In this second article on herb growing we are going to look at some of
the other benefits of cooking with fresh herbs and take a closer look
at two more easy to grow herbs. Not only do herbs add a subtle flavor
to particular dishes, but their value goes way beyond that. They
stimulate the appetite, improve the digestion and aid the preservation
of foods. Herbs contain volatile oils with antibacterial properties, as
well as essential vitamins, minerals and trace elements important for a
healthy diet.
Spices are the dried leaves, flowers, seeds, bark and roots of aromatic
plants not commonly grown in Europe. Once they were as precious as gold
- the Queen of Sheba brought spices as gifts to King Solomon - and the
trade in spices along the dangerous caravan routes from the Far East to
the Mediterranean brought wars and the collapse of whole empires in its
wake. In the East, spices performed the same role as herbs in the West
- that of flavoring indigenous foods.
Parsley
The most commonly used herb in European cookery, parsley is available
fresh all year round. Two types are offered - curly and flat-leaved
parsley, the latter said to have the better flavor but less suitable
for the obligatory sprigs that adorn any savory restaurant dish.
Parsley is a biennial herb, and spring-sown plants do not flower and
seed until the following summer. It is hardy enough to stand over
winter, though cloche protection can be advisable in areas with regular
snowfalls. Parsley thrives in rich, moist soil, preferably in light
shade. It is notoriously slow to germinate, often up to two months, but
once the seedlings are through they should be thinned to stand 23cm
apart.Seed sown in early spring and again in mid summer will ensure a
year round supply. Parsley can also be grown in window boxes and pots
on an indoor windowsill. The leaves can be dried (with some loss of
flavor) or frozen, chopped, in ice-cube trays, but it is hardly worth
the trouble as parsley is available fresh at all times.
Apart from its frequent use as garnish, parsley as a flavoring herb is
used as routinely as salt and pepper. It is always included in a
bouquet garni and in fines herbes. It goes into numerous sauces,
dressings and butters and is used to flavor soups, egg, salad and
vegetable dishes. Chopped it is sprinkled over salads and vegetables -
the French persillade is a refined version of scissored parsley and
consists of chopped parsley mixed with crushed garlic or finely chopped
shallot. It is added to a dish immediately before it is finished or
sprinkled on top at the point of serving.
Mint
Spearmint is the common garden and commercial mint. It is a hardy
perennial, spreading widely through underground runners, with upright
stems 1m tall, bearing mid green, sword-shaped leaves with a strong
spearmint scent. For culinary purposes, round-leaved mint, such as
apple mint, Bowles' mint and pineapple mint are preferable to spearmint.
Home-grown mint thrives in good, moist soil in light shade or sun. It
dies down in winter, but pieces of root can be potted up and forced
indoors for a year-round supply. Alternatively, dry the leaves (in a
cool oven) or freeze them.
Mint has been used since antiquity. It has been found in royal Egyptian
tombs, and according to Greek legend, the herb was named after the
nymph Minthe, a favorite of Hades, king of the underworld, whose wife
slew the nymph in jealousy.
Spearmint, and its use in mint sauce, was introduced by the Romans to
Britain where it has remained the most popular summer herb - used with
new potatoes, young peas and carrots, in refreshing mint juleps and
apple jellies, and in the ubiquitous mint sauce or jelly with lamb and
mutton. The French hardly ever use it, but in Spanish cookery, much
influenced by Arabic traditions, mint is used in stews and soups.
Mint predominates in all Middle Eastern cookery - it flavors soups and
sauces, omelettes and pulses and the ceremonial sweet mint
tea.
