Growing, Drying and Using Herbs - 2
from Italian Traditional Food

More about Growing, Drying and Using Herbs

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Continuing the short article on growing, drying and using herbs... .

Here are listed more of the common herbs

Parsley Cont.....

It is one of the three ingredients of a bouquet garni. Use the stalks for this as they have the most flavour, and use the leaves for chopping.

Freshly chopped, but not too finely, and sprinkled thickly over such dishes ad egg mayonnaise and fish cooked in most ways, it gives a wonderful flavour. Fried with fish, it is delicious. Parsley takes a long time to grow and is slow in germinating, so for those who are impatient, it is wise to buy parsley plants in the spring from a nurseryman. Parsley is not worth drying as it can be bought (or picked from the garden) all the year round. Though a biennial, parsley is best treated as an annual and fresh plants put in every year.

Rosemary

A bush rather than a plant, this perennial herb is not always associated with use in the kitchen. Indeed, being strong and pungent, it should be used in the spray, or a few of the needle-like leaves can be stripped from the stem and used whole. A few cooked whole with sauté potatoes give a delicious flavour. Put a spray in the roasting tin when cooking chicken or lamb in the oven.

Sage

This perennial herb is the one most associated with goose, duck or rich meats. It is strong in flavour, so 3-4 leaves are usually enough for a stuffing. It can also be used to flavour crab-apple or gooseberry jelly.

Savory

A useful herb that has an aromatic flavour similar to marjoram. It has a dark green, pointed leaf and it is especially suited for flavouring broad beans. There are two varieties, the annual summer savory, and perennial winter savory, the latter being more usually home grown.

Tarragon

This is a perennial which is best home grown as it is not easily obtainable in shops. When buying plants make sure to get the right kind, which is the French variety, with its faint flavour of aniseed and a grey-green, slightly pointed leaf when full grown. "Russian" tarragon is frequently mistaken for this variety but it is green and rank in comparison and has no scent at all.

This herb, which goes particularly well with chicken, fish and eggs, is delicious in flavour. It also makes an aromatic vinegar for use in salads and sauces.

Thyme

This is a perennial herb; the most commonly used varieties are the black and lemon thyme. The former is distinguished by its narrow leaf, the latter by a broader and brighter green leaf and a strong lemon smell.

Thyme is also used in a bouquet garni and chopped in all savoury stuffings. It dries well.

How to dry herbs

This is a simple and easy job where only a small quantity of dried herbs is needed for use in the kitchen.

The leaves should be picked before the plants flower (when seeds have to be gathered they must, naturally, be left until much later). The quicker the leaves can be dried the better.

Gather the sprays or leaves when quite dry (no rain or dew on them). Spread them out on sheets of paper, lay these on cake racks or wire trays and lay them in the cool oven of a solid fuel cooker for 12 - 24 hours. If you don't have a cooker of this type, use a cool gas or electric oven at 225F or Gas Mark 1/2.

When dry and brittle, crumble the leaves between the fingers or sift through a wire strainer.

Store herbs in small, clean, dry jars and keep in a dark cupboard as this will help to preserve their colour.

Page 3 of this Italian Traditional Food article on herbs can be found on the next page.

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