It’s Still Just Dirt – June 2015, The Tillsonburg News
by Penny Esseltine

You don’t necessarily need a garden plot to keep yourself supplied with fresh herbs all summer long. With some soil and a few pots you can turn a sunny balcony, deck, patio or window into your personal herb garden. Herbs are flavour-filled and easy to grow however it’s knowing how to use them that often poses the biggest challenge.

Some of the more common herbs to grow in home gardens include parsley (either curly Italian or flat leaf), basil, dill, rosemary, mint, and thyme. Mint and rosemary are best grown in individual containers but you can easily pack a variety of other herbs into the space of a window box or a large pot.

Chef Les Kozachuk, a graduate of the Stratford Chefs School Culinary Program, has worked in the food industry since 1990. He has applied his craft at restaurants in Toronto, Italy, Ontario’s cottage country, and now in London, Ontario. Les brought his alternative ideas for using home-grown herbs to the Ontario Horticultural Society’s District 10 AGM.

First off Les recommends using fresh herbs to garnish a plate. “You get more punch from fresh herbs if you add them to your food after it’s cooked,” he says. For example:

• Basil is a delicate herb that is best used on the same day you pick it. You can add basil to olive oil and garlic for a basil sauce or pesto. Use whole leaf basil in a caprese salad with tomato, bocconcini, and olive oil.
• Lavender can be used in sweet baking like scones. Serve these with cream cheese and honey.
• Dill works as a garnish with salmon or fish and lemon. It’s also a great addition to a creamy dip served with raw vegetables.
• Parsley is a mainstay of Middle Eastern Tabbouleh salads and Argentinean Chimchurri sauces.
• Chives make a nice garnish. You can add chopped chives to potato salad, mashed potatoes, and soups. They’re also great for omelettes.
• Thyme has a stronger flavour similar to sage, rosemary, and oregano. These herbs can stand heat and are good with food groups like chicken and poultry.

To help you along in your quest to make excellent use of herbs from the garden here are some super quick recipe ideas, compliments of Chef Les.

Make creme fresh by blending together equal parts sour cream and 35 per cent cream. Let it sit on the counter for a day. The enzymes in the sour cream help to thicken the mixture. Serve creme fresh with sliced cucumbers, dill and shrimp.

Prepare a compound butter by starting with one cup of softened butter. Blend in two tablespoons of fresh herbs and the zest of one-half lemon. Shape the mixture like a sausage and put it in the freezer. When you take it from the freezer slice it into coins and put these under the skin of chicken or turkey for a nice herb flavour. Medallions of oregano and gorgonzola butter go well with beef. Simply put a medallion on top of each steak.

To infuse a vinegar with herb flavours start with ordinary white vinegar. Add a few cloves of garlic, then sprigs of rosemary or oregano. Les says to remove the garlic after the beginning stages. Left too long garlic can cause salmonella.

For a Margherita pizza grill a pizza dough crust and add toppings including slices of mozzarella cheese, tomato, and basil.

“Herbs are finished in your garden once summer is over,” Les says. “To preserve herbs you can dry freeze them. Wrap the herbs in paper towels, then foil or saran. Take them from the freezer when you are ready to use them. Chop them up and sprinkle on your food.”

You can infuse herbs like you infuse tea. Make the tea into ice cubes. The flavour is maintained and you can add these cubes to your soups and stews.

Home grown herbs are a great way to add a healthy, flavourful touch to any meal. Rather than having your herbs languish in the garden try using some of our Chef Les tips and enjoy these summer favours all year long.

During the summer the Tillsonburg Horticultural Society meets in different locations away from the Community Centre. In July a members garden tour is planned, and in August it’s a hypertufa pot-making workshop. For additional information check these activities out at tillsonburghorticultural.ca. Regular first Tuesday of the month meetings in the Senior Centre Auditorium will resume September 1.