Last week, I tossed out some ideas for alternative salad greens. In my humble opinion, a salad is not complete without adding herbs. Or any meal for that matter. I enjoy a wide variety of herbs and spices with all my meals. Anyone who has eaten my cooking knows that I’m not one to skimp on flavor.
Basil is an all-time favorite. It grows easily here in the summer. There are a seemingly endless number of varieties of basil. Genovese has large leaves and a sweet, spicy taste. It is regularly used for making pesto. Clemson Cooperative Extension shares that this plant can grow several feet in height. https://ift.tt/3tyKM7U.
Purple Ruffles basil is a bit smaller with dark purple leaves that are ruffled. Sereta basil also has ruffled leaves and can grow to 2 feet high. This variety is also reportedly good for making pesto. Serata is also known for not producing a lot of flowers.
Another type of basil is Siam Queen. It is commonly used in salad, sauces and Thai dishes. Dark Opal Purple basil can be used to “make tangy, purple vinegar.” Sweet Dani basil has “lemon-scented leaves and is excellent for drying.” You can also find basil varieties with notes of lime, licorice, cinnamon or anise.
When it comes to oregano, this plant is often confused with marjoram. They both have lovely flavors, but if you are looking for true oregano then look for Greek oregano (Origanum vulgare var. hirtum). You can toss oregano into your salad, soup, sauce or even sprinkle on pizza. https://ift.tt/3mZ3bbj.
Dill is another excellent topping for salad and other meals. This herb is popular in dips and pickling. Commonly grown varieties include mammoth, bouquet, fernleaf, dukat and green sleeves. https://ift.tt/3dtkOwV.
Sage is one my favorite herbs. This plant was a “sacred ceremonial herb of the Romans.” Depending on the variety, leaf color may be gray, green, purple or golden. Some common cultivars are Berggarten, Purple sage and Tricolor. https://ift.tt/3aDAuvR.
A few additional herbs that make nice additions to salads are chives, thyme and parsley.
Herbs are little vitamin- and mineral-packed powerhouses. Most are fairly easy to grow. Your taste buds will not be the only thing thanking you for including herbs in your summer garden – the bees and butterflies love herb flowers!
Arianna Kelley Rawlsky has an M.S. in horticulture and is the director of Bringing People and Plants Together, an organization dedicated to bringing horticulture education and therapy to the community. For more information: PeopleAndPlantsTogether@gmail.com or follow us on Facebook.
April 18, 2021 at 09:16PM
https://ift.tt/3tuvroL
People and plants: Top salads with herbs - Broomfield Enterprise
https://ift.tt/3ekeW79
salad
No comments:
Post a Comment