Herbs for All Seasons

Growing a wide variety of herbs in my community garden plot was one of the many joys of getting back to gardening seriously last summer. And dollar for dollar and ounce for ounce, herbs are the biggest bargain going for the home gardener and cook. Even better is that so many of them are perennials that can be enjoyed year after year and shared with friends when time comes to divide them. Granted, everyone’s beloved basil turns to a black sodden mess at the first sign of frost, but the hardier woody-stemmed plants such as rosemary, winter savory, and some thymes can often be harvested throughout the winter. Another wonderful thing about herbs is that they are beautiful as ornamental plants as well and can be used as accents throughout your garden. I love to see the cheery lavender pom-poms of chive blossoms or the flush of flowers from pale to dark blue and purple covering a rosemary bush in bloom. And the thymes, if planted in large groupings, can create great swathes of color throughout your garden.

Last summer I went a little crazy with my herb plantings, but truth be told, I see no need for moderation. I had three varieties of thyme, four basils, spearmint and pineapple mint, flat and curly parsley, cilantro, chives, French tarragon, rosemary, sage, winter savory. Then there was dill, lavender, Greek oregano and marjoram, one of the most fragrant herbs ever. Its aroma is intoxicating and it practically grows itself. And I am looking forward to planting chervil, a subtlely flavored herb that is essential in French cooking and exquisite in egg dishes and delicate sauces. And then there’s borage, which as a plant is somewhat coarse, but its true-blue
blossoms taste exactly like fresh cucumbers…unbelievable. Sweet cicely (its Latin name is myrrhis odorata) tastes like anise and is a gorgeous specimen plant for the garden.

One of the things I loved to do last summer while my herbs were in full flush was to pick herbal bouquets for friends. These contained as many different kinds of herbs as possible, as well as some leaves from my scented geraniums, so they were a profusion of fragrance, texture, and color. I’d tie them with twine and it seemed that they were always appreciated.

I valiantly tried to harvest and dry a good supply for the winter, but some herbs, such as tarragon, which I dearly love to cook with, don’t dry that well on their own. Tarragon tends to discolor easily, so I’m hoping that a food dehydrator may take care of that problem. And even though I know that a dried herb is but a pale version of its fresh form, when the rain or snow is coming down and the chill is upon us, I can stick my nose in a jar of herbs I dried from last summer’s garden and have a glimmer of the flavor and joy I have to look forward to in not too long
a time.