MAKE THYME FOR HERBS
Adding the taste and f lavours of the Med will enrich your summer
STROLL anywhere in rural southern Europe and you’re likely to find wild herbs in abundance. On unfarmed land, lavender, sage, rosemary and thyme scent the air and butterflies dance among the wildflowers. But you don’t need to travel to enjoy Mediterranean herbs. They thrive in Britain and many have outstanding garden value as well as supplying the kitchen.
Spring is the best time for planting. Herbs are speedy, too. Buy young plants today and you could gather new shoots within a month. Don’t be tempted to plant supermarket herbs outdoors. Even when growing in little pots, they are too soft to plant safely outside.
Most shrubby herbs originate from southern Europe. Lavender came to Britain with the Romans. Rosemary, sage and culinary thyme go back a long way, too. These, like oregano, bay and tarragon are all hardy.
They do best in free-draining soil and full sun. Once established, tasty shoots will appear and are perfect for kitchen use.
The more you gather, the more new shoots there will be. The plants last for many years and are easy to propagate.
FLAVOUR PACKED
BASIL is a tender annual grown from seed sown in spring, but only lasts for summer. You can buy plants, but must keep them protected from winds and frost.
Coriander, also an annual, has zesty leaves, pinkish flowers and spicy seeds. Sow it regularly for the leaves, but grow some to maturity if you want the seeds.
With a heated greenhouse or warm conservatory, you can sow little pots of basil and coriander throughout winter. Gather the leaves while young for maximum flavour and sow new pots every three to four weeks.
Parsley also grows from seed, but is hardy. Sow it outdoors between now and July into welldrained soil. Both the curled and plain-leaved varieties look good in pots or as foliage plants in a mixed bed.
Perennial but non-woody herbs are the easiest to grow, but need controlling. All mint varieties will invade given half a chance, but in pots or restricted beds, they’re pretty and useful.
Beware, even in a container, mint can send runners through drainage holes into the ground.
Spearmint, Mentha spicata, is the most widely grown variety. But broader-leaved Norfolk or apple mint, Mentha suaveolens, is prettier, just as good with lamb and makes a better nosetickler in your Pimm’s.
MIX IN FLOWERS
IF YOU have space, a herb bed or even a herb garden makes a delightful feature.
Traditionally these are partpaved and bordered with lavender or rosemary.
Mix in edible flowers such as marigolds, pansies, blue borage or nasturtiums. You could buy them as young plants or sow seeds. The flowers could also accompany salad plants such as rocket, chives and lettuce.
Shrubby herbs respond to harvesting by growing fresh shoots. With herbaceous ones — such as tarragon and mint — cutting back promotes growth. But as autumn nears, tenderness and flavour deteriorate.
That’s why it’s worth drying herbs for winter. Choose young, tender shoots. To retain their aromatic oils they must dry rapidly at low temperatures.
If your oven can be set as low as 30c to 40c, that’s good for drying. If not, dry at the lowest setting with the door ajar. Once the leaves are crisp, gently break them up for storing.
For more herb information, refer to Jekka’s Complete Herb Book by Jekka McVicar (Kyle Cathie).