THE HERB SOCIETY OF NASHVILLE

Unit of

The Herb Society of America, Inc.

The Herb Society does not give advice on the medicinal uses of herbs.   

ALL ABOUT HERBS - There are two articles on this page

AN IDIOSYNCRATIC PRIMER TO CULINARY HERBS

The following is not a comprehensive listing of herbs but rather a highly personal selection of herbs that have found their way into our hearts, our bellies, and our garden. There is a unique pleasure in going out to our garden and cutting some herbs to enhance the evening meal.

SORREL—a hardy perennial that loves spring and fall. Vigorous in growth, it is wonderful as a pesto on grilled salmon. It also makes a delicious and easy to make soup that is perfect served cold during the summer(in a bowl or a glass)  (P)

BLOODY SORREL—a spectacular landscaping plant with vigorous growth and beautiful foliage. We haven’t found good culinary use but it is so pretty that it should be included in your gardening plans. (P)

LOVAGE—the leaves taste like celery with some pepper on it and make a delightful addition to any salad. Also good in soups. Since the stalks are hollow they make the best straw one can imagine to sip a bloody Mary. The leaves function as a garnish as well. (P)

SAVORY— has an oregano like taste and is useful in similar applications but has its own unique flavor profile. Winter savory is a hardy perennial that is low growing and spreads nicely. It becomes a pleasant ground cover. Summer savory has a more intense flavor but won’t last through the winter. (P)

PURPLE PEPPER—produces small (2-3 centimeters) peppers that pack a wallop. Why buy red pepper flakes when you can make your own that are far tastier?  Easily the prettiest plant in the garden during August to September with dark purple foliage and peppers changing from purple, to orange to shades of red. It becomes a spectacular gum drop tree. If you harvest the peppers in October, string up the peppers on nylon fishing line and hang them in your kitchen as a garland. After drying a few months you can either leave the peppers hanging as décor or better yet place the dried peppers in a mill and you have your red pepper flakes. Somehow they taste better coming from your own garden and they are hotter than the commercial variety. These plants love the sun. (A)

BASIL—think pesto when buying. Lettuce leaf variety is the easiest to harvest and has a great flavor profile. Genovese and sweet basil also have good flavor profiles. Columnar basil adds a spicy profile and is easy to harvest. Consider mixing basils for a complex and satisfying pesto. Remember pesto can be frozen under a cover of olive oil and used throughout the winter. Lemon basil helps make a blueberry sorbet that is truly remarkable. Purple basil not only looks terrific in the garden but steeping purple ruffles basil in ordinary vinegar not only adds to the flavor but the pink/purple color is gorgeous and makes a delightful gift throughout the year. In the fall let your basil go to seed and then strip the seeds where you want the plant to come back next year. Scratch the ground and you have already planted next year’s crop. Remember that all basils love the sun. (A)

BAY—have you noticed the price of bay leaves at the supermarket recently? Why buy them when you can easily grow them? These plants are tender perennials so plant them in a pot. They will grow vigorously, are lovely to look at, and can be used for many soups and sauces for their wonderful flavor. (TP)

LEMON VERBENA—a tender perennial that shows vigorous growth during the summer. Has a lovely lemony profile that enhances a variety of applications. Our most useful culinary application is as a wonderful sorbet. It is like eating perfume! Also useful in fruit desserts. Best grown in a pot. (TP)

ROSEMARY—there are multiple varieties that have different applications. Rosemary is great with chicken or lamb. The woody stems of mature plants make great stalks to grill shrimp and scallops. Nashville weather can make growing rosemary outdoors challenging but either Arp or Hill Hardy, or Salem varieties are best suited to survive middle Tennessee cold. Since plants don’t like wind chill any more than we do locate these plants close to the house to minimize windchill. Other cultivars make great plants for shaping but must come in during the winter. Protrate rosemary makes for an interesting ground cover but is unlikely to last the winter. (P)  (TP)

THYME—there are a myriad of choices in this family. For culinary use the best are either English or French thyme. They are easy to harvest and have an upright growth pattern. Consider mixing upright with lower growing thymes such as mother of thyme, golden thyme, creeping thyme, caraway thyme, and Doone valley. Vigorous pruning of plants in the fall will help the health of your plants for the following year and prevent the plants from getting too leggy. These plants prefer good drainage and do well with less water. Steeping thyme in vinegar with basil and other herbs gives truly distinctive flavoring. (P)

SAGE—there are many varieties to choose from. Some varieties survive the winter better than others. Sage Berggarten is easy to harvest, has a very good flavor profile, looks very good in the garden, has a vigorous growth habit, and does well over the winter. The large leaves can be flash fried, crumbled on asparagus, or used in numerous pasta dishes, breads, or ravioli. Purple sage, variegated sage, and other varieties make for very attractive landscaping additions and have culinary application. (P)

MEXICAN SAGE—tall, pretty landscaping plant that flowers in the fall with purple or purple and white flowers that make for lovely cut flower arrangements. No culinary application that we’ve found but it sure is pretty and is just about the tallest plant(over 5 feet) in the herb garden other than large bay trees. (A)

OREGANO—there are many types of oregano. From a culinary standpoint Greek and Italian are the most flavorful. Other types such as vulgare or golden make great landscaping contributions to the garden. Marjoram is a close cousin and can function in the same way. Variegated marjoram or golden oregano make very interesting visual additions to the herb garden and can be used in food but have less intense flavor. (P)

TARRAGON—while officially listed as a hardy perennial we have had difficulty growing this as a perennial and treat it as an annual. The leaves have multiple applications and are very useful with fish. Make a tarragon butter and put it on grilled fish for a real taste treat. (P?) (A)

MEXICAN TARRAGON—lovely upright growth and can substitute for the French variety but not as sweet a taste profile. Has lovely yellow flowers and is the last plant in the herb garden to flower, usually in mid to late October. (P)

ARUGULA—buy the very sharp tasting variety. It functions as a perennial in our garden and comes back year after year but also propagates vigorously via seeds. It is good in salads, as a pesto, as a garnish, and as a bed for fish and chicken. (P) (A)

PARSLEY—it seems we never have enough parsley to go around. Useful in salads, as a garnish, in pesto, and chimichurri sauce. Although it is listed as a bi-annual plant we often lose plants over the winter and therefore we treat it as an annual. Since it goes to seed the second year it is usually less productive the second time around. (A)

LEMONGRASS—not only does this look good during the summer but also as a sculptural element during the winter. It has application in Thai food, particularly soups. This functions as an annual although it can survive a mild winter in middle Tennessee. (A)

DILL—can be used in salads, as a garnish, and in a variety of recipes. Combined with softened butter it makes a great way to finish off grilled fish. Once it goes to seed then you get going with the second use of dill as dill seed in salads, breads, and many other applications. Strip the seeds in late summer and make sure that some fall to the ground. Scratch the ground and you will have ensured next year’s crop. (A)

ANNUAL(A)—must be planted every year (purple peppers).

PERENNIAL (P)—will come back each year although the above ground part of the plant may die back (lovage or sorrel).

TENDER PERENNIAL (TP)—will continue to grow throughout the year but must be brought inside in middle Tennessee to survive the winter (bay, lemon verbena). These plants are best grown in a pot to facilitate transfer/transport indoors during the winter.

Just like the tip for basil, let several of your purple peppers fall to the ground in the fall and then scratch the surface to permit the peppers to sit in the soil. You will have helped mother nature to provide a bountiful crop for the upcoming year. This technique works reliably only for plants that go to seed in the fall, not necessarily in late spring. This also works for grape tomatoes.

The triumvirate for flowering herbs in late summer and early fall (September and October) includes pineapple sage (red), Mexican sage (purple and white) and Mexican tarragon (yellow).

Enjoy!!

CAROL AND ROB STEIN

Contact the Herb Society of Nashville with questions or comments here.

Or telephone (615) 429-6175 or (615) 356-1886

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