Growing Herbs and Preserving Herbs
A PRIMER FOR GROWING AND PRESERVING HERBS
Excerpted from my book Culinary Herbs that Heal Body and Soul
PLANTING A KITCHEN HERB GARDEN
I have always loved herbs. When I was growing up, we used herbs in everyday
cooking in our traditional Lebanese household. All nine children learned
at an early age how to distinguish basil from marjoram, which mint was to
be picked for kibbee, and how many sprigs of thyme it took for a kettle
full of dolmathas.
My first herb garden was not a formal knot garden, but an ordinary one
like my mother’s. Along with her heirloom mint, I planted basil, dill,
sage, thyme and marjoram. I later added caraway and bay when I started cooking
for my German husband. Cilantro, ginger and cumin found their place in the
garden when I experimented with Asian cuisines. Next came the scented sweet
herbs for jellies, honey and sugars. After that, I planted a little plot
of Shaker herbs. I even had a corner of the garden with spa herbs – those
aromatic and healing herbs used in bath salts, exfoliants, etc. Without
realizing, I had created theme herb gardens!
If you’re a novice with growing herbs, think of the foods you like
to eat. If you like Italian foods, you might start with parsley, rosemary,
thyme, basil and oregano. I would certainly add parsley to that list, since
it’s a beautiful herb for landscaping, as well.
Get the kids involved with their own little patch of herbs. They love to
plant catnip for cats. Try a pizza garden with Italian herbs or a salad
garden with parsley and baby greens. When they take ownership of a project
like this, kids will eat a more healthful diet and usually love to cook
with the herbs they grow.
Seldom bothered by pests, most herbs thrive in a well-drained, sunny location.
If you have to grow in partial shade, try chervil, mint, tarragon, fennel,
lemon balm, parsley and lovage. Among the sun loving herbs are basil, rosemary,
lavender, chives, sage, thyme, marjoram, oregano and dill. But herbs don’t
always follow the rules. You may have a sun-loving herb do quite well in
a shady location. So experiment and see what works best for you. Your herbs
will let you know what they like!
Plant your herbs as close to the kitchen as possible. Above all, relax.
You can have an eclectic and rather jumbled herb garden like mine, or you
can have a theme garden. And you don’t need a plow and the lower forty
to plant herbs. You can garden in a teacup, as you’ll see in my chapter
on container gardening.
Herb growing is not difficult or intimidating. Herbs require very little
care and don’t like to be babied.
As a rule, general garden soil works well, with a bit of fertilizer thrown
in when you plant. After that, if your soil is good and unless you grow
herbs in containers, you won’t need to fertilize.
After the herbs are established, watering should be done only when the
soil is dry about 4-6” down. Too much water and fertilizer diminish
the volatile oils in most herbs.
Tips from Rita’s Kitchen:
Which is correct: “herb” or “erb”? Both are! Europeans
say “herb” with an emphasis on the “H”; Americans
say “erb” treating the “H” as a silent letter.
What’s the difference between herbs and spices? The terms are used
interchangeably at times. Spices grow in tropical zones and include seeds,
buds and barks. Some good examples are cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and allspice.
Herbs grow in more temperate zones and are the leafy, flowering and sometimes
the seed parts of the plants.
PUTTING YOUR HERB GARDEN TO BED
Some herbs are cold hearty, like the woody perennials of sage, winter savory,
lavender and thyme. Trim only a third of their growth back to give the plants
enough strength for winter. The biggest threat to these herbs is wet feet,
so make sure drainage is good. Most annuals do not survive our harsh, Midwestern
winters.
Pot up tender herbs for cooking:
Sometimes both annuals and perennials survive winter when placed in a light,
airy, warm area. I can’t guarantee success here, but it’s worth
a try. Actually, the container herbs given to me by my friend, Ron Wilson,
wintered over spectacularly well last year in my unheated, attached garage,
with dim light and very little water. The containers held both annual and
perennial herbs. Their flavors were not intense since herbs need the right
climate to develop their volatile oils.
My lemon verbena plant (a deciduous shrub) loses its leaves but winters
over nicely in the attached garage. My bay tree lives all winter in the
house, providing fresh leaves for cooking.
Before you bring any herbs in, let them adjust by leaving them outdoors
in a protected place for a couple of weeks before bringing in.
PLANT CULINARY HERBS IN FALL
Perennials like lavender and sage along with other hardy perennials,
do well when planted in fall. Hardy annual seeds such as dill, cilantro,
and parsley do great when the seeds are tamped down in the ground in autumn.
They’re content to “lay low”, ready to sprout at the first
sign of warmth in spring. The reason is as the weather gets cooler and we
get more rain (hopefully), new plants and seeds settle in. Perennials develop
stronger roots because they do not have to push their way up to support
life above the ground.
PRESERVING HERBS FOR COOKING
Except for lavender (the flower buds contain the most flavor and fragrance),
I like to use the leafy portion of the herbs - the flavor of herbs is
best right when the plant is beginning to form buds, but most of the time,
I harvest whenever I can. Sometimes it’s at this stage, other times
the herbs are in full flower. And remember, the flowers of culinary herbs
are edible, so if you want to dry them, that’s OK. My thought is
at least I’m getting them harvested!
TRADITIONAL BUNCHING OF THE WHOLE PLANT:
Herbs like basil, catnip, chives, feverfew, lemon balm, marjoram, mints,
except apple mint, oregano, rosemary, sage, savory, among others, dry nicely
by these traditional methods:
1. Strip an inch or so from the bottom of the stem and hang upside down
secured with a rubber band or string away from heat, light and moisture
(or hang upside down in paper bag).
2. You can also place the leaves in single layers in a basket, on a cloth
or screen.
When they crinkle between your fingers, they’re dry. Strips leaves
from stems and leave whole if possible. Volatile oils stay intact until
you crush them for cooking. Store away from heat and light.
To use dry herbs in place of fresh, use l/3 of the amount called for, since
dry herbs are stronger.
Herbs hung in bunches, dried naturally usually turn a grayish green. To
keep a brighter color, see “Chopping up Herbs” below.
CHOPPING UP HERBS TO DRY ON SCREENS, ETC.:
For years, I have experimented with drying herbs, and have found that some
herbs are best if dried quickly in leaf or flower form only. And I’m
not alone with this thought. Herb Companion Magazine has a nice article
this month on this method. I think that some herbs, like apple mint, basil,
chamomile (flowers), chive flowers and leaves, dill, lovage, oregano, parsley,
rosemary and thyme, even rose petals, dry with better color when they are
removed from the stems and cut into small pieces, except for chamomile – I
dry the whole flower. Put them in a single layer and dry on screens for
large amounts, or on cookie sheets in a barely warm oven (keep the door
ajar if necessary) for small amounts. Stir every day, and then store. Herbs
preserved in this manner will dry more quickly than those hung on the stems.
MICROWAVING HERBS TO DRY:
Place one layer of leaves between two layers of microwave-safe paper toweling.
Microwave on high for 30 seconds to one minute. Cool. They should crinkle.
If not, microwave a few seconds more. Do this in small batches with time
in between or place a cup of water in the microwave to prevent overheating
and possible fire.
Herbs dried in the microwave retain a nice green color. There’s a
big debate, however, among herb enthusiasts about this method: some feel
that microwaving draws volatile oils out; others feel that not only the
oils are preserved, but the green color, too. My take on this? Try and see
and you be the judge. Remember, herbs don’t always follow the rules!
Witness this: Last summer I had a paper grocery bag full of fresh herbs
in the trunk of my car. It was hot, hot, hot. Within a week or so, they
dried and retained a nice color. Now herbs are supposed to dry away from
heat and light. As I said, herbs don’t always follow the rules!
You can chop and freeze herbs. Whirl with a bit of water in the blender
or food processor. Pour into sprayed ice cube trays. After the cubes are
frozen, store in baggies. They will turn dark but add a nice fresh flavor
to cooked dishes. Toss unthawed into soups, stews, etc.
SAVE SEEDS FOR WINTER DISHES!
To save seeds to use in cooking (or for planting next year), remove seed
heads and lay them out in an airy, dry, dark place. When they are dry, shake
them out and store in containers away from heat, light and moisture. Or
tie stems of herb seeds with a rubber band and hang upside down in a bag.
Seeds will drop into the bag as they fall off.
Preserving herbs and growing herbs.
A
primer on preserving and growing herbs.
©2007 Rita Heikenfeld and AboutEating.com
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