Tangled Branches: Cultivated
happenings in and around my zone 6b gardens in northern Virginia and in central Virginia
Sunday, May 18, 2008
Basil: Holy and Otherwise
I love basil. In the kitchen, it gets along perfectly with all the summer vegetables, and is practically a requirement for sliced tomatoes. In the garden, most basils make attractive green backgrounds that complement other plants. And if solid green isn't your thing, you can get various shades of purple.
I thought I understood basil perfectly, but I always like to try new things. I went a little crazy this year and sowed seed of 14 different varieties - some new to me and some old favorites. One (Licorice) didn't germinate so now I'm left with 13. Bad luck? Should I plant another variety just to be safe?
The lucky 13, in no particular order:
Sweet Petra Dark
Osmin Purple
Thai (Chiltern)
Thai Open-pollinated (Kitazawa)
Langkuri Thai
New Guinea
Penang Lemon
Mrs. Burns Lemon
Lime (Nichols)
Mexican Cinnamon Spice
Sweet Genovese
Italian Large Leaf
Blue Spice
I transplanted the seedlings to cell packs a few weeks ago and they'd be happy to escape and get into the garden, but 1) the garden isn't quite ready, and 2) it's been too cold and rainy for basil to flourish in the garden anyway.
So, I whacked off the ones that were getting too tall for their cells, and created a Thai-inspired multi-basil stir fry dish from the trimmings. This was a last-minute concoction containing ingredients I had on hand, but I trawled the internet for ideas first and came across this fabulous-sounding recipe. That isn't what I made, but it set me off on an internet journey to learn more about holy basil. I hadn't paid much attention in the past to holy basil (Ocimum tenuiflorum or O. sanctum), believing it to be not commonly used in cooking.
But one of the basils I planted this year looks very different from the rest.
'Blue Spice' has a different leaf shape and is slightly hairy, most noticeably on the stems and flower buds. The catalog described it as having "a strong basil scent with vanilla overtones". Hmm, well, I would say it has a strong scent but not like anything that I associate with basil. The fragrance is sweet, but when I tasted a leaf, it was quite camphor-like. Could this be a relative of holy basil?
Gernot Katzer's Spice Pages mention a hybrid of an African species (Ocimum kilimandscharicum) with Ocimum basilicum - 'African Blue' - which sounds very similar to what I have. And the African species is supposed to be very camphorous. Further searching on 'Blue Spice' turned up this page from Richter's. They don't seem entirely certain, but state that 'Blue Spice' is "said to be a hybrid between purple basil and O. americanum". Going back to Gernot Katzer, we learn that O. americanum is a lemon-scented species. I didn't detect any lemon in either the scent or the taste, so I'm doubtful about that genealogy. Or perhaps what I have is not 'Blue Spice', but 'African Blue' instead? So I'm still confused - pretty sure that what I have is not holy basil, but also wondering if the taste of 'Blue Spice' is anywhere close to holy basil since now I know that holy basil is what I need to make authentic Pad Kra Prow (variously transliterated as Ka/Gra/Kra Prow/Prao/Pow, and others). I think I've just decided to grow a 14th variety this year, if I can find any holy basil plants. Or maybe it's not too late to start seeds.
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
A Good Day in the Garden
Yesterday was one of those days I wish I could save up for later. I had the whole day to myself in the country.
It was mostly sunny with just a few clouds. It was just warm enough to be pleasant, but not too warm for working in the garden. I basked in the sun. Really I was weeding, but it felt like basking.
The frogs were singing. So were the birds, but the frogs were louder and more insistent.
I saw two butterflies - first of the season. They were busy and so was I, so I didn't go chasing them to see who they were. One was orange on top like a Painted Lady and the other was white like a Cabbage White. Probably was a Cabbage White.
The garlic is up and growing despite being trodden upon by the deer. The shallots, which I had almost given up on, are sprouting. Spinach, and a few lettuce plants, survived the entire winter under a floating row cover.
I chopped fresh herbs - parsley, garlic leaves, lemon thyme, and radish sprouts - and sprinkled them with abandon on my lunchtime soup.
While digging up a bed to plant radishes and salad greens, I found two potatoes from last year. In perfect condition. Except for the one I cut in half with the spade.
The newly planted (last December) crocuses are blooming. The tulips made it through the winter without being eaten. I wonder if they'll make it through the spring.
I took a lot of pictures in the morning, but haven't uploaded yet. Maybe later today. If you're looking for me, I'll be in the garden.
Labels: bulbs, butterflies, herbs, potager, potatoes, seasons
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Oregano, Marjoram, Zaatar, Whatever
I made absolutely wonderful pizza over the weekend. A large part of the credit goes to Mark Bittman for writing about fried pizza in last week's NY Times, but some of the credit goes to the herb garden.
I gave up on fresh oregano long ago. Somebody sold me a plant that was called True Italian Oregano, or some such thing. I grew it. I tasted it. I didn't like it. But the darn thing grew and grew and I still have it. It's an unkillable ground cover if nothing else.
Last winter I ordered 2 varieties of "Marjoram" seed sold by Nichols Garden Nursery. I've been cooking with dried marjoram for a long time and thought I'd see what it was like fresh.
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| Sweet majoram, in August |
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| 'Zaatar' flowering amidst the pepper plants |
Now I know what to do with it. Saturday I planned to make the fried pizza previously mentioned. The picture accompanying the article showed a pizza topped with fresh basil. There are still plenty of herbs in the garden, but the basil froze a couple of weeks ago. So I snipped a few leaves of parsley and Chinese chives and several sprigs of 'Zaatar' marjoram. All these were chopped finely and sprinkled on top of the pizza. It turned out very well and I thought that the 'Zaatar' marjoram tasted more like grocery store oregano than anything I'd grown before. In fact, when I got up the next morning, I kept thinking "I smell pizza". I finally tracked down the fragrance to the cutting board on the counter - which had been washed I might add.
I'm not the only one who's confused by the oreganos/marjorams. Looking around the internet, I found several sources trying to untangle them all (1,2,3,4). I'd like to try more of them next year, but which to choose? That last source gives the best advice, I think. She says:
With so many varieties of oregano, I enjoy having many different types in my garden at once so I can choose just the right flavor for a dish: a course and tangy Greek oregano for moussaka; an aromatic Italian oregano for my pizza dough; or a perfumey sweet marjoram for my summer salad dressing. I advise you to do the same and let your nose and taste buds be your guide, (rather than the confusing labels!) when you choose oregano for your garden.
Labels: herbs, marjoram, oregano
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
Things to Do While the Tomatoes Ripen
I really hoped we would have a ripe tomato or two last weekend, but.......not yet. In fact, we arrived to find all the tomato ladders more horizontal than vertical. There must have been a powerful storm while we were gone, because a small (dead) tree nearby was snapped off. (I was thinking of turning that tree into a bottle tree, or training vines over it, but never mind.) Last weekend we swathed the tomato plants in plastic netting, hoping to keep the tomatoes in and the critters out. The netting doesn't do a darned thing to keep out hornworms, but I still think we'll have plenty of tomatoes.
So then, while we're waiting for that day when we can get out the satin pillow, the rosewood platter, or the stylish tasting notes, what to do?
Cook with herbs. For the last couple of weekends, we switched from breakfast burritos (our usual weekend lunch) to herb omelette and toast.
Or make fried green tomatoes. I've been doing this for the last two weekends as well.
Labels: herbs, potager, tomatoes
Friday, May 18, 2007
Herbiage
I find myself on this gray, cold, rainy afternoon not tending the potager, as I intended, but instead, trying to think up nice things to write about the place where I bought nice herbs to put in the potager.
Near where I live in northern Virginia, there is a herb grower with a national reputation. I know I'm supposed to like this place. Before yesterday, the last time I was there was 5 or 6 years ago, maybe more. I hadn't gone back because my impression was that the place was only grudgingly a retail establishment. Short hours, hard to find, not logically organized and high prices on tiny plants.
But yesterday I realized I needed some herbs for the potager before mid-summer which is about when I'd get around to rooting cuttings from existing plants. And besides this would be an opportunity to add some new varieties. So off I went.
My first surprise was that they're no longer in the middle of nowhere. Their road is now surrounded by McMansions. And to their credit, they've made a few improvements. I found a good selection of the kinds of plants I was looking for - rosemaries and thymes - well-labeled, and most of them available in two sizes. I was happy to find the ones I wanted in 2 1/2" pots. They've added a few annuals and perennials to their offerings, including the Purple Smoke Baptisia that I admired on Carol's Bloom Day. I might have to go back for that one. And they're selling Route 11 Potato Chips! So, I'll probably go back because they have things I want, but I still get a chilly vibe from the place.
My purchases:
- Rosemary 'Herb Cottage' (x4)
- Thyme, Provencal
- Thyme, Golden Lemon
- Thyme, English
- Thyme, Lemon Mist
- French Tarragon (x2)
- Spearmint 'Kentucky Colonel'
- Corsican Mint
Have I mentioned that I can't live without Corsican Mint? I have to run my fingers over it every time I pass it by.
