Herbs - Chamomile German, Cilantro, Cumin, Fernleaf Dill, Lemon Balm, Sage & Summer Savory

Herbs

 Sage

    

·        Sage is a shrubby sprawling gray-green perennial herb.

·        When growing sage in your herb garden, plant it near the back or as a border, as it can grow up to approximately 2 feet tall.

·        Sage leaves are used as an herb for its culinary flavoring, aromatic scent, and health-giving properties.

·        Growing sage will provide not only a pretty plant that lends color and texture to your herb garden, but that is also useful in attracting important pollinators (primarily bees) to your garden.  

·        In the kitchen, the sage herb is used primarily to enhance the flavor of meats and cheeses. It has a very strong flavor that can be overpowering, if used in excess.

·        Sage is very slow to establish itself, so be prepared for a wait if you grow it from seed. When established however, common sage is reasonably hardy and tolerant of almost all conditions as long as it receives a regular dose of full sun.

·        It is well suited to growing in containers and will grow indoors if given sufficient light.

·        There are several varieties of sage with different colored flowers and even variegated leaves (some fine for kitchen use), although none are as hardy as the common sage.

·        Where To Grow Sage: Sage will grow almost anywhere as long as it is in full sun for a good part of the day. The best soil is a well-dug medium one, with a handful or two of bone meal worked in twice during the summer. What sage does not like is soil that is moist all the time - it is a native of Mediterranean areas.

·        Propagating Sage: Sage plants can be planted straight outside. This is the quickest and most reliable way to start growing sage.

·        Make sure that a 3ft rod is in place near the main stem - the plant can be tied to it as it grows. Sage can stand by itself most of the time, but the odd strong wind may snap the brittle woody stem. You should be able to pick a few leaves in July time if planted in the spring.

·        Sage loses some of its strength after three or four years, so it is necessary to take cuttings in spring (2” long) to replace the plant the next year.

·        Care of Sage: After the flowers die down, prune the plant to about half its size. Other than that, leave it to fend for itself.

·        A word of caution:  In dry spells, resist the temptation to water, sage prefers dry sunny conditions.

·        Harvesting Sage:  Simply cut off the leaves with scissors or pinch off with your fingers as and when required. One plant should be sufficient for the kitchen needs of most households. Sage is best used fresh, although leaves frozen in a plastic bag are an excellent alternative. Dried sage lasts almost indefinitely if stored in an airtight bottle in a dry place out of sunlight.

·        Container Growing Sage: Simplicity itself - use potting compost (remember to put a good layer of stones at the bottom for drainage) and keep the plant on the dry side throughout its life. A feed every month with general purpose liquid plant food will be enough. Prune as described above.

·        Sage can be grown indoors as long as it is placed on a sunny windowsill - it will stand direct sunlight with no problems.

·        Recommended Sage Varieties: Choosing a variety of sage is a matter of personal taste. However, for starters, shown below are a few tried and trusted varieties:

·        Sage Salvia officinalis Icterina - variegated leaves and lilac blue flowers as well as being ideal as the traditional herb sage.

·        Purple Sage Salvia officinalis Purpurascens - great for use as the traditional sage herb, but also with purple foliage.

·        Sage Salvia officinalis - as the Latin name implies, this is the original sage used for centuries to flavor stuffing, meats and even make sage tea.

Summer Savory

·        Summer savory is a tender annual that grows up to 18 inches tall. It has small bronze-green leaves and very small white or lavender flowers. The leaves are pungent and spicy.

·        Summer savory is popular as a condiment with meats and vegetables and is generally considered sweeter than winter savory.

·        Prefers full sun and average soil.

·        Thin to 10 inches apart in rows 16-18 inches apart.

·        Successive sowings may be made in the spring until mid-summer.

·        Summer savory germinates quickly, and often self-seeds.

·        Cut as soon as the plants get about 6 inches tall and before flowering.

·        Hang in bundles upside down in an airy place.

·        When dry, remove leaves from the stems.

·        Store in airtight containers.

·        Summer savory helps beans grow better. It also helps onions grow when planted in a border around them.

·        If plants start to lean over, mound soil up around the base.

·        Aromatic, culinary, decorative, and medicinal.

·        Dried plants are used to scent potpourris.

·        Fresh or dried leaves flavor vinegars, herb butters, bean dishes, creamy soups, and tea.

·        Summer savory can be grown in containers.

·        It is said to have some medicinal qualities.

Fernleaf Dill

·        In addition to providing aromatic seeds and foliage, dill will brighten your garden with its yellow-green flowers in spring and fall.

·        Typical dill grows to a height of 2 to 4 feet but Fernleaf dill is more compact, growing only 18 to 24 inches tall.

·        It is a warm-season annual, but really loves mild weather–not too hot, not too cold.

·        With its slender stem and delicate leaves, it makes a good mid- to back-of-the-border addition to your garden.

·        Plant dill in a spot where it can easily reseed.

·        Dill likes direct sun and rich, well-drained soil with a PH between 5.5 and 6.5.

·        Use organic matter to enrich the soil before planting.

·        This plant likes mild weather and is best in the spring and again in fall.

·        You may set out transplants following the last spring frost and then plant again 2 months prior to the first winter frost.

·        Be sure to keep plants watered in dry weather.

·        Plants may need staking when in bloom to keep the tall flower stems from falling over.

·        You can keep plants cut to delay flowering, or harvest the whole plant as soon as the dill flowers.

·        The first winter frost will kill dill planted in the fall. However, if it had time to go to seed, the fallen seed may produce new plants in the spring.

·        Dill seed is a pungent ingredient found in salad dressings, pickles, sauerkraut, and even breads. Enjoy the leaves at their peak when they are fresh, finely chopping for best flavor.

·        Dill can be also a handy salt substitute for people on low-sodium diets.

·        You can dry the leaves, but add them to dishes in greater quantity, as they are less flavorful than fresh leaves.

·        Dill leaves may also be preserved in oil, butter, or vinegar for pickles or frozen in water or stock.

·        Plant dill far from fennel, since the cross-pollination of these herbs produces variable results.

·        Dill, like parsley and fennel, draws the parsley worm caterpillar, which is the larva of the black swallowtail butterfly. Plant enough to feed yourself and the caterpillars.

·        Harvest dill foliage at any point between seedling and blooming stages. You may harvest the entire dill plant, preserving the foliage, as soon as the plant starts to flower and set seed.

·        You can freeze leaves by snipping off an entire branch, putting it in a plastic bag, and storing it in the freezer.

·        The flowers last a few days in a vase, too, if you’d like to display them, but be prepared to dust under them as they shatter.

·        Harvest dill seeds as soon as they turn brown, before they fall to the ground. Snip the flower head from the stalk, then, in a warm, dry area, hang them upside-down in a paper bag.

·        Once the seeds have dried and fallen into the bag, collect them for storage in an airtight container.

Cumin – Cuminum Cyminum

 

·        The bright white or pink flowers bloom in June/July and are followed by aromatic seeds.

·        Ideal for hot dry areas where little else grows.

·        An annual plant with fine feathery foliage.

·        Lower leaves have long leaf stalks but they tend to become shorter and shorter as they rise up the stem. Leaves range from 2-4 inches in length and are dark green to blue green in color and tend to turn back at the ends.

·        The stems arise in mid spring and begin to branch almost at ground level, these can grow from 6-14 inches tall and in June and July the flowers appear. These are small white or pink and carried small stalked compound umbels with only four to six rays, each of which are only about 1/3 inch long.

·        The seeds are just over ¼ inch long oblong in shape with a slightly thicker middle section and compressed tips and have a very distinctive odor and taste.

·        Cumin likes a hot climate but it will grow in more northern climates as long as there is enough heat and sunshine. However it needs quite a while to develop so for higher zone (5 and above) it is recommended that the seed be started indoors in late winter and grown to larger plants for transplanting out when the temperatures become warm enough.

·        Indoor seeding needs to be done in a warm environment and seedlings will need to be kept warm. It can take up to two weeks for cumin seeds to germinate at around 68°F.

·        It normally takes four months to develop the plant enough to create good seed, so don't plant directly outside unless there is enough time for the plant to develop.

·        Cumin plants tend to bend over as they seeds develop so planting them in clumps rather than rows ensures that the plants can support each other and not all turn into the ground.

·        It prefers sandy soil but will grow in most soil types but they must be well drained.

·        It needs a sunny position that will receive as much sunshine as possible.

·        It needs little water once established and is very drought tolerant

·        In cooler locations adding a sheet of glass over the area to focus more heat or using a cold frame can be helpful, since the plants don't grow very tall they can usually be contained in a small frame.

·        Plants do not produce a great number of seeds each and it will take many plant to produce enough for most culinary endeavors.
Plant in clumps rather than rows so plants can support each other and heads will not bend over and touch the ground getting the seeds dirty.

·        Cumin is an excellent companion for everything in the cabbage family as well as beets, cucumbers and potatoes.

·        Seed pods turn brown when they are ripe. Once dry they will spill their seeds onto the ground so a careful watch is needed to time harvesting when the pods are just brown but before they have split open.

·        Not all the seeds are going to ripen at the same time so you have a choice of harvesting the ripe brown seeds by snipping them off with scissors or floral snips and leaving the rest to ripen or judging when the most seed has ripened and harvesting the whole plant and drying some of the seed yourself.

·        Very green seed will not ripen well once picked.

·        If harvesting the whole plant cut stems near the ground and immediately turn upside down in harvesting container to ensure no seed is lost.

·        Stems should be cut close to the ground.

·        Once harvested the stems can be bunched together and placed in paper bags seed heads down then hung up to dry the remaining seeds which can then fall into the bag.

·        Seed can also be dried on a rack or dehydrator if desired.

Cilantro – Coriandrum Satinum

·        Coriander looks like flat-leaved parsley.

·        The seed is sold both whole and ground and is the main ingredient in curry powder.

·        It has a sweet taste reminiscent of orange peel.

·        The plant grows to a height of 2 feet with a spread of 9 inches.

·        The bright, green leaves are fan shaped and become more feathery towards the top of the plant.

·        The flowers, which bloom from mid- to late summer, are small and white, formed in umbel-like clusters.

·        The pale brown roots are fibrous and tapering, shaped like a carrot.

·        Coriander will not grow well in humid climates.

·        It needs a dry summer and a sunny location.

·        Seeds are sown directly in the garden once all danger of frost has passed.

·        It also does well as a container plant on a sunny porch or balcony.

·        Stems are weak and the plant may require staking.

·        Cut the leaves as required. They do not dry well, but may be frozen.

·        Coriander is used to treat digestive ailments and colic.

·        Coriander is used widely in Indian, Greek and Asian cooking.

·        Height: 24"

Chamomile German – Matricaria Recutita

 

·        Chamomile, sometimes called Roman chamomile, is a low-growing 4 to 6-inch tall perennial.

·        German chamomile is a tall, erect, 3-foot annual.

·        Both chamomiles are members of the composite (daisy) family and the flowers of both are brewed for chamomile teas. The flavor is the same.

·        Set out started plants from a garden center or catalog supplier in the spring, or sow seeds in the spring or fall.

·        Freezing and thawing seem to improve germination, so planting when the weather is still cold doesn't pose a problem.

·        For German chamomile, 1 to 2 plants are probably plenty.

·        Both Roman and German chamomiles prefer a full-sun location (8 to 10 hours will suffice) that has dry soil.

·        Grow German chamomile in any open sunny spot in the garden.

·        Be aware that after it is started, German chamomile will reseed easily and may become a nuisance.

·        These plants need water only in a severe drought, otherwise they withstand dry weather well.

·        Harvest the flowers when the florets begin to reflex (bend back).

·        Remove the flowers from the stems because the stems will cause the flavors of the tea to be bitter.

·        Air-dry the blooms on a screen tray and store them in tightly sealed glass jars.

·        Over the years, people have credited soothing, refreshing chamomile teas with all kinds of medicinal cures for things such as digestion, upset stomach and nightmares.

·        You'll need several flowers to brew the tea; the number will depend upon your taste.

Lemon Balm – Melissa Officinalis

·        A hardy perennial that grows into a bush about 24 inches round.

·        Lemon Balm belongs to the mint family and looks very similar, with light green, ridged leaves.

·        Lemon balm is an easy to care for herb that grows similar to mint.

·        It likes some shade during the hot part of the day or it will wilt slightly.

·        Very drought tolerant.

·        It prefers a loose, fairly fertile soil.

·        Proliferate.

·        It can be harvested within 2-3 inches from the base of the plant each time and it comes back with vigor.

·        Transplant outdoors after all danger of frost.

·        Once they are established they are perfectly hardy into USDA zone 4.
Outdoors, this plant will grow 24” tall with deep green, heart-shaped leaves with the square stems common to other members of the mint family.

·        The small white flowers will attract bees and other pollinators.

·        Harvest the leaves just before the flowers start to form and you’ll find the lemon fragrance to be quite strong.

·        You can use them just about anywhere you want a lemon taste.

·        Right after the flowers form, you’ll find the plant will start to look really ugly, stretched out and the leaves will begin to look ratty.

·        Shear the plant back by half (cut a 24” plant back to 12”) and it will produce fresh, new leaves for harvest.

·        Obtain more lemon balm by dividing the plants in spring or fall, taking tender tip cuttings and rooting them or by allowing the plant to self-sow (you have to let the flowers mature and set seed to do this).

·        If you have an exposed garden, one that gets quite cold, you might want to consider cutting back the plant after hard frosts and mulching it.