Plants That Produce
Green Veggies
and Herbs for Every Garden, Part II
By Richard Frost
Now
for Thyme in particular, please taste-test ‘Mother Of Thyme’, ‘English Thyme’,
and ‘Golden Lemon Thyme’. For specialty applications such as herb bread or
confections, you might also consider one of the many other varieties such as
‘Coconut’ or ‘Orange Spice’.
For Dill, go with Stephan Facciola’s
suggestion of ‘Superdukat’ (see Cornucopia II, Vista Press). Since Dill looks
similar to Sweet Fennel, grow these plants in separate areas. A third notable
herb with feather-leaf textures is Delfino Cilantro – a 2006 All-American
selection that lives longer and provides a larger harvest than the standard
variety.
To
go with your feathery herbs, you might as well grow some spiky things like
Chives and Scallions. They not only provide zest to a wide range of dishes, but
also add interesting texture, colorful blooms, and scent to the garden.
Speaking
of sweet things, most of you will probably grow Sweet Basil. But have you tried
other annual Basil cultivars like ‘Blue Spice’, ‘Lime’, and ‘Red Rubin’? (Warning
– there are as many varieties of Basil as there are Tomatoes). Further, did you
know that the flower buds contain more oil than the leaves? Let the buds develop
½ to 1 inch in length and then make fresh pesto or dry them for sprinkles. If
you don’t like the buds, still remove them from the annual varieties to prolong
the life of the plant. Finally, if you are growing the perennial varieties ‘Blue African’ or the peppery ‘Greek Columnar’,
then you can let these blossoms grow to a full 6 or 8 inches without worry of
the plants terminating.
When
it comes to Oreganos, there are opinions as strong as the herb can be in taste.
The standard kind that you find generically labeled in U.S. supermarkets is
‘Italian’. On the milder, sweeter side is ‘Sweet Oregano’ which many people
know by the name ‘Marjoram’. The white oregano cultivar ‘Kaliteri’ is even
milder but with a traditional oregano taste. For regular oregano with a peppery
taste, try ‘Greek’ (a small bite will be sufficient for most people). The
middle-eastern variety ‘Za'atar’ is the main
ingredient of a sauce of the same name and has pleasant cumin-like overtones.
The most pungent oregano I have ever tried is ‘Syrian’ which will stand out in
almost any dish. In impoverished regions from Turkey through Pakistan, people
eat 2 or 3 meals a day of wild Syrian oregano ‘salad’ gathered from the
hillsides.
If
you enjoy making teas and flavored drinks, then there are mints, mints, and
more mints to entice your taste buds. In my non-rigorous poll, the white mint
cultivar ‘Mojito’ is popular with almost everyone and the hands-down winner.
The second runner-up for teas is the spearmint cultivar called ‘The Best’.
Another popular spearmint cultivar is ‘Mint Julep’. More on the culinary side,
‘Chocolate’, ‘Lavender’, and ‘Orange’ are in strong demand. Mint is very invasive
and should be grown in a pot on a hard surface.
For natural sweeteners,
you can grow Stevia and the Verbena relative Aztec Sweet Herb. I prefer the
latter because it is a bit hardier in our climate and is beautiful flowing out
of a pot or mounding in the garden. Stevia may also be contraindicated for some
medical conditions.
SDHS member Richard
Frost is a certified edible gardening nut. For copies of past articles and more
information, please see www.PlantsThatProduce.com.
Reprinted with permission from June 2009 "Let's Talk Plants," the newsletter of the San Diego Horticultural Society, www.sdhortsoc.org
© 2009 San Diego Horticultural Society