KAREN WIGHT -- No Place Like Home

Every home needs to have a few fresh herbs in the garden. If you like

to cook, nothing replaces fresh ingredients. Even if you don’t like

cooking, fresh herbs make beautiful garnishes that look like you spent

hours in the kitchen, even if you’re scooping food out of takeout

containers.

Anyone can grow an admirable selection of herbs. Herbs are very

undemanding plants. They are easy to grow, don’t need a lot of space and

are not too fussy about soil conditions.

Herbs can be grown in the garden. They are great in containers on the

patio. Herbs can spill over the edges of hanging baskets or

enthusiastically trail over the edge of a window box. All herbs really

need to flourish is regular watering and a spot where they can bask in

the sun.

An all-purpose herb garden should consist of a few herbs that have a

variety of uses.

Basil is an Italian staple. Basil gives pesto it’s lively green color

and fresh flavor. The leaves of a basil plant should be pinched back

frequently to maintain it’s bushy growth habit. Fresh basil leaves, when

added to any pasta dish, make a meal special.

Chives are a member of the allium family and have a mild onion flavor.

Use chive stems and flowers in salads and sauces. Use a clump of chives

as a fragrant basting “brush” when you’re grilling meats and vegetables.

Chives make great border plants. Their predictable clumping habit ensures

that they won’t run a muck in the garden, and their beautiful hollow

green leaves and spherical purple flower make them appealing in and out

of the kitchen.

Cilantro is an easy and rewarding plant -- it is nearly bulletproof.

Put this plant in the back of the garden because it can grow to three

feet in height. It’s piquant leaves perk up the flavor of salsas and

salads.

Dill is the perfect companion for fish, potatoes and sauces. Chopped

dill is delicious when added to fresh vegetable salads. Historically,

dill was taken for upset stomachs and as a tranquilizer.

Nasturtiums are a great addition to an herb garden for their color and

interesting leaves. Nasturtiums will spill over the edge of a container,

crawl out of a window box or attempt to defy the boundaries of your

garden. The flowers range in colors from creamy yellow to bright orange.

They have a peppery flavor. Add the flowers to a salad or use them as an

edible garnish. Tender nasturtium seeds can be pickled when they are

green and used like capers.

Tarragon has a distinctive savory flavor, and no herb collection

should be without it. Use fresh chopped tarragon with chicken, fish and

eggs. Add fresh tarragon to bearnaise sauce or make tarragon vinegar by

steeping the fresh herb in white wine vinegar and use it for making

French dressing.

Peppermint is a great addition for fruit salads, summer drinks and

sorbets. Its medicinal values have been appreciated for hundreds of

years. The oil extracted from the plant contains menthol. Hot peppermint

tea can help with indigestion and as a pick-me-up. It also improves the

appetite.

Rosemary can be used with all meats, stuffing and potatoes. Rosemary

has been used for thousands of years. The Greeks and Romans would twine

rosemary in their hair in the belief that it would help improve their

memory and quicken their minds.

Sage is a multipurpose herb that dresses up poultry, pork, vegetables

and sauces. It is an ideal container plant and it’s fuzzy gray-green

leaves and soft purple flowers are as beautiful as they are practical.

Place whole sage leaves under the skin of a turkey before you put it in

the oven. Sage and poultry are a perfect combination.

Herbs are the ultimate blend of form and function. Chives have a

purple ball-shaped flower that towers over its long hollow leaves. Basil

is a beautiful green, and if you pinch back the leaves regularly, it

becomes denser and bushier.

Rosemary has many varieties. The prostrate ground cover will form

gentle gray-green mounds on the ground. Upright rosemary can be clipped

to form shapes, topiaries and spires. It’s short leaves and small purple

flowers will be a favorite in the garden even if you never use it in the

kitchen.

Fresh herbs are the best part of spring and summer cooking and having

handfuls of your favorite seasonings in the garden is a great motivator

for dining al fresco.

* KAREN WIGHT is a Newport Beach resident. Her column runs Sundays.