Favorite Herbs From An Italian Garden
Italian food is known for its blend of robust spices that create strongly flavored meats and sauces perfect for pairing with pasta and cheese. While pasta, tomatoes, and cheese are all essential components of Italian cooking, if you don’t have the proper blend of spices you won’t have proper Italian food therefore the best way for getting high quality, fresh spices for all your cooking needs is to grow your own Italian herb garden.
For a comprehensive array of Italian herbs you should plan on growing garlic, basil, thyme, rosemary, parsley and fennel since all of these herbs are relatively easy to grow either in pots or outdoors and you’ll get lots of pleasure from creating an Italian corner in your backyard.
Italian herbs are best grown indoors if the winters are very cold as they were originally grown in the warm Mediterranean climate and therefore they will not survive the frost and snow that come with most northern winters. For example rosemary is a perennial evergreen shrub, but a few hard frosts will kill it therefore you should either plan to keep your garden indoors all year round or repot your plants in the fall.
Most Italian herbs will thrive in the hot and dry climate that comes with central heating although parsley is the biggest exception therefore plan to keep your parsley in a porch area or next to a window. Once you start harvesting from your Italian herb garden you’ll find that each herb has a distinct aroma and use.
Garlic is ever-present in Italian cooking, it has a pungent taste and aroma that also adds a subtle heat to your dishes. Along with onions, there are very few Italian recipes that disdain garlic.
Basil is a tangy, light herb that can be eaten raw on salads or pureed with pine nuts and olive oil to make pesto. Most tomato based Italian dishes are peppered with basil and it is also supposed to be a good digestive aid. You can never grow too much basil in your Italian herb garden for the reason that it attracts bees while it deters fruit-flies and house-flies.
Thyme has a light spicy flavor that pairs well with other herbs. It brings out the flavors in meats and stews but does not overpower them. You’ll find thyme in many Italian recipes as it makes a delectable stuffing for chicken, goose and turkey. Thyme dislikes wet feet therefore a raised bed or a rockery will help keep this ground-sprawling herb dry and happy.
Rosemary is found in every Italian herb garden and it turns to a very attractive border when made into a well-trimmed hedge. The warm and resinous scent makes it one of the most pungent Italian herbs although it’s not too overpowering.
Its name comes from the latin ros marinus which means ‘due of the sea’, perhaps because this shrubby aromatic plant grows well near the Mediterranean sea which is why rosemary prefers a warm climate and it should be planted in a sheltered position to protect it from the cold winter.
Parsley can take a long time to germinate and doesn’t do well in overly warm climates and that’s why an English folklore tale says that parsley seeds go seven times to the Devil and back before germinating and assert that only witches can grow it.
Parsley does require a rich soil however once you do get it going it is a relatively low maintenance herb to cultivate in your Italian herb garden. Italian parsley has large, flat leaves and is typically added to the pot while the food is cooking, while the ‘curly leaves’ variety is used as an attractive garnish. Parsley is also an after-dinner breath freshener and digestive aid.
Fennel is classified as an herb and a vegetable. Its sharp sweet flavored seeds are found in many Italian sausage preparations and other ethnic foods. Its taste is reminiscent of licorice.
Your Italian herb garden will be filled with the fragrance of these potent herbs, it will be the place to which you turn for your culinary needs while your kitchen will be full of savory aromas and delicious food.
