The Herb Garden

The Bay tree is an evergreen shrub or small tree with large aromatic dark-green glossy leaves. To restrict its growth (unless you wish to end up with a tall tree in your garden) its roots are best contained by planting in a suitable sized pot.

In the Kitchen - Pick fresh leaves, rinse and add to sauces, soups and other dishes. Bay leaves are traditionally used in dishes requiring long cooking times so that the flavour from the leaves can diffuse into the dish, and the leaves are then removed before serving.

Commonly used in European recipes especially in the Mediterranean and in North America for soups, stews, meat, seafood and vegetable dishes, and in Indian cuisine. The leaves are also used to flavour classic French dishes such as bouillabaisse and bouillon.

The leaves are generally used whole and removed before serving, but dried leaves can be crushed or ground before cooking to impart more of their desired taste.

Plant Care - Does well in full sun, water sparingly in winter and never allow to dry out.

The Borage also known the starflower is a hardy annual herb with bright blue flowers loved by bees. 1ft to 3ft (30cm to 1m) tall and a spread of up to 1ft (30cm). This attractive plant is equally suitable for the flower border or herb garden.

In the Kitchen - Fresh flowers are used to decorate salads and iced drinks, crystallised for cake decorations. Pull on the centre of the flower and it easily comes away from the seed pod. The leaves have a cucumber flavour.

Plant Care - Water well until established. For potpourri pick flowers for drying in fine weather.

The Common Garden Dandelion is considered by most gardeners as a nuisance weed, it grows just about anywhere with no encouragement, spreads fast and far with its seeds that drift in the wind and it is difficult to get rid of with its long tap root, up to 1ft (30 cm), which unless you dig up the whole root will regrow; so no photo from our garden to show here, instead a photo of our lawn, dandelion free!

However, since before mediaeval times the Dandelion has been known for its medicinal (contains luteolin, an antioxidant) and culinary uses.

Plant Care - A Weed?

In the Kitchen -

* Young leaves can be added to salads (often blanched first to reduce the bitterness).

* Leaves (young or older) can be made into a refreshing drink by soaking in boil water for several minutes and draining-off, just like for feverfew (above).

* Flowers can be used to make wine, and

* The roots can be boiled as a vegetable, or roasted and ground up to make a caffeine-free coffee substitute.

The Fennel with feathery foliage (leaves pinnate with thread like leaflets) growing up to 2 m (6 ft) tall is a very graceful plant that adds colour to any herb garden or perennial border.

In the Kitchen - Leaves, fresh or dried, are used in fish dishes and the seeds may be used in soups, bread or cakes. Leaves and thick stems can also be used in the same way as celery, and the flowers of the Bronze Fennel can be added to Salads.

Plant Care - Plant in well drained soil in a sheltered sunny position and water well until established.

The medicinal properties of Feverfew have been known for thousands of years. Feverfew is purported to help lower fevers and ease headaches and is therefore considered an ideal natural remedy for colds and flu. Although not a cure it is meant to help to ease the discomforts, but it should not be taken in excess or if pregnant and eating fresh leaves can cause mouth ulcers. An easy way to prepare feverfew as a drink to ease a headache or the symptoms of a cold pour boiling water onto a few leaves and leave to soak for 15 minutes before drinking. Feverfew is bitter so adding honey to sweeten has been a common practice since before medieval times.

Pictured is Golden Feverfew, which may not have the medicinal properties of the species?

Plant Care - An easy to grow perennial bearing small white daisy flowers in summer with a strongly aromatic foliage and a bright golden hue for most of the year. Position the plant in well drained soil in full sun and water well until established, and remove faded flowers to prevent self-seeding.

Lemon Balm is a bushy vigorous growing perennial herb in the mint family Lamiaceae. Like other mints it can be invasive in gardens and therefore should be well contained. Lemon Balm growing from 1 ft to about 2.5 ft (30 cm - 75 cm) is native to southern Europe and the Mediterranean region. Its leaves, strong lemon-scented, are toothed ovate and rough textured.

In the Kitchen - Fresh leaves add lemon flavour to a wide variety of hot and cold dishes and drinks e.g. salads, soups, sauces, deserts, soft drinks and liqueurs etc.

Pot Marigolds are traditionally known for their companion properties in the vegetable garden due to the aromatic oils they contain acting as an excellent insect-repellent which discourages whitefly.

However, although most marigolds are not edible petals of the Pot Marigold if picked fresh makes an excellent edible decoration to any salad.

Most Marjoram's are hardy perennials growing up to 2 ft (60 cm) high with a similar spread. Leaves and stems can be used to flavour a wide variety of dishes including Mediterranean and vegetable dishes. Caution, Marjoram should not be given to pregnant women in medicinal doses due to its uterine stimulants.

Mints come in many flavours from the strong tasting and vigorous growing mints such as peppermint, spearmint etc. to the milder and less vigorous (variegated) plants like lemon mint and apple mint. They all have one thing in common, their roots are invasive so if they are not contained they will quickly spread to other parts of the garden where they are not wanted.

In The Kitchen - Add a few leaves of mint to the saucepan when boiling potatoes. Black Peppermint can also be used to add flavour to sweets, cakes, summer drinks and used to make tea. Lemon Mint can be used for refreshing teas and vinegars, and may be added to fruit salads, summer drinks and jellies.

Although Parsley is a biennial because the leaves become coarsen in the second year this plant is usually grown as an annual.

In the Kitchen - Salad dressing and as garnish in many cold and cooked dishes e.g. sprinkle a few sprigs of parsley on almost any prepared dish just before serving.

Rosmarinus, native to the Mediterranean regions, is a small woody perennial herb with fragrant evergreen needle-like leaves.

Rosemary has many medicinal properties including use as an anti-depressive. However, using such herbs for medicinal purposes should be done so only after seeking medical advice from your doctor.

The Sage, an evergreen shrubby perennial comes in many varieties, has a height of 2 ft (60 cm) and spread of up to 3 ft (90 cm), and makes an attractive addition to any garden border, patio container, flower bed or herb garden. This picture shows three varieties of Sage including Sage Icterina and Purple Sage.

In the Kitchen - Leaves are used for flavouring in stuffing and many other dishes such as cheese recipes and fatty meat dishes like sausages and pork etc.

Plant Care - The Sage Icterina (Salvia Officinalis Icterina) needs a warm and sunny site in well drained soil. The Purple Sage will thrive in any well drained soil but prefers a sunny sheltered position.

The Sunflower is an annual that can grow to 10 ft (3M) with very large flower heads (often the size of dinner plates). As well as an attractive feature in the garden that attracts bees the sunflower is popular the world over for its edible seeds for bird seeds, animal feed and human food.

In the Kitchen - Seeds collected in the autumn, when ripe are rich in vitamin E with antioxidant properties, and high in polyunsaturates, linoleic acid (needed for maintenance of cell membranes) etc. The seeds can be eaten fresh or roasted and used in salads or bakery products e.g. bread products.

Plant Care - Likes full sun.

If you have time on your hands why not try your hands at growing and using some of these herbs.

Thyme is a hardy evergreen perennial. The varieties of Thyme pictured here grow from about 5 to 10 inches (12 cm to 25 cm) high with a spread of about 18 inches (45 cm).

Thyme can be used in cooking and medicinally as a tea makes an excellent remedy for sore throats and hangovers. To make a herb tea pour boiling water onto the leaves and leave for 15 minutes before draining off the resulting liquid and drinking. The heat can be maintained while the leaves are in soak by placing a saucer over the cup.

Do not take thyme medicinally when pregnant.

In the Kitchen - The pleasantly aromatic leaves are used as flavouring in savoury meat, soup and stew dishes and are often used as a primary flavour with lamb, tomatoes and eggs.

Plant Care - Any well drained soil in full sun, water well and keep moist until established

Making Herbal tea is a simple process of: -

* Collecting a small handful (often just a few leaves) of soft leaves from plants that are not toxic (poisonous) to humans e.g. herbs.

* Placing the leaves in a container e.g. tea pot, adding boiling water and covering the pot for a few minutes to allow the flavour and goodness to infuse from the leaves to the water.

* Straining the leaves and drinking an enjoyable hot refreshing cup of herbal tea.

The length to infuse the drink before straining the leaves will be dependant on type of herb used, age of leaf and personal taste. The longer the leaves are left to infuse the stronger the resulting flavour e.g. infuse the leaves for anything from two minutes to 15 minutes. Some herbs, such as Dandelion and feverfew are bitter so optionally (as in medieval times) honey may be added to sweeten the taste.

It can not be stressed strongly enough that many herbs have medicinal properties which may react with medicines, be harmful if taken in excess or if pregnant etc. If in doubt seek proper medical advice before using herbs.

The stinging nettle is a herbaceous plant native to Europe, Asia, northern Africa and North America. And like the Dandelion is another common weed unwanted in most cultivated gardens

(A picture of an English Cottage Garden flower border void of nettles, as none grown in this garden, although nettles are plentiful in the wild).

However, if you have the compulsion to pick the young leaves e.g. by wearing gloves and protective clothing to protect yourself from the sting then the stinging nettles have many uses. The process of cooking, crushing or chopping disables the stinging hairs on the nettle's leaves.

The nettle is used by many different cultures, and has been used as far back as ancient Greece, for a wide variety of purposes in herbal medicine and cooking. Stinging nettle leaves are high in nutrients, and the leaves can be mixed with other ingredients to create a soup rich in calcium and iron.

Historically, nettle soup was a good source of nutrients for people who lacked meat or fruit in their diets. The young leaves are edible and make a very good pot-herb. The nettle's leaves and flowers when dried can also be used to make a herbal tea.

However, because stinging nettles often grow in nitrogen-rich ground it often contains high concentrations of nitrates which can be converted in the digestive tract to carcinogenic nitrosamines and therefore should not be used for baby food.

Be Nice to Nettles
Take a look at the stinging nettle, its value to wildlife and its role in society, past and present