As I prepare for Thanksgiving this year, I can’t help but think of the Simon and Garfunkel song “Scarborough Fair.” I grow parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme in my zone 7, Virginia garden. The day before Thanksgiving, I can walk outside and harvest these herbs for my holiday meal. These are very easy to grow here and blend well into the typical suburban landscape. All of these with the exception of parsley are perennial shrubs that will remain in the garden year round.
Parsley
The curly type is best used as a garnish and the flat leaf type has better flavor, thus is used in cooking. I grow the flat leaf, also called Italian parsley. We use it in stuffing but I also like the contrast of green against white, mashed potatoes. Parsley also is great for turkey leftover dishes such as turkey soup.
Here in Virginia, parsley can stay green above ground all winter long, especially if it is a mild winter (I took this photo in January). I always use fresh parsley as it does not dry well. Parsley is a biennial plant, which means it has a 2-year life cycle. The first year you will see foliage. The second year it will come back and although you will still see foliage, you will also see flowers and seedheads. You can purchase parsley plants from the local nursery in the spring or you can grow it from seed. It is more economical to have a parsley bed in the garden where you scatter seeds every year. Parsley likes organic matter, moisture, and morning sun or dappled sun. To harvest the leaves, cut outer, older leaves at the base with scissors (don’t pull), leaving the core or inner, younger leaves.
Sage
Sage leaves can be used fresh or dried. I use it dry in the stuffing and biscuits and I use the fresh leaves as a garnish. Place a ring of green sage leaves on a pumpkin pie, after you have taken it out of the oven. Or create butter pats by piping soft butter (in a bag) on to clean, dry leaves on a tray. Put the tray in the fridge to harden the butter and then put the butter pats on baked potatoes.
Sage is a small drought resistant shrub that remains above ground all year long in my garden. In the summer, it blooms small, purple flowers that attract beneficial pollinators. I use both the leaves as well as the flower spikes for flower arrangements. Leaves can be solid green, variegated with cream or yellow, gray, gray/green, blue/gray, purple, or tricolor (pink, green, and white leaves). No matter what the color, all the leaves are edible. You can pick leaves when you need them without altering the shape or you can take a branch from the back and strip and dry the leaves for the kitchen, including making tea. Sage plants prefer full sun and well-drained soil on the dryer side. For best flavor, grow Salvia officinalis. This is not a plant you would grow from seed, it is better to purchase a small plant in the spring and plant it in the garden.
Rosemary
Rosemary can be used fresh or dried, it dries well. I use dried rosemary in the stuffing and biscuits but I cut fresh branches for the turkey platter. I either put slices of turkey directly on the branches or place the branches on the side as a decoration. Recently I have seen a lot of holiday cocktails with small rosemary branches on Instagram — I am sure you will find more ideas on social media.
Rosemary grows well in my garden because my plants are in full sun in a well-drained, terraced site. The woody shrubs remain above ground in the winter and tend to bloom when you would least expect it. My shrubs have been covered in small purple/blue flowers in December but also in the spring when the azaleas are blooming. The flowers are edible and are great as a garnish.
There are many different types of rosemary; some more cold tolerant than others; some prostrate and some are upright. If you have had trouble growing rosemary in the past, try these cold-tolerant types: ‘Arp’, ‘Hill Hardy’, ‘Salem’, ‘Nancy Howard’, and ‘Dutch Mill’. Once established, rosemary is drought and deer resistant.
Thyme
Thyme also is used fresh or dried — it dries well. I use dried thyme in the stuffing, biscuits, potato dishes, and green beans. Because the leaves are small, I sprinkle a confetti of fresh leaves on appetizers, corn chowder, and tomato soup.
Thyme can be grown as a groundcover, small shrub, edging, or topiary or used in a rock garden. It is a drought-tolerant, low-maintenance, full sun, woody shrub that prefers well-drained soil. In my garden, my English thyme serves as a groundcover to prevent erosion on a slope. It has spread to cover the soil, thus preventing any weeds. It remains above ground in the winter and blooms in the spring/summer, attracting bees. Again, this is not something you want to start from seed. Purchase a small plant in the spring and plant in your garden bed or take a cutting or division from your neighbor’s plant.
Growing herbs is very easy. To be able to harvest your own herbs for next Thanksgiving, consider buying these plants in the spring at your local nursery.
Are you going to Scarborough Fair?
Parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme;
Remember me to the one who lives there,
For once she was a true love of mine.
