Time to become a herbivore
HERBS: NUTRITIOUS EDIBLES IN THEIR OWN RIGHT
FIVE EASIEST HERBS TO GROW FROM SEED
Tips to transform a basic salad dressing, mayonnaise, sauce and marinade.
There is nothing more motivating than harvesting veggies that were planted in spring, with fingers crossed and lots of hope! Many herbs are nutritious edibles in their own right, and not just for adding flavour, although it is hard to imagine food without the subtle addition of herbs.
Think of salad herbs like rocket, coriander, dill and garlic chives, or pesto made from basil or rocket leaves for a simple, but sublime pasta.
Herbs transform a basic salad dressing, mayonnaise, marinade, and sauce.
Herbs are less demanding to grow than vegetables, which makes them great for new gardeners, says Kirchhoffs Marlaen Straathof.
Herbs that grow best from seed are the summer annuals. If sown now they will yield plenty of tasty leaves before winter.
Basil is just about everyone’s favourite herb and it grows in sun or semi-shade, in fertile soil that drains well.
It likes regular watering and some liquid fertiliser once a month. Regular picking produces a bushy plant. Pinching off the flowers keeps the plant productive and prevents the leaves from becoming bitter.
Kirchhoffs has five different varieties that can be grown from seed. Sweet basil
(Ocimum basilicum) is the best known and loved variety with its soft, green leaves. Characterised as Mediterranean or European-type basil, the taste is sweet, floral, and delicate, with slightly minty notes, an anise-like aroma, and clove-like undertones.
Basil “Genovese” is known as the pesto basil and has large, brightgreen crinkled leaves that retain their sweetness when added towards the end of cooking. It is less likely to flower in hot weather.
Basil Dark Opal has purple leaves that are tasty and pretty in salads and are good for flavouring and colouring herbal vinegar.
Lemon basil adds a fresh lemony tang to pesto and salads. The leaves are smaller that sweet basil.
Basil Siam Queen is in a league of its own. The leaves have a spicy, strong clove scent and flavour, which makes it suitable for Asian dishes, stir fries and curry. Rocket (Eruca vesicaria) is a wild and hardy little Italian herb that is known in Italy as Arugula.
It is an easy crop to grow.
The seeds germinate quickly, and the young leaves have a peppery flavour that is delicious in salads, sandwiches, as a vegetable with roast meat or with a medley of Mediterranean vegetables.
Plant in a sunny position, sow thickly and keep the soil moist.
Harvest the leaves often because the more you pick the better the quality. Cut the plant down when it comes into flower and it will come back.
Coriander (Coriandrum sativum) is another very popular culinary herb with leaves that have a very zesty flavour.
Its leaves look a lot like Italian parsley, and it enjoys rich, light soil and a sunny position.
It is fast growing and grows best autumn and spring.
Chives (Allium schoenoprasum) and Garlic Chives (Allium tuberosum) grow easily from seed in sun to partial shade.
They form clumps, but only the leaves are harvested. New shoots emerge quickly.
Feed with liquid fertiliser at half strength once a month. When they lose their vigour, sow new seed.
Dill (Anethum graveolens) grows into a beautiful, metre-high feature plant, with feathery blue green leaves and yellow flowering heads, the size of dinner plates.
It prefers a sunny position, that’s protected from the wind, and rich well-drained soil.
Dill leaves have a delicate anise flavour that pairs well with fish, cottage cheese, eggs, and salad vegetables.
Harvest the seeds when the flowering heads turn brown; they are full of flavour.