Karen Szymanowski

Let's talk a little about herbs this time. Garden centers at all the stores will have their plants in, now that the weather is warm.

Several years ago I purchased an oregano plant and a basil plant. Herbs had always scared me a little. I'd always thought of herbs as such a huge, vast, unlearnable subject. There were so many, and each one did something so different. All the leaves looked so different — how could I ever learn all that? I'd only used the dried varieties bought at the grocery store in the little plastic jars, and I only used them when a recipe called for them.

But I did know what to do with basil and oregano — spaghetti sauce. Well, that's a start, but there is so much more! I planted my little plants in a terra cotta pot and set them out on my porch, just off my kitchen.

The next time I made my spaghetti sauce I went out onto my porch and cut some leaves off my herb plants, chopped them up and put them into my sauce. Wow! What a difference! There is just no way to compare the difference in the taste between the dried and fresh herbs!

So I ran right down to the garden center and bought more. I bought rosemary, thyme, marjoram and chives. I also bought cilantro and a mint or two. I didn't know that cilantro and mint were considered herbs, but the plants were in the same place as the other herbs — so I figured, they must be herbs. I put fresh herbs in everything I made that summer.

Sometimes I made mistakes. (It's not always true that if a little is good, a lot must be great). Fresh herbs have a much stronger flavor than dried herbs — I learned that the hard way. I mixed the wrong herbs together. For example, cilantro (lovely in Mexican dishes) doesn't mix well with the more mild herbs. I did this in a potato salad. I put bits of every herb I had planted in that potato salad once — only once! The cilantro over powered everything and was a very alien flavor in potato salad. Not my best!

As a matter of fact my sons voted that I not be the family maker of potato salad any longer. My daughter-in-law was voted into that position. Little do they know that you can't hurt my feelings by taking work away from me!

Every summer since then, I've planted herbs. I no longer plant them in terra cotta pots. I have dedicated a patch of ground at the bottom of my porch stairs just outside my kitchen door. It is so much fun to walk out the kitchen door and go to my little kitchen herb garden — just like in the books. The spot gets strong morning sun and afternoon shade. I've experienced that too much strong sun makes herbs a little woody and the flavor is a little bitter.

Also, when a plant is planted in a pot it's imperative that they be watered often. When it's planted in the ground that need is lessened considerably. And, I'm all about not giving myself too much work.

Another wonderful benefit of my herb garden being just outside my kitchen door is the fragrance of the herbs. All summer long they fill the air with lovely, inviting fragrances. People who come into my home will stop in that area and ask, "What smells so good?" Isn't that a fabulous compliment?

There are so many things out there that we don't think of as being herbs. Chamo-mile, lavender, curry, dill, sage, parsley, chives and, like I said, mint are all considered herbs. Within some of these there are little divisions. There are several types of lavender. There's even one of them that is hardy for our latitude, Zone 4. Lavender is one of my favorite scents. The lavender scent is also known for its soothing, relaxing qualities. You can cook with lavender — mostly sweet, dessert items. I've had custards and candies flavored with lavender. Lavender is a very unique flavor — delicate and mild — and might not appeal to everyone. It's a girl flavor.

There are also many different types of sage. There's the just plain green sage, there's a variegated sage, a purple sage and a pineapple sage. This pineapple sage smells just pineapple when you rub a leaf between your fingers. Sage is mostly used in chicken or pork dishes. I don't care for the flavor of sage, so I don't cook with it. But I plant it anyway because it is a beautiful plant. Sage is hardy in Zone 4, so you won't have to plant it every year. Many people plant sage in among other plants (either in pots or in the ground). It's rather dull tear-drop-shaped leaves add a distinct variation of color and texture to a grouping of plants.

There are so many different types of mints that one could have a garden dedicated entirely to mints. There is, of course, spearmint and peppermint. There is also an orange mint, a chocolate mint, a lemon mint and cat mint (different from catnip). I don't think cat mint is meant to be eaten by humans, but it is a beautiful plant that has little purple flowers on it all summer long, and it's hardy in Zone 4!

Mint is great in iced tea, of course. You could use fresh mint in other things (mostly dessert items) that call for mint, too. I've not done this because often the chopped green chunks might not be desirable. Most of these recipes would call for mint oil, getting the flavor without the green chunks. One of my goals this summer is to figure out how to extract oil from the herbs. I know this is a possibility, I just don't how to do it yet.

We've all smelled curry in Indian cooking, right? The curry plant is not always found in the garden centers around here. Some years I find it, and then some years I don't. If I do find it, I always buy a plant or two. Curry has a long, thin, silvery green leaf. Whenever it's touched (even just brushed) it emits this wonderfully pungent curry odor. Sometimes it emits its perfumes just for the heck of it! This is not the type of curry we buy at the store and cook in Indian dishes, but it smells just like it. I don't want or use it for that, I want it for its fragrance and for the unique color and texture it adds to my garden or potted groupings.

Of all these herbs, basil is my favorite. Basil's flavor is mild and fits well with most any of the types of food we eat here in Southern Minnesota (Scandinavian-type foods). There are different types of basil, too. The most commonly used basil is a "sweet basil." There are also "spicy basils." Spicy basils will usually have a purplish stock and stems.
Most all of your herbs will bloom. Basil will get tiny white flowers, lavender will get spikes of little purple flowers, and chives will get a small ball of purple (looks a little like a purple clover). Different herbs get different blooms. The flowers are edible, too. Most of the time the flowers have a stronger flavor than the leaves. I like to sprinkle the flowers on salads along with sunflower seeds and croutons. So pretty!

Karen Szymanowski enjoys gardening at her home in Albert Lea.