative for basil in bruschetta. Thyme loves the sun and does well with little tending. It grows well in pots and can be trimmed frequently once established.

Mint

I have developed a new love for mint. I once had enough mint outside my back door that simple syrup and a muddler were always on hand. While most people recognize its crucial role in drinks like mint juleps or mojitos, it can be overlooked as a fabulous addition in concert with other herbs in frittatas, fish pistous, vegetable sauces or pasta dishes. Mint grows readily and quickly and may be best grown in pots unless you’re ready to live with it in abundance.

Sage

Sage is an excellent herb for flavoring stuffing. It’s also amazing toasted in butter and served as a garnish with butternut squash soup. Sage is a shrub-like plant that grows well indoors or out and can get quite large if given the opportunity. It prefers lots of sunlight and loose, fertile soil.

Dill

I used to shy away from dill, but no more. Dill is a great herb for potatoes, fish or egg dishes. It grows well in containers and does best with ample sunlight, plenty of water and tall pots to accommodate its deep roots.

Images: stvno, auntsue, other_andrew, cocoen, myfrenchcuisine, raeallen, raeallen

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