Tip of the Week: Making the Most of Your Herbs
Posted in Gardening Tips on October 26th, 2009 by Sonia Uyterhoeven – Be the first to comment |
Sonia Uyterhoeven is Gardener for Public Education. Join her each weekend for home gardening demonstrations on a variety of topics in the Home Gardening Center. |
With all the rain this past summer, some of my herbs thrived while others collapsed from exhaustion in mid- to late-summer. My garlic chives, sometimes named Chinese garlic (Allium tuberosum), were glorious in the Sensory Garden. The white umbel-shaped flowers floated above the cluster of grass-like foliage from mid-August into September. They were one of the showier features in the garden. All the rain served them well.
The leaves of garlic chives are similar to the better-known chives (Allium schoenoprasum, pictured), only flat and slightly wider, and can be used in the same way—cut them into small pieces with your kitchen scissors and add them to any dish for a garlicky kick.
If you are a garlic lover, this attractive herb is a must. I took one of my weekend demonstration groups into the Sensory Garden, where we harvested some of the garlic chives. As I cut the leaves into small pieces, the odor wafted in the air. While I often pass herbs around for visitors to smell, this one could be appreciated by everyone in the group simultaneously.
I experimented with a few herbal vinegars this year. One was a spicy concoction of cider vinegar, hot peppers, spicy oregano and garlic chives. I included a few of the flowers from the garlic chives for flavor and ornamental value; it was an attractive arrangement.
Four weeks later when I opened the bottle, the aroma of the garlic attacked my nostrils. For garlic lovers the vinegar was a success. For my own personal taste, I loved the kick of the hot peppers and oregano, but will tone down the garlic for next year. I think I will simply add the flowers and omit the foliage and try for a milder taste. read more »