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What herbs you growing?

Uncle B bought my Summer herbs today. He keeps asking if I want anything else and I can’t think of anything.

I have oregano, thyme, sage, rosemary, several kinds of mint, borage, hyssop, fennel, dill, something called winter savory, chamomile. Catnip. Growing randomly around the garden: chives, lemon balm, lemon verbena, several varieties of lavender, ground elder. Erm, nettles. Elderflowers. I’m sure I’m forgetting something.

Oh, the thing in the picture, which is called cotton lavender or lavender cotton and is related to neither cotton nor lavender. You can eat it.

What’s missing?

Comments


Comment from p2
Time: June 5, 2018, 9:01 pm

i can think of one……legal here in the frozen north but i’d wager the ol’ bill wouldnt look too kindly on your crop…..


Comment from Deborah HH
Time: June 5, 2018, 9:44 pm

Funny—p2 🙂
Basil—I bet that’s what you were trying to remember.
Rarely am I envious of others, but I do envy your herb garden. If I had fresh dill, I’d make dill pickles. Does Uncle Badger grow cucumbers?


Comment from Some Vegetable
Time: June 5, 2018, 11:11 pm

“borage, hyssop”

Basil is the classic one that you’re missing – plant lots. Basil, fresh tomato, mozzarella cheese, and some good Balsamic vinegar! Also – you need a lot more chives. Small boiled potatoes with sour cream require lots of chives.

But: borage and hyssop? What do they taste like and how do you use them please?

As for what we have, we also grow Japanese Shiso, and use it a lot like basil – either mixed into salads or as a wrap for a small piece of grilled chicken or beef. For the record, someone gave us a kit to grow our own oyster mushrooms, and we did, but….


Comment from Bob
Time: June 6, 2018, 12:42 am

Others have pointed out Basil, so I’ll go with chili peppers.


Comment from EZnSF
Time: June 6, 2018, 1:40 am

Tarragon and Sorrel.
But Sorrel is pretty much useless unless you want to make medieval/european soup. But it grows well and you can’t kill it.

And tarragon, although pretty, is pretty useless for all but a couple of dishes.

I’d say you have it covered.

Can you grow basil in your part of the world?
I’m jealous as hell.


Comment from DurnedYankee
Time: June 6, 2018, 7:20 am

We’ve found that oregano and thyme (German, takes over everything) make for nice ground covers and Oregano in particular doesn’t seem to mind the Texas heat at all.
And yes, BASIL! Mrs Durned has a very nice recipe for a pesto cheese torte we were just forced, forced! I tell you, to enjoy because one year I got hold of an especially bountiful basil bush.

It’s late, but we just got pounded with some golf ball sized hail (samples in the freezer) and I thought I’d take a spin around the internet as long as I was up surveying the damage to the vehicles. Between us all here, Mrs Durned won the hail-dent lottery, 17 noticeable dings vs my truck’s 5, but please don’t mention that to her.


Comment from Deborah HH
Time: June 6, 2018, 11:51 am

Around here, rosemary is a favorite landscaping plant. It thrives in the heat (102 yesterday with 26% humidity), trails attractively over retaining walls and out of planters, and DEER won’t eat it! The bees love it. When I lived out on the lake, I had three big bushes at the base of my deck (two were bloomers) and you could hear the bees humming from 10 feet away.


Comment from AliceH
Time: June 6, 2018, 4:35 pm

Calendula?


Comment from Can\’t Hark My Cry
Time: June 6, 2018, 5:24 pm

Italian flat-leaf parsley? It has a glorious scent, and an actual taste, unlike the curly parsley that is used as a garnish and decoration and is worthless for any other purpose. I use a lot of the flat leaf in actual cooking–including pesto (parsley instead of basil, walnuts instead of pignolas).
Oh, and, gee, has anyone mentioned basil? 😉


Comment from S. Weasel
Time: June 6, 2018, 9:04 pm

Oh, Bob. He had mercy on me and skipped the chilis this year. The past few years, I’ve frozen them and made tabasco and jam and dried some. I’m *buried* in chilis.


Comment from Uncle Badger
Time: June 6, 2018, 10:09 pm

Yes, I grows cucumbers for the lady o’ the ‘ouse, Miss Deborah. ‘Ooj great ones, the outdoor kind. So many that we ends up composting them some years.

Course, I don’t *eat* any of that stuff. I just grows it and wonders why anyone but a rabbit would eat it.


Comment from Steve Skubinna
Time: June 6, 2018, 10:10 pm

Cilantro. Unless you’re one of those genetic defectives who can’t eat it. But I love Mexican, Tex-Mex, and Southwest cooking and so it’s a never out item for me.

And I second (or third) the oregano recommendation.


Comment from gromulin@gmail.com
Time: June 7, 2018, 1:02 am

Basil and Rosemary. Maybe some Dill. A friend just gave me a jar of homemade olives marinated in brine, Rosemary, garlic and Jalapenos. Now I know I need an olive tree. SO damn good. Especially in Martinis.


Comment from Uncle Al
Time: June 7, 2018, 2:40 am

@Can’t Hark My Cry

…curly parsley that is used as a garnish and decoration and is worthless for any other purpose.

The curly stuff is useful a mouth and breath freshener. I’m not kidding! I always eat that little decorative sprig at the end of the course. It has no other purpose I’ve ever discovered, though.


Comment from BJM
Time: June 7, 2018, 3:05 am

Summer savory…it gives a fresh buttery flavor to summer veg such as Zukes and corn…a little sprinkle of dried in the oil before you make popcorn is sublime.

@Gromulin…yes, you definitely need an olive tree. I just opened a qt jar of Mission olives that I put up last year. SO good. There’s a lot of changing of water in the jars for a few weeks then into a light brine and a dark cabinet for 6-8 months. I opened a jar today and added pickled red Korean garlic cloves, oregano, a fresh bay leaf, a Thai chili pepper, and black peppercorns. It’s getting happy in the back of the fridge. In a couple of weeks they will be ready to dress with good olive oil and eat with crusty bread & chunks of Parmigiana!

@EZnSF- have you made Greek eggs? Hard boiled eggs sliced into quarters (pole to pole) dress with a simple lemon and olive oil vinaigrette then tear fresh tarragon and lightly scatter over the eggs. Let the eggs marinate 30-45 minutes in the fridge. To serve ya scoops up a slice of egg with a serving spoon and plops it onto a thin round of baguette.
The recipe was ‘splained to me by a friend’s Yaya many summers ago as a wedding party snacked on an amazing array of appetizers while a whole lamb roasted on a spit. Good times.


Comment from dissent
Time: June 7, 2018, 3:50 pm

Dang, I’m hungry now!!

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