Abundance of Herbs

The weather warmed and I started the planting. I put in tomatoes, cucumbers, watermelon, summer squash and the rest of the cauliflower and cabbage. The next day the temperature dropped like a rock, surprising even some of the TV weather people. Night temperatures went to the 30s. Well, that's the way it goes. It has been warming ever since and now we are almost to recording breaking temperatures. T0day it reached 93. On Friday we can expect a little rain. I am certainly glad I do not have to explain the weather for a living.

In the garden some things are in their infancy and others are producing. The first artichoke of the year arrived. This is an Italian type that does not get very big and is usually sliced very thin, almost shaved, and served, raw, as part of a salad.

Herbs

One of the great things about having a garden is the access to herbs. You may want just a couple of leaves, or a hefty handful, whatever you need is usually there. The conventional herbs are quite easy to grow here. (Zone 8B). Another nice thing about herbs is that the deer don't eat them.

You saw the largest of my rosemary plants in a previous photo. I have three, I don't really need that many for my kitchen. They are very common in this part of the country. Even people who don't cook have them in their yard as a landscaping plant. Of course there are chives in my garden. I love the chive flowers. Pull the blossom cluster apart and scatter them over the food and each bite has a bit of a surprise for the palate. Then there is thyme. I had been fine with ordinary thyme until Mrs. Bridges (Upstairs Downstairs) stuffed her chicken with Lemon Thyme. I thought that would be a treat, and it is. Now I am chasing an Orange Thyme which I hear could be good in stir-fries. I would like to try that and I think I have found a source for the plant.

Sage is a mainstay; I especially love it when it blooms and I can use the flowers. I like them in salads and on meat dishes if sage was used in the preparation. The intense blue flowers make a real statement. They say sage does well for bossy women.

I have French tarragon on and off. I don't use it as much as the other herbs.... I am just not that French in the kitchen. I frequently loose the plant during the winter. Apparently all tarragon originated in Siberia. With that sort of ancestry one would think it could hold on through a California winter.


The Lemon Grass has been lost and replaced several times but I think it is here to stay now. Having survived a couple of winters it finally got quite large and last winter when I would have expected it to succumb to the cold it did not. I found the frost had burned the outer leaves which then bent over and protected the inner leaves. I like to pull off one green blade at a time, drop it into some broth adding tofu or hard cooked egg, vegetables, or whatever fits the mood that day to create a delightful light luncheon soup.





Borage is another favorite. This is an ancient herb; it has probably survived this long because it reseeds itself so nicely. The bud is almost furry and then opens to the most delightful little blue star. Someone once said "a lot of flowers are edible, but not all should be eaten". Borage is one that really tastes good, kind of like cucumber. The leaves are edible, too, or so I read, but I haven't done much experimenting with them.

Parsley is almost always available in my garden. I don't have a special space for parsley; it is just out there, here and there. I planted a little 4 inch pot about eight years ago. Parsley is a biennial, meaning it lasts only two years. It develops and at the end of the time it blooms, produces seeds, the seeds scatter and we have more parsley. Since some seeds don't germinate the first year, there is no year without this herb. Of course this random planting doesn't create a patch. It is here and there. But there is always lots of it, both summer and winter.

I use the leaves and tender stems in a lot of dishes, including salads. I save the larger stems in the freezer and add them to the stock pot with other vegetable odds and ends. In the garden I use the cut and come again method. After I shear a plant it seems to be invigorated, growing even better and fuller. Parsley is a very nutritious herb and we really need to use more of it.

Recipe


This recipe is a little different. If you have relied on canned beets for years and you really hate them, maybe you will try raw beets and change your mind.

Salad of Beets, Parsley and Orange

4 cups julienned beets, raw
1/2 cup finely minced flat leaf parsley
1 navel orange
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/16 teaspoon finely ground pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

This will require one very large beet. Remove the top and the tail, then peel. Cut in half, top to bottom. Place flat side on cutting board and with a sharp knife, cut slices as close to 1/16 of an inch as you can manage. Stack the slices and cut into match sticks 1/16 of an inch wide. Take care that the sticks are not too long to fit on a fork.

Remove the orange zest and set aside. With a knife remove the rest of the peel including all the white. Cut the flesh into 1/2 inch dice. Save any juice.

In a bowl place the beets, finely minced parsley and any saved orange juice. Add the zest, salt, sugar and pepper. Stir until well mixed. Add the oil and balsamic vinegar. Taste for seasonings and adjust salt, sugar or pepper as needed.

Just before serving stir in the diced orange, saving a handful to dress the top, and any orange juice that may have accumulated.. Place in a serving bowl, or individual bowls and decorate the top with the reserved orange pieces.


TIP Raw beets are easily peeled with an ordinary vegetable peeler. If you have a mandoline or a food processor with the appropriate blade, either might speed up the julienne process.
If you have any of the special, aged, balsamic vinegar, this might be the place to use it.
Olive oil is called for in this recipe but if you prefer another feel free to use it

~~~~~~~~~

P.S. I visited with the grandkids this weekend and on my way home I drove through the Valley of the Moon. I mentally checked the grape vines; they all seem to be doing fine. But I was really struck by the California poppy. They are more abundant than usual and quite intense in color.

This is a congratulations to the grounds manager who is using a wild flower to great advantage.