Growing, Drying and Using Herbs
from Italian Traditional Food

All about herbs

Herbs have a real use in the kitchen, but they must be treated with respect, for many are strong and pungent in flavour. When using them, you should remember that they are an addition and enhancement to a dish and as such should be used sparingly.

On the whole, herbs are not difficult to grow and the advantage of having a herb bed is that they are ready for use fresh, or can be dried for later on.

Choose a spot for growing herbs that's near the kitchen door. If you haven't a garden, you'll find herbs will thrive equally well in a window box.

Types of herbs

Of the many varieties of herbs the following are the most commonly used in the kitchen.

Bay

Together with parsley and thyme, a bayleaf forms the traditional bouquet garni. It has a strong flavour, particularly when fresh, so unless recipes call for more, use only half a bayleaf to flavour soups, meat dishes and sauces. The bay tree is very attractive and can be grown in the garden or in a tub.

Chives

This herb is a necessity for every garden and window box. A perennial herb that is used snipped (with scissors) in salads, creamed cheeses or in stuffings when a subtle flavour of onion is called for.

Dill

This annual is by far the best to grow in preference to fennel. It is delicate in flavour, and pretty and feathery in appearance. Dill is the herb to use with fish, either in a sauce or chopped and sprinkled over it. It is more delicate and subtle in flavour than fennel and marries well with cucumber.

The stalks and seeds are used in pickles, especially cucumber, and the seeds only for flavouring salads and vegetables, especially white cabbage and marrow.

Fennel

A tall and rampant perennial plant which produces more foliage than one can ever use. Strong in taste, it must be used sparingly, eg. in fish sauces.

Garlic

A bulb similar to an onion but divided into sections called cloves. These are covered with a fine skin which is removed before chopping, crushing or using them whole. For some dishes the "cloves" are left unpeeled before cooking and taken out before serving (this gives a delicate flavour).

Garlic can be grown in a herb garden, though the size of the gathered bulbs depends on the amount of sun and moisture during growth. In the early autumn garlic bulbs are lifted and dried like onions.

Marjoram

This spicy aromatic herb is used principally for stuffings, especially for lamb. Though classed as a half-hardy annual, it will grow for 2-3 years without dying off, and will seed itself under normal conditions. When dried it mixes well with thyme and savory for use when recipes call for mixed herbs.

Mints

Many people are unaware that there are several varieties of this perennial herb. The mint that is sold in the shops and grown in many gardens for kitchen use is spearmint. After a few years it is apt to revert towards its wild state, ie. get coarse and harsh in flavour. For growing at home the Bowles variety of mint (Mentha rotundifolia) is very satisfactory. It has large rather wooly leaves and is excellent for a mint sauce and general flavouring.

Other mints are the scented ones: apple, pineapple and eau-de-cologne, the two latter being especially good in a fruit or wine cup and for use as a tea. Apple mint is a good substitute for sage in a savoury stuffing and for flavouring an apple jelly.

Parsley

The most usual and common herb of all is parsley, called in earlier days the herb of health. Nowadays it has been relegated to a garnish, which is a pity as it can be made into a good jelly (to eat on bread and butter) or a delicious soup.

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