Herbs Herbs are a great addition to any garden because they add colour, fragrance and interesting foliage. Sweet Fennel This aromatic annual looks like Dill, the plant, not the pickle! It has a bulbous root, narrow stalks and fine leaves all of which have a liquorice flavour. It can be eaten fresh in salads or cooked with fish, soups or stews. If you plan to grow fennel and dill in the same garden, you should keep the plants from cross-pollinating or the flavours will combine.
Fennel needs full sun, average soil and water. It’s pretty easy to grow. Plant the seeds ¼ inch deep (1/2 cm) and 4 inches apart (10 cm). The plant should reach 4 feet high (1.3 m). Fennel will reseed itself but it’ll pick up the taste of dill if there is any growing nearby. The leaves and seeds can also be dried the same way as Savoury. Fennel is said to improve digestion, help reduce the appetite and gas, and in the past was used to calm fussy babies. Garlic Chives Garlic chives are a hardy perennial that can be started outdoors as soon as the ground is warm and dry enough to till. This plants looks like thick grass but each “blade” or leaf has a mild garlicky flavour that is best eaten raw in salads or cooked in soups and stews.
Chives like lots of sun but they will grow in semi-shade. They do well in any soil and will tolerate dry conditions. Plant the seeds ¼ inch deep (5 mm) and 1 inch apart (1½ cm). The blades can reach 1 foot high (30 cm) or more but will start to taste very hot. The plant will send up thicker blades with white flowers at the top. The bloom lasts well and looks nice mixed with other flowers for showing in August and September. If the flowers are left on the plant will reseed itself easily. You can dry chives easily and they keep a lot of their flavour. Dwarf Dill Dill is sometimes called Fern leaf. This annual herb is matures in 70 days. It has dark, blue-green leaves that look like carrot leaves. This is the herb most people think of when they flavour pickles. The narrow stems are dried and retain a lot of their taste. It’s blossoms and foliage are edible and best eaten fresh. The seeds are used in pickling. Dill isn’t fussy about soil type but it takes 14 days to germinate so it needs to have full sun. Sow dwarf dill seeds ¼ inch deep (.6 cm) and 1 inch apart (3 cm). Once they reach 1 inch in height (2 cm) thin out the weaker seedlings, leaving the rest 4 inches apart (10 cm). Dill is fragile and will not transplant well so put in more than you need because you will not be able to keep what you thin out. Dwarf dill will reach about 18 inches high (46 cm), one-third the height of regular dill. You can leave dill to reseed itself but the taste can be affected if fennel is growing nearby. Savoury Savoury is also called Summer Savoury because it matures in 60 days. This annual’s leaves can be eaten raw in salads or dried and used to flavour peas, beans, potatoes and meatloaf. For best taste it should be cut on a morning that is hot and dry. Savoury isn’t fussy about soil type but it likes full sun and regular watering. This herb grows up to 1 foot high (30 cm). You can save the seeds for use next year. Drying Herbs Each herb you wish to dry has its own flavour and aroma so you shouldn’t mix them to speed things up. Cut each herb at the height of its season and during the morning hours once all dew and moisture has evaporated off the leaves and/or flowers.
Cut small bunches of woody herbs and tie them together near the root end with twine or string. Hang the bunches upside down on a coat hanger in a cool, dry place where there is some ventilation or they will mildew and rot instead of drying. Fleshier herbs should be cut around the same time of day and just the leave and small stalks placed on an clean, dry screen. You can let the sun dry them out or put them in a low 120°F oven for a couple of hours, making sure they don’t cook or burn. You can also use a microwave oven to dry small bunches. Set the timer for 60 seconds at a time, being careful not to let the leaves burn. After 1 minute, carefully fluff the batch to release any steam before micro waving them 1 more minute if needed. Once your herbs have been dried, store them in an airtight jar or plastic bag for use all through the year.
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