“Are you going to Scarborough Fair?
Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme…”
In 1967 the Vietnam War raged on. The Women’s Liberation Movement burned their bras. Richard Nixon planned a presidential campaign based on “law and order.”
American housewives raised families on tuna noodle casseroles. And “The Graduate,” a sexually avant garde film with haunting soundtrack became the must-see.
Remember Mrs. Robinson?
Its ethereal ballad “Scarborough Fair” used herbs as icons for unrequited love. Along the way, the song made a bundle for Simon & Garfunkel and raised herb awareness during an era when parsley was a garnish, sage reserved for turkey stuffing, rosemary a girl’s name and non-cognoscenti pronounced the “h” in thyme.
Those days … gone with the wind. Now, a chef cannot justify $30 entrees without crediting several herbs. Wise ones like Mark Elliott of Elliott’s on Linden, grow their own outside the kitchen door.
Clarification: “Herbs” are leafy plants, either fresh or dried, while “spice,” always dried, originates in the root bulb, bark and seeds. Coriander crosses over. Its aromatic seeds grow into leafy cilantro.
No reason a home cook can’t grow his/her herbs from seed on a sunny windowsill. Because supermarket sprigs cannot compare to watching green poke through the earth.
Call this project “Scarborough Fare.”
First, a reminder: Medicinal herbs have been employed for good and evil since before the Greeks, Romans and Egyptians. In combination, they treated the plague, were employed for embalming and aphrodisiacs and occasionally — murder. Rosemary’s reputation for enhancing brain function inspired Ophelia, Hamlet’s significant other, to remark, “There’s rosemary, that’s for remembrance.”
The oldest list of herbal remedies — long in use, even then — was compiled in China, about 3000 B.C. During the Middle Ages, European monks grew “physick” gardens composed of plants with healing qualities. Only natural that some found their way into the stewpot where, pre-refrigeration, herbs masked off flavors.
Dried herbs are a common a pantry staple. Fresh ones experienced a renaissance in the 1980s, when California-style cuisine transformed static American meals. Suddenly, home cooks sought fresh basil, oregano, dill and cilantro, finding them primarily in fancy food markets, priced accordingly. Not so, when applying the “being there” principle. Herbs on hand are herbs in use, whether specified in a recipe or free-lanced.
What a coincidence! April is perfect for starting a window box herb planter facing south, in full sun. Later on, position the box outside, then return to the sunny window when temps turn wilting-hot.
This advice from Johanna Westman, associate professor of landscape gardening at Sandhills Community College:
“The issue in germinating seeds is light,” she says, which may mean moving the planter from window to window, since light is less intense indoors. The second, drainage. “Herbs don’t like wet feet.” This means a planter with holes, necessitating a tray. They do best in a medium-dense soil with less peat moss, containing Perlite or bark chips to aid drainage.
Seeds should germinate in 7-14 days given the right conditions.
Chose a planter big enough; don’t crowd. A little compost wouldn’t hurt.
Westman has good results from seed packets purchased at local hardware/gardening stores, but suggests browsing online catalogs for varieties. Westman suggests Baker Creek for spin-offs like lettuce leaf giant basil, wild zaatar oregano, mountain mint.
Burpee offers a window box assortment.
Old wooden boxes and pails (drill drainage holes, if necessary) make attractive herb planters. Plastic isn’t right. Then, when the weather warms up prepare a raised bed for chives, a perennial that announces spring with lovely purple flowers.
Parsley, beyond decoration, is an unsung superfood. On a day when vegetables aren’t convenient, eat a small bunch of parsley leaves — or add them to a smoothie. Introduce fresh herbs into bland dishes carefully. Try crushing leaves with mortar and pestle, the ancient implements used to release flavor. Add the paste to salad dressings, vegetables, bread crumbs for dredging fish, deviled eggs. Imagine frozen pizza brightened with fresh basil and oregano leaves; snipped dill in chicken or potato salad; rosemary-roasted potatoes; sauteed zucchini slices with lemon juice and thyme; mint leaves in fresh fruit salad; chive cottage cheese; finely chopped tomato, cucumber and parsley salad; cold soups like gazpacho and vichyssoise. As a side dish (appreciated by vegetarians) when burgers are on the grill, partially drain two cans of cannellini (Great Northern) beans. Stir in some chopped garlic, salt, pepper and several spoonfuls of finely chopped herbs or herb paste. Bake at 350 degrees, uncovered, for about 45 minutes until crusty on top
Mrs. Robinson never had it so good.
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March 30, 2020 at 08:10PM
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Scarborough Fare: Planting a Hymn to Herbs | Features - Southern Pines Pilot
"herbs" - Google News
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