The Edible Herb Garden. Rosalind Creasy

      

      First published in 1999 by Periplus Editions (HK) Ltd.,

       www.periplus.com

      Photographs and text copyright © 1999 Rosalind Creasy

       Illustrations and watercolors by Marcie Hawthorne

      All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without prior written permission from the publisher.

      Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

       Creasy, Rosalind.

       The Edible Herb Garden / by Rosalind Creasy.—1st ed.

       105 p.: ill. (some col.), col. map; 29 cm.

       Includes bibliographical references (p.)

       ISBN: 978-1-4629-0618-5 (ebook)

       1. Cookery (Herbs). 2. Herbs. 3. Herb gardening. I. Title.

       TX819.H4C7397 1999

       641.6'57-dc21

      98-34729

       CIP

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      First edition

       12 11 10 10 9 8 7 6

      Design by Kathryn Sky-Peck

      Printed in Singapore

      contents

       Culinary Herb Gardens, page 1

       How To Grow an Herb Garden 6

       Harvesting Your Herbs 12

       Herb Garden Design 16

       Herbs in Containers 26

       Encyclopedia of Culinary Herbs, page 33

       From Angelica to Thyme

       Favorite Herb Recipes, page 63

       Featuring Herbal Flavors 66

       Fresh Herb Blends 66

       Dry Herb Blends 68

       Pestos 69

       Herb Vinegars 70

       Herb Oils 70

       Herb Teas 71

       Herb Butter and Cream 72

       Interview: The Saville Herb Garden 74

       Gudi's Potato Pancakes with Chives 78

       Salmon, Cream Cheese, and Chive Torta 79

       Fancy Carrot and Onion Soup 80

       Watermelon Salad with Black Grapes and Tarragon 81

       Goat Cheese Cheesecake with Herbs 81

       Party Spinach Feta Strudel 82

       Spinach and Fresh Oregano Pizza 83

       Roast Lamb with Rosemary 84

       Grilled Swordfish with Rosemary 84

       Native Squash Stew 86

       Barbecued Vegetables on Rosemary Skewers 86

       Savory Mashed Potatoes with Garden Herbs 89

       Stuffed Zucchini Blossoms with Goat Cheese 89

       Fennel Rice with Pistachios 90

       Leeks and New Potatoes with Savory Cream 91

       Carrots and Apricots with Fresh Chervil 92

       Golden Beets with Dill Vinaigrette 93

       Appendices, page 94

       Appendix A: Planting and Maintenance 94

       Appendix B: Pest and Disease Control 100

       Resources 104

       Acknowledgments 106

      This harvest of fresh herbs (left) is every chef's dream. Included are many of the stars of the culinary herb garden; (clockwise from the top) chives, French thyme, purple sage, sage flowers, silver lemon thyme, sage buds, rosemary, and French tarragon. In the middle are sprigs of Italian flat-leaf parsley and the flowers of German chamomile.

      culinary herb gardens

      What a luxury it is to have a garden full of herbs! Even this country's best chefs usually can't match the meals created from such a garden. Imagine having enough lemon thyme or fennel to be able to use the prunings for smoking pheasant or salmon. Think of creating a salad, as if from the heart of France, with fresh tarragon and chervil, or making a Thai salad with real Thai basil. Fresh herbs are the signature of a chef and often a specific cuisine, yet very few markets in this country offer more than a meager selection.

      When I think back on my cooking of years ago, it feels as though I was working in black and white and monaural. The form was there and it was enjoyable, but the depth and richness were missing. Now that I regularly use fresh herbs, I'm cooking in full color and stereo. The zip of fresh mint or the many flavors of thyme give the dishes more dimension. Twenty years ago I started on my herb adventure by adding fresh chives to potato soup and fresh basil to spaghetti sauce. What a difference! I went on to use fresh dill on fish, pesto on pasta, and herb vinegars on salads. Now, after years of exposure to the full range of herbs, and thanks to many people's guidance, I use many more in my cooking, and almost all of them are fresh.

      Herbs are the easiest to grow of all the edible