Tag Archives: herbs

Support Pollinator Week: Plant Herbs in Your Garden

Posted on June 20, 2021 | 3 comments
anise hyssop

Anise hyssop or Agastache is a pollinator magnet.

This week, June 21-27, is Pollinator Week. Pollinator Week is an annual event celebrated internationally to support pollinator health. It is a time to celebrate pollinators and spread the word about what can be done to protect them. Here in the United States, people are often told to plant native plants to support pollinators. While that is not bad advice, I have noticed that the culinary herbs I grow in my Virginia garden, the majority of which are not native to this country, let alone Virginia, attract bees, butterflies, and moths. Continue reading →

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Growing Cilantro From Seed in the Summer

Posted on June 5, 2021 | 2 comments
cilantro

Cilantro in early spring

I love cilantro and I plant it every year. It is easy to grow from seed although one can find small plants at local nurseries. Cilantro (Coriandrum sativum) is a member of the carrot family. Because of its tap root, it is best to sow seeds directly in the garden bed or in a container. Often called Chinese parsley, the leaves do look like parsley but if you rub the foliage you will smell a citrusy/woodsy scent.

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Lemon Verbena: Queen of Lemon-Scented Herbs

Posted on May 6, 2021 | Leave a comment

lemon verbenaKnown as the queen of lemon-scented herbs, lemon verbena has the clearest, sharpest lemon scent in the world of herbs. Lemon verbena (Aloysia citrodora) is a tropical plant that we grow as an annual in the mid-Atlantic area. Native to South America, the Spanish brought the plant to Europe where it was primarily used in perfume. In fact, lemon verbena is mentioned in the famous book/movie, Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell. Scarlett O’Hara’s mother Ellen used lemon verbena as her signature fragrance: “The faint of lemon verbena surrounded her, floating gently from Eleanor Butler’s silk gown and silken hair. It was the fragrance that had always been part of Ellen O’Hara, the scent for Scarlett of comfort, of safety, of love, of life before the War.” Continue reading →

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Herbs Attract and Support Beneficial Insects in the Garden

Posted on May 1, 2021 | 3 comments

Small thyme flowers

The herbs in my garden live among the annuals, perennials, vegetables, and shrubs. I do not have a separate, formal herb garden.  Every new herb plant gets tucked in any space I can find. I harvest them to use them fresh in the kitchen and for floral arrangements. By summer, many of my herbs are blooming along with everything else but that’s okay, they still serve a purpose. Even if I didn’t get to harvest them, they are helping the rest of the garden by attracting and supporting beneficial insects. Continue reading →

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Growing and Cooking with Oregano and Marjoram

Posted on January 1, 2021 | 3 comments

Flowering Greek Oregano

When I give my presentation on culinary herbs I always talk about oregano and marjoram together. I treat them as cousins, and in this country, they are most known for the “oregano” flavor. Although we use the term “oregano” for a specific type of culinary herb, it really is a flavor produced by different types of plants. Some of these are not related to what we think of as the oregano plant.

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Herbs for Holiday Cooking, Baking, as well as Decorating

Posted on December 16, 2020 | 2 comments
pie

pumpkin pie with sage and mums

When I think of herbs for Christmas, I always think of the Simon and Garfunkel Scarborough Fair song:  “Are you going to Scarborough Fair? Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme.” Sure there other herbs and plenty of spices but these herbs seem to be the most popular during the holidays. I think it is because these plants are still green in the garden. In my zone 7 Virginia garden, I can still harvest in December to use in the kitchen. I also use mint for the holidays which overwinter well in containers. Continue reading →

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Culinary Herbs and Edible Flowers Decorate Pumpkin Pies

Posted on October 19, 2020 | Leave a comment

Yesterday I made pumpkin pies using Libby’s can of pumpkin and recipe (the one on the can). This is a traditional recipe I have used every year and the pies taste great. This year however I decorated the pies with fresh sage leaves and chrysanthemum blossoms from my garden. Keep culinary herbs and edible flowers in mind during the upcoming holidays as you bake and cook. Right now, mums, pineapple sage, rose, calendula and signet marigolds are blooming and can be used to garnish dishes. Perennial herbs such as rosemary, sage, thyme, and oregano can be used when preparing dishes and also to garnish and decorate. Remember to always wash your herbs and flowers before you put them on food.

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Marvelous Mint

Posted on October 12, 2020 | Leave a comment
peppermint

peppermint

One of the herbalists I follow is Jekka McVicar, an organic grower of herbs, horticulturist, author, and designer who owns Jekka’s Herb Farm in Bristol, England. If I lived in England, I would be working at her herb farm, learning everything there is to learn. Recently the Royal Horticultural Society featured a short video of her and Michelin chief Nathan Outlaw about mint. Continue reading →

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A Fall-Blooming Culinary Herb: Pineapple Sage

Posted on September 3, 2020 | 4 comments

Currently, my pineapple sage plants (Salvia elegans) are blooming in my garden, their bright scarlet flowers are attracting butterflies and hummingbirds. Members of the salvia or sage family, pineapple sage plants are herbaceous, tender perennial herbs. I have two pineapple sage plants, which I bought last year as tiny babies, and I often use their leaves and flowers in the kitchen. Continue reading →

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There’s More to Basil Plants Than Pesto

Posted on May 16, 2020 | 1 comment

Pesto Perpetuo basil

I cannot imagine a garden without basil plants. Basil is the essence of summer. I don’t limit myself to just one — I grow lemon, lime, sweet, Thai, holy, and cinnamon, just to name a few. It seems that most people only know sweet basil and only one use for it: pesto.  Granted sweet basil has become the poster child, but there are many different types of basil plants to explore.  Continue reading →

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