Gardening gives me immense joy and I have never been without the joy of an herb garden, even in times when I was forced to only rely on pots. Nothing can compare to taking your herb scissors and snip some herbs, not only for cooking, but also for the bathroom, for under the pillow cases, to tie to the bath faucet and have the water running through it. And the more you pick your herbs, the happier they grow. There are no rules as to which herb goes into which dish, only guidelines. It is playing around with herbs and food that excercises your senses and leads you to choosing an herb for your meal. Enjoy!

Click on an image to enlarge.

  • Lavender: make jams and vinegars, infuse pastries, sauces, crystallized flowers.
  • wild celery: more pungent that cultivated celery. Used in salads, and rich in vitaminsins and minerals.

  • Scented geraniums): use in cakes as decorations,
  • Bayleaf: soups, sauces, pickles, bouquet garni, marinades meat and fish dishes, infuse milk for bechamel sauce.

  • Viola: Decorat cakes, desserts, ice creams, crystallized flowers, in salads.
  • Borage:Crystallized flowers for decoration, in salads.

  • Cats: Take on your walks through the herb garden and have them roll in the catmint, teach them not to catch the birds and butterflies and tickle them with sprigs of lavender.

 

  • Feverfew: More for decoration, very bitter in food. About 3 leaves sandwisched between two slices of bread do help for migraines if eaten regularly.
  • Sage: In salads, used with onion in stuffings, good with pork and fatty meats, infused in creams, great with sweet potatoes and carrots, in risottos, sage vingear and sage butter.

Melisse(lemon balm): sorbets, ice creams, white cream sauces, in salads, fruit salads, infuse dor herbal teas.

  • Rosemary:salads, white sayces for fish, poultry pork dishes, custards, fruit drinks, fruit dessert, ice creams and sorbets, vinegars, mayonnaise, infuse for herbal teas.
  • Basil: in salads, with tomato dishes, pesto, vinegars, mediterranean dishes, fruit desserts.
  • Lemon verbena: infuse as a herbal tea, drinks, fruit desserts, confectionary, jellies, cakes and pastries, ice cream.

 

Tarragon: poultry, in salads, sauces, mediterranean dishes, soups, stuffings.

 

Thyme: Use in bouquet garni, as stuffing along with other herbs and breadcrumbs, stocks, marinades, sauces, soups desserts. Aids digestion of fattyfoods. Poultry seafood, game, fruit salads, jams.

  • Rocket: salads, sandwiches, soups

  • Sorrel: soups, salads, sandwiches, with fish, omelettes, lamb and beef dishes, in sauces for fish and poultry
  • Bronze fennel: In sauces with fish, with mayonniase as dips, breads.

  • Marjoram: Part of herbes de provences, in salads and butter sauces, with fish and meat dishesd, pizzas, tomato dishes, egg and cheese dishes, stuffings for meat and fish. Always add at the last minute.

 

  • chives: salads sandwishes, soups, sauces, butters, creams, dips, egg and cheese dishes, omelettes, chopped over vegetables.
  • Parsley: salads,vegetables, meats, bouquet garni, soups, stews, garnish and decoration, pestos, fish, boiled potatoes, steamed vegetables.

 

 

  • Chervil: salads, soups, sauces, vegetables, chicken and other white meats, fish, egg and cheese dishes. Add to cooking towards the end.

15 thoughts on “In my herb garden”

  1. Pingback: Oven baked lemon chicken with herbs « Myfrenchkitchen

  2. Love your herb garden! I want to grow something by myself too. But, I’m not sure what on earth will survive in such hot weather in Singapore…

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  3. Love your herb garden. I have started some herb growing in pots in Jamaica. Where I live its hot now but I am pressing on to see what will grow. I presume you are in a cool area. Do give us some tips especially to Mrs. Ergul.

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  4. i live in randburg, johannesburg. I have started a herb garden but most of the herbs are dying off. I love rocket but this never seems to survive.

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  5. I apologize for not responding to questions here for such a long time, .hope it is not too late, but since Johannesburg is only starting off its spring…
    Herbs can withstand quite some heat, but their roots do need frequent watering. In extreme heats, water early mornings around the roots, without touching the leaves(will scorch). Feel the soil with your fingers, when dry, water the plants. And it really holds a lot of truth – herbs need to be picked to flourish and grow lush, and a lush plant is a stronger plant.
    Herbs don’t really like humid conditions and may rot and die, if not planted in pots where the air is dry.
    As a general rule more or less – the mediterranean herbs like rosemary, lavenders, thyme, sage, marjoram etc. enjoy open, sunny spots with good drainage. The sald herbs like sorrel, chives, parsley, rocket, basil prefer some shade during midday with rich moist soil.
    Harsh winters may have certain herbs die down, which need to be replanted each season. Here in Touraine, France, I have to replant basil each year, while in the northern parts of South Africa, I had basil almost all year long and they self sowed profusely.
    Some herbs don’t like living next to each other, which is a reason whey many herbs die and people think it is because of climate…example, chervil and coriandre don’t like being close to fennel.

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  6. Is that French Tarragon you grow, Ronell? We can’t buy plants here in Tuscany, and as you probably know it won’t grow from seed. The Italian version just doesn’t have the same magic. We have had a couple of attempts to grow little plants people have brought from as far away as Australia. Now the cold weather is here again, we’ve wrapped it up in fleece and put it in under protection, but I fear for it.

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  7. Awwwww! I’m so in love with your garden right now that I just called my hubby to ask him why exactly we live in Manhattan. I managed to grow some little pots of herbs, but in the winter the heat kills everything. Your paintings are awesome too.

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  11. These pictures are great and your herb garden looks wonderful! I live in a v. small flat in London so survive with potted herbs – but as you mentioned, picking herbs is one of the loveliest things, and generally the more you use them, the more they grow. I do a lot of cooking with my potted herbs but one day (when I grow up a bit), I shall definitely be dedicating the majority of my garden to them! I blog a bit too! 🙂
    http://myherbkitchen.wordpress.com/

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  12. YEs..no place is too small for a pot of herbs.. and to snip and pinch some everyday is also therapeutic, so, keep going in your London apartment! Warmest Ronelle

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  14. Geniet, jou skrywes Ronelle. Self nooit sonder ‘n kruie tuin nie. Hoop dit gaan goed met die finale regkry van die huis en dat julle die jaar Noel in jul huis gaan vier. Mooi bly. Magriet.

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