Herbs


MAY 15 2013 FILED UNDER Herbs Plant of the Week	How sweet it is... Get your herb garden growing with one of our favorite herbs, Sweet Basil. This garden classic is known for its flavor and fragrance. With big leaves that are fast growing, anyone can produce a homegrown harvest. Basil needs about 6-8 hours of full sunlight to produce and can benefit from a little bit of afternoon shade. If grown in containers, it will definitely need watering as it likes moist, well drained soil. Dry soil will stunt the growth of this plant. The large leaves of this plant, are vibrant green. Sweet Basil is the main ingredient for classic Italian Pesto, but it is great in pastas, on pizzas and even in lemonade. TIP: You'll want to prevent basil from blooming, by either harvesting the leaves or pinching off the top sets of leaves. Once the basil plant sets flowers, the leaves will lessen in flavor. So, our rule of thumb don’t’ be afraid to cut and use this tasty herb.
DECEMBER 19 2012 FILED UNDER Christmas Herbs Plant of the Week	Accent the Season with Rosemary Add warmth and fresh fragrance to your holidays with Rosemary cones and topiaries. Cooks know Rosemary as the perfect flavoring for chicken, turkey, pork, lamb or shellfish. Decorators are familiar with Rosemary as a holiday accent that can be used throughout the home for its pleasing and soothing aroma and style. For entertaining, arrange trees around the buffet, on side servers, or as table centerpieces. In the entry, their fresh, crisp fragrance welcomes guests and beckons them inside. With their festive wraps, these tabletop plants add splashes of color and shimmering accents throughout the holiday season. To care for Rosemary, the most important requirement during the winter months is sunlight. Place in a bright sunny window, and turn the plant so that it gets sun on both sides. The soil in the pot is needs to be well drained. Water it from the top every other day. Water may remain in the saucer to provide humidity for the plant, but do not the let the water touch the bottom of the plant. Adjust the watering schedule if necessary to be sure the soil never dries out. Keep your Rosemary from freezing at all times, away from drafts and extreme heat. We recommend fertilizing at a regular two-week interval during the winter months with a water-soluble fertilizer such as McDonald Green Leaf.
NOVEMBER 19 2012 FILED UNDER Herbs Holiday	From our Table to Yours Try some of our favorite holiday recipes at your table this holiday season. These classics combine fresh herbs to create dishes that will dazzle your guests. Using the holiday favorite rosemary, thyme and sage – you will have fresh herbs for all your holiday cooking. Once the holidays are over, place this herb bowl in a kitchen window sill. This also makes a great hostess gift to bring along to your Thanksgiving gathering. Bon Appétit! HERB STUFFING Ingredients 12 cups slightly dry bread 1/3 cup finely chopped onion 1 1/2 tsp. salt 1 tsp. ground sage 1 tsp. dried thyme, crushed 1 tsp. dried rosemary, crushed 1 cup of chicken broth 6 tablespoons of butter, melted Combine bread, onion, salt, sage, thyme, and rosemary. Add broth and butter; toss lightly to mix. Use to stuff a 12-pound turkey or bake covered, in a 2-quart casserole at 325º until heated through, about one hour. HERB BUTTER Spread this on toast or eggs at breakfast. Toss it with pasta at lunch. Melt it on fish or chicken at dinner. And, of course use on fresh bread for your holiday feast. Ingredients Dash of salt and pepper 1 tsp thyme 1 tsp sage 1 tsp rosemary 1 stick unsalted of butter Combine all ingredients in a small bowl. Mix well with a spoon until combined and all ingredients are incorporated. Place butter mixture into plastic wrap and roll to form a log shape. Wrap tightly and store in refrigerator.
MAY 16 2012 FILED UNDER Edibles Herbs Plant of the Week	Plant of the Week: Boxwood Basil Fulfill your culinary delights with classical design. Boxwood Basil resembles a miniature boxwood plant with its tight structure and upright shape. And, best of all it is edible. The 12- to 16-inch-tall plant has small, aromatic leaves and, like all basil, grows best in full sun on fertile, well drained soil. It also tolerates heat well and can be shaped into a topiary form. This unique plant is excellent in containers with its formal appearance and structure. Or, let it form tight mounds to use as a highly ornamental edging plant for a deck or patio. Bred in France, this basil with small leaves was originally used for pesto. Try using the leaves in salads, pesto and pasta dishes. Or, get creative and spice up veal, lamb, fish and poultry, as well as adding zest to rice, cheese and most vegetables. To harvest, we suggest using the whole stem, as opposed to just removing a few leaves here and there. This way you can preserve the classical shape of the boxwood basil.
MAY 14 2012 FILED UNDER Edibles Herbs	Enhance Flavor with Home-Grown Herbs Fresh herbs are easy to grow and can make all the difference between a good dish and an extraordinary dish! Once you begin to use fresh herbs in your favorite recipes, you'll never want go back to using just dried herbs again. Chefs know that fresh food is always best and fresh herbs are no exception. Here are our favorite herbs to create the basic kitchen garden. Of course, this is just a start, there are many others to experiment with in your garden that will add bold flavor. A herb garden can be as simple as having a pot just outside your kitchen door or a group of planters in your window sill or even an extensive garden planted outside. No matter the size, cooking with herbs can be fun and you can’t make a mistake - so be creative and savor the flavor. Basil - With lots of varieties to choose from, this king of the herbs offers something for every palette. While the taste of sweet basil is bright and pungent, other varieties also offer unique tastes that are true to their name like: lemon basil, anise basil and cinnamon basil. Parsley - Use this herb for the mild flavor it adds to a savory dish and for the coloring it adds as a garnish. Sage - This is a must-have herb for seasoning any poultry dish. It has a slight peppery flavor and is best used on meats in a marinade but is also good in stuffing and sauces. We also love Pineapple Sage which is great in pitchers of water to offer flavor. Rosemary - Rosemary is best used to season fish and seafood products, but it is also a great seasoning for grilled meats, lamb and potatoes. Try Barbeque Rosemary to use as skewers on the grill.... a real crowd pleaser! Thyme - This is the basic herb used in dishes from all over the world including French, Italian, Indian, Greek and Spanish cuisines. Use thyme on lamb, meats, poultry, soups and stews. Oregano - This classic culinary herb is one of the most commonly used herbs worldwide. Use in Italian, Greek and Mexican cooking. The flavor is strong enough to stand up to bold flavors like tomatoes, onion, garlic, and beef. We love the Hot & Spicy Oregano in pasta sauces. Dill - This easy to grow herb is a member of the parsley family. Cut often to keep producing. Dill pairs well with fish and is used for pickling, to flavor salads and in soups. Mint - Is a beautiful herb that has one of the most recognizable aromas. Spearmint and peppermint are the most popular types of mint, but more unusual varieties like Mint Chocolate are available. Use in drinks, or simply gather a small bunch to offer aroma for a room.
APRIL 28 2010 FILED UNDER Edibles Herbs	9 Essential Herbs for Every Kitchen All of these herbs are easy to grow as long as you give them the basics of sun and water. Grow them in an herb garden or even in pots on your deck. Don’t view your herbs only as a decoration, but cook with them frequently and be creative in how you use them. You can’t really make a mistake in cooking with herbs. Here are our top herb selections for Hampton Roads: 1.) Basil is an annual with lots of varieties. To many it is considered the “king of herbs” due to its many uses. It is great in tomato dishes and is a main ingredient in pesto. It can also be used in drinks, with fruit and in soups or stews. 2.) Chives are one of the most popular herbs used and grown today. Chives are easy to grow and produce over a long season. They are most commonly used in salads and in potato dishes, as well as a garnish and in sauces. 3.) Dill has delicate, feathery leaves and strong-scented seeds. Its flat yellow flowers make a great border in any flower garden. Dill is often used with fish, eggs, and tomatoes, as well as in pickling. 4.) Rosemary likes drier and sunnier locations and is a hardy perennial in Hampton Roads. The sweet flavor makes it a great choice with meat dishes, added to salad dressings, used on the grill and tasty in lemonade. Some top choices for Hampton Roads include Tuscan Blue, Arp and Barbeque, so named for its long stems which can be used for skewers when grilling to add flavor. 5.) Mint will grow in damp soil with part shade to full sun and is a favorite herb for beverages, cookies and more. Mint is a vigorous grower and is often grown in pots to keep it contained. It is traditional to use mint jelly with lamb and fresh mint with peas and new potatoes. 6.) Parsley can be used to enhance any savory dish. Although, many think of parsley as decorative, it actually has good flavor and lots of nutritional value. The fern-leafed plants also make a very attractive border. 7.) Sage comes in many different varieties; all are hardy shrubs that benefit from annual spring pruning. This herb is traditionally used in turkey stuffing, but is also popular with poultry and cheese. 8.) Lavender is widely grown in gardens and is most successful when grown in well drained soil. The fragrant, purple flowers can be used in dried flower arrangements and potpourris. As an edible, lavender can be used in honey, tea and even to cook. The chefs in Provence, France, have incorporated this herb either alone or as an ingredient of herbes de Provence for years. Lavender lends a floral and slightly sweet flavor to most dishes, and pairs beautifully with various sheep's and goat's milk cheeses. For Hampton Roads, the varieties Dutch, Provence and Grosso are some of the better performers. 9.) Cilantro is best grown in spring and fall. It is a great flavor enhancer and can be used in salsa, Mexican, Brazilian, Chinese and Thai foods.