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Culture
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Uses
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Characteristics
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Harvest
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ANISE
Pimpinella anisum |
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seed; use fresh seed; likes sun; space 15-20 cm (6-8 inches) apart
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green leaves and seeds in salads; meats; bakery goods; tastes somewhat
like licorice
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annual; slow-growing; whitish flowers in flat clusters; finely cut lobed
leaves; 60 cm (2 feet) tall
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use leaves fresh; harvest seeds when ripe, dry, remove from stems and
store
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BASIL, Sweet
Ocimum basilicum |
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seed; sow after ground is warm in spring; plant late; needs water and
warmth, sun and shelter; 30 cm (12 inches) apart; pinch out tops of
branches to
prevent bloom -- this produces more leaves |
border plant for garden, or in pots for patios; chopped leaves fresh or
dry have clove-like flavour and taste; seasoning for vegetables and meat
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annual; deep-green leaves; white blooms; many varieties available
including small leaf (bush) and purple types; 30-90 cm (12-36 inches) high
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cut stalks back to 10-15 cm (4-6 inches) anytime in the growing season;
can be
frozen; strip leaves from stems and screen dry
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BAY LAUREL
Laurus nobilis |
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seed or stem cuttings (slow and difficult to establish); best to buy
established plants; full or diffused sun; grow in containers;
well-draining,
rich soil; space 30-90 cm (1-3 feet) depending on size
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fresh or dried leaves in soups, stews, fines herbes blends
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tree or shrub; tender perennial; deep green, shiny, leathery leaves;
grows up to 6 m (20 feet) in southern climates; can be keep small and
bushy at under 1 m (3 feet)
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pick mature leaves; use fresh or screen dry; store whole
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BORAGE
Borago officinalis |
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seed; sow early spring; will self-sow; needs dry, sunny place; space
30-45 cm (12-18
inches) apart
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young leaves have cucumber flavour; use them in salads and cold soups; use
fresh leaves in eggs; fresh flowers in fruit drinks and candied for
dessert garnish
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bushy plant; coarse leaves; annual; grows 60-90 cm (2-3 feet) high; blue
flowers
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pick blossoms as they open; pick leaves fresh
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BURNET, Salad
Poterium sanguisorba |
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seed; full sun; dry, sandy
soil; space 30 cm (12 inches) apart
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fresh leaves have mild cucumber flavour;
for salads, soups, dressings, spreads and vinegars
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hardy perennial; 45 cm (18 inches) high
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pick leaves as needed; remove flower stalks as they appear
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CARAWAY
Carum carvi |
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seed; sow spring or fall; full sun, light soil; seeds produced second
year; space 30-45 cm (12-18 inches) apart
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seeds used to flavour bread, pastry, meat, soups, sauces, confections
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biennial; feathery foliage; creamy flowers; resembles carrot; 60 cm (2
feet) tall
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dry seed heads; harvest seeds in autumn of second year
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CHERVIL
Anthriscus cerefolium |
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seed; sow spring or fall; partial shade; rich organic soil; 45 cm (18
inches) apart
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leaves fresh or dried used as garnish for fish, in soups, omelettes; mix
with salad greens
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annual; goes to seed in June; leaves are parsley-like, ferny; 30-60 cm
(12-24 inches) high
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leaves best used fresh; freezing is the best way to preserve
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CHIVES
Allium schoenoprasum |
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division or seed; rich, moist soil; plant same as onions; divide
clumps and pot for indoor
use during winter
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clumps and blooms decorative in gardens; leaves used fresh or dried in
salads and as seasonings; has onion flavour
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perennial; can be used the first season; resembles fine-leaved
onions; grows in clumps; violet edible flowers
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leaves best used fresh; holds flavour better frozen than dried; for drying
cut into small pieces and screen dry
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CORIANDER (Cilantro)
Coriandrum sativum |
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seed; start in spring; do not transplant; for cilantro leaf production,
repeat
sowings; space 10 cm (4 inches) apart; full sun, light soil
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seeds for spices in baking, dressings; tastes and smells like orange
leaves in stuffings, curries; fresh leaves essential in Chinese
and Southeast Asian dishes, and in Mexican salsas
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annual; grows 60 cm (2 feet) tall
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harvest seeds when and before shattering; flavour develops
upon drying; leaves harvested before flowering, used fresh as cilantro
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DILL
Anethum graveolens |
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seed; repeat sowings for summer long supply; sow early; needs rich soil;
space 25 cm (10 inches) apart
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leaves for salads; fresh leaves and seed stalks for dill pickles; after
drying use to season meats, fish, vegetables
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annual; 60-90 cm (2-3 feet) tall; feathery foliage; rampant grower
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leaves are best just as flowers open; harvest seeds as soon as ripe, cut
off whole plant and hang to dry
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FENNEL
Foeniculum vulgare |
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seed; best sown directly in garden; full sun; rich soil; space 45 cm (18
inches) apart
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all parts of leaves, stems and seeds aromatic; used for fish seasonings
and sauces; ornamental background plants for garden
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annual; tall, rampant, branching; thread-like foliage to 1 m (3 feet)
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flower stalks harvested just before bloom; can be eaten like celery;
leaves best fresh; dried seeds good for teas
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GARLIC
Allium sativum |
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cloves planted early spring or fall; grows in any good garden soil; full
sun; plant cloves 15 cm (6 inches) apart and 5 cm (2 inches) deep
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chopped cloves season meats, vegetable sauces; garlic salt obtained from
pulverized dried cloves
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flat, onion-like leaves to 60 cm (2 feet); prune flower stalk to increase
yield;
fall planting produces bigger cloves
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dig bulbs, dry whole; store in cool dry area
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LAVENDER, English
Lavandula angustifolia |
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seeds or cuttings; sun and poor soil for fragrance; needs protection or
take indoors if winters severe; space 60 cm (2 feet) apart
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fragrance; fresh and dried flowers; oil distilled from them; place
dried flowers in
small cloth bags for scenting closets; good border or hedge plants
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perennial; somewhat woody; 30-60 cm (12-24 inches); gray-green
leaves; many varieties available
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cut and dry whole flower spikes when flowers begin to open; do not use
excessive or prolonged heat when drying flowers since oils are
very volatile |
LOVAGE
Levisticum officinale |
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seed or division; full or part sun; sandy, fertile soil; space 1 m (3
feet) apart
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leaves have strong celery flavour; for salads, soups, dried herb blends
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hardy perennial; one plant enough; deep green leaves; white
flowers attract beneficial
insects; grows up to 2 m (6 feet)
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pick leaves as needed; use fresh, freeze, or screen dry; to dry, mince
leaves first
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MARJORAM, Sweet
Origanum majorana |
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seed, cuttings, crown division; sow early inside or in coldframe; shade
seedlings until established, then full sun; space 20-25 cm (8-10 inches);
can be
taken inside in winter as pot plant |
gray-green foliage ornamental for colour contrast; leaves used fresh or
dried as
seasoning for meat dishes; oil used in perfumes
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annual or tender perennial; velvety leaves; very fragrant; low-spreading
and bushy to 30 cm (12 inches) high
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cut stalks before flowering; hang to dry in small bunches or screen dry
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MINT
Spearmint Mentha spicata
Peppermint M.
x
piperita
Orange mint M. x piperita citrata |
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surface or underground rhizomes; thin beds and renew every 3-4 years; will
grow in semi-shade; rich, moist soil; space 45 cm (18 inches) apart
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fragrance for scent; crushed leaves flavour tea, candies, mint sauce; oil
from plant is source of menthol
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perennial; purple flowers; refreshing fragrance; spreads by
surface runners; plant in tubs to keep roots restricted; up to 90 cm (3
feet) tall
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pick leaves individually from plants; can be used fresh or dried; harvest
before flowering
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OREGANO
Origanum vulgare |
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seeds or division; grows well in poor soil; does well in containers and as
ground cover for banks; space 30-45 cm (12-18 inches) apart
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fresh or dried leaves as meat or vegetable seasoning; used in pizza
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perennial; soft, rounded leaves; grows in clumps 60 cm (2 feet) high
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cut stalks before flowering begins; hang to dry or dry on screens
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PARSLEY
Petroselinum crispum |
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seed; sow early inside, self sows; medium-rich soil; sun or part shade;
best started in coldframes; space 15-20 cm (6-8 inches); start new plants
each year
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decorative as an edging plant; rich in vitamins A and C; leaves best used
fresh; seasoning for soup, meats, salads
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biennial; finely curled leaves; flowers second year; 20 cm (8 inches)
high;
compact plant; flat leaf varieties have strongest flavour
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best used fresh; both leaves and roots keep flavour when dried or frozen;
first season of
growth is best for use
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ROSEMARY
Rosmarinus officinalis |
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stem cuttings; seed germinates slowly; overwinter in cool sunny spot in
house; keep foliage misted; doesn't like acid soil; needs full sun and
wind shelter; space 1 m (3 feet) apart
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use ornamentally as specimen pot plant; use leaves fresh or dried as food
seasoning, especially on poultry or lamb
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evergreen; narrow leaves; shrubby; not reliably hardy; leathery leaves
have pungent spicy fragrance; reaches 1-2 m (3-6 feet) in southern
climates
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cut leaves any time before flowering; don't use excessive or prolonged
heat when drying since oils are volatile; freezing is not recommended
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SAGE, Garden
Salvia officinalis |
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seed, stem cuttings; cut back in spring for new foliage;
needs well-drained soil; space 75 cm (30 inches) apart in sun
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leaves used dried or fresh as poultry dressing and stuffing, or as meat
seasoning
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gray, shrubby, perennial; blue flowers; woody; sprawly habit; to 45 cm (18
inches) tall
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cut leaves throughout growing season; strip
leaves, screen dry or hang in small bunches
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SAVORY, Summer
Satureja hortensis |
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seed; sow 30-40 seeds per metre (10-12 seeds per foot); do not thin;
medium-rich soil in sun;
make several sowings 3 weeks apart; space 15 cm (6 inches)
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suitable as a border hedge 8 inches high; leaves used fresh or dried as
seasoning in soups, egg dishes, sauces, especially with green beans
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annual; weak stems; mauve flowers; 40-45 cm (16-18 inches) high; leaves
pungent and
spicy
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cut stalks before flowering; hang to dry
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SORREL, Garden
Rumex acetosa |
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seed or division; full sun; rich soil; space 45 cm (18 inches) apart
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tart, acid flavour; for soups, salads, sauces; rich in vitamin A and C
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heart-shaped succulent leaves; hardy perennial; cut off flower stalks to
promote leaf growth; 30-60 cm (1-2 feet) tall
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young leaves best; use fresh only; cut back to 5-10 cm (2-4 inches)
throughout growing season -- will regrow; freezes well
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TARRAGON, French
Artemisia dracunculus sativa |
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division of root crowns; need cold period each year (roots frozen) for
continued growth; divide plants every 3 years; space 30 cm (12 inches)
apart
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fresh or dried leaves in sauces and seafood; ingredients of tartar sauce;
young leaves flavour vinegar, chicken dishes
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hardy perennial; doesn't set seed; grows to 60 cm (2 feet); much branched;
narrow,
twisted leaves
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leaves are best used fresh; some flavour is lost on
drying; can be frozen
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THYME
Thymus vulgaris |
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stem cuttings, division; sow seed early; well-drained, fertile soil; full
sun; space 25 cm (10 inches) apart; cut back each spring; mulch over
winter
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fragrant ground cover for rock garden; fresh or dried leaves usually
blended with other herbs
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perennial; shrubby, woody stems; low-growing, 15-20 cm (6-8 inches);
leaves highly
aromatic; can be potted and grown indoors in winter
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cut leafy tops before flowering; hang to dry or screen dry
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VERBENA, Lemon
Aloysia triphylla
(Lippia
citriodora)
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cuttings; tender woody shrub; take indoors in winter
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leaves for fragrance and to give lemon taste to beverages and jellies
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narrow, shiny leaves are lemon-scented; non-hardy perennial
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strip leaves individually from plant before blooms come out; dry on
screens
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