From the windows of commuter trains that crisscross Paris and its suburbs, you can see into people’s backyards. In even the most modest of spaces, there is at least a small garden of culinary herbs at the ready to pinch in time for dinner.
If you want to go Parisian this year, consider establishing your own “potager” of edible herbs. It won’t take up much space. Be creative and make it a spiral. Or plant it all in pots. Have fresh herbs, with all their enticing aromas and flavors, ready to pick. Or take cuttings and hang them in a warm, dark closet until they’re dry.
Dried or fresh, herbs at the market are expensive. You’ll save money by growing your own, and
there’s no waste, since you clip off only what you need.
Here’s a rundown of 19 fresh herbs, most of which will grow nicely here in the North Bay as long as they get six hours of sun daily and you water them as needed during our summer drought. A few, like chervil, prefer dappled shade. Others, like rosemary and lavender, prefer full sun and dry, well-drained soil.
Dried herbs are somewhat more powerful than fresh. Figure that fresh herbs have only a third of the flavor of dried in most cases. So if a recipe calls for a teaspoon of dried thyme, use three teaspoons of the fresh herb cut moments before right out your back door.
Basil: Part of every good pizza, a main ingredient in homemade pesto and a flavoring agent for mild rice vinegar. There are dozens of varieties to choose from, but the Genovese variety has big leaves that make wraps for chicken or shrimp appetizers.
Chervil: Chervil’s dainty leaves and light anise flavor are classic in French cooking, especially with chicken, fish, vegetables, eggs and in salads. It likes moist soil and protection from hot sun.
Chives: Regular or garlic chives chopped to bits add a light onion-family touch to scrambled eggs at breakfast, in soup at lunchtime and to vegetable dishes at dinner.
Cilantro: This delicate herb is best in spring or fall when the weather is cool and the ground moist. You can’t cook Mexican without it, but it’s also used in Asian, Southeast Asian and Indian cooking. Its seeds are known as coriander.
Dill: It’s a chief pickling spice but also a perfect partner with fish, lamb, potatoes and peas. It’s a favorite of bees and other pollinators and attracts beneficial insects, the good guys that eat the pests that go after your crops.
Epazote: In Oaxacan, Yucatecan and Guatemalan cooking, this herb is used to flavor black beans and reduce the incidence of gas or bloating when beans are eaten. It has a strong medicinal flavor, including a note of creosote. It can be an acquired taste.
Fennel: It loves our Mediterranean climate and grows wild all over the Redwood Empire. Only the leaves of the wild sort are useful for soups, stews or cooking fish. For bulbs that add an anise flavor to salads, you’ll need to grow the bulbing variety.
French Tarragon: Taste a leaf before you buy a plant of tarragon, for only the French variety has the sought-after anise flavor. Add some to a chicken or egg salad. Use it in sauces, soups and with meat dishes. It will be an all-star in your culinary garden.
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Garnish your garden with these savory herbs - Santa Rosa Press Democrat
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