Homegrown herbs

Whatever you dream for your garden this year, plan to include herbs. From patio containers with different combinations of herbs to a windowsill garden, balcony garden or kitchen garden, herbs add a unique layer of texture and fragrance. Even just a few herbs are useful for adding delicious flavour to your favourite recipes.

Herbs are an important component of Cory Messel’s garden each summer. Messel lives on a spacious corner lot in Brandon. He has designed his garden with an abundance of leafy textures and organic, natural tones. He has created several conversation areas in his backyard, some of which are intimate rooms framed by tall hedges or vine-covered arbors. He prefers a colour palette of shades of green to a riot of colour. Herbs are a natural fit and they don’t necessarily have to serve a culinary purpose. Messel plants herbs in containers and plants them close to seating areas so that guests can enjoy their fragrant scent.

He has many creative and clever planting ideas. An olive oil tin planted with fragrant Purple Sage (Salvia officinalis Purpurascens) and chartreuse trailing Lysimachia makes a simple yet elegant herb container in his summer garden. In one container design he sets a lantern with a candle in the centre of a dish container that he plants with spreading Thyme. Last summer, next to a seating area, he combined golden-hued Golden oregano (Origanum vulgare Aureum) with Island Breeze hosta which has chartreuse leaves and red petioles. “It was a lovely combination and of course, the oregano was delicious as well — not as pungent as standard oregano,” says Messel.

Satureja Indian Mint is another garden staple in Messel’s garden. Satureja Indian Mint is a member of the mint family. It has a cascading, trailing habit with a strong minty aroma. Messel combined it one year with trailing bamboo grass in a tall container. He pinches off a few sprigs as needed for recipes. “Satureja Indian Mint is delicious added to a drink.”

Messel would not be without rosemary, basil, or lemongrass. “I always grow lemongrass (Cymbopogon). The grass-like leaves are architectural and give height and movement to my potting bench.” Lemongrass thrives in the summer heat which increases the intensity of its flavour.

Messel’s potting bench, by the way, made me go weak at the knees when I first saw it. It is what every gardener wants. Built from weathered cedar, it includes a storage area where Messel keeps bags of soilless potting mix and Sea Soil. The cabinet doors have the most wonderful weathered, rusty handles. “The potting bench is a workstation in spring — even though the work is never done — but eventually it becomes my herb bench,” says Messel.

When Messel pots up his herbs, he adds a handful or a half handful of Sea Soil, an organic compost created from a mixture of fish and forest fines. He has also used Alfalfa Gold which is a blend of alfalfa meal, humic acid, and bone meal for an added boost of nutrients.

An arrangement of terra cotta containers in varied sizes on the herb bench display an array of herbs — parsley, rosemary, basil, and always some new and unique varieties that pique Messel’s interest. Messel has grown many varieties of basil. “No matter the type of basil you grow, there is nothing that tastes better in the summer than a toasted sandwich with homegrown tomatoes, fresh basil, and a bit of creamy goat cheese.” For a refreshing salad, he tosses freshly picked tomatoes, cucumbers, and finely sliced red onion in a bowl with chopped fresh basil and a pinch of sea salt.

A favourite basil variety that Messel has searched for in vain the past two years is Basil Ruby Frills. A tall variety with spicy flavour, Messel says it was the best, most delicious basil he’s ever eaten. He also admired the moody, muddled purple colour of the slightly ruffled leaves. Unfortunately, when I made an inquiry recently, I learned that Basil Ruby Frills was recently dropped from the Burpee Home Gardens plant assortment. A spokesperson suggested an alternative could be Basil Purple Ruffles, an All-America Selections Winner, which is available through seed mail-order catalogs.

Basil Everleaf Thai Towers from PanAmerican Seed might be another option. An upright basil with a columnar, dense habit, this licorice-flavoured variety grows to a height of 24-36 inches (61-91 cm). Basil Everleaf Thai Towers would make a great standalone plant or thriller for mixed container gardens and is well-suited for multiple harvests.

Short on time or space (or containers) and not sure which type of basil or other herbs you would like to grow? Ready-to-grow potted herbs are available in abundance at most garden centres. As well, there is pelleted seed available with several varieties in each easy-to-grow pellet. SimplyHerbs Try Basil, for example, is a blend of three varieties – Genovese, dark red, and serrated basils – for a mix of different colours, textures, and flavours. Look for SimplyHerbs Rosemary and SimplyHerbs Oregano in mail-order seed catalogs.

Messel developed an interest in food as a student at Crocus Plains Regional Secondary School in Brandon where he was enrolled in the culinary arts program for four years. This is where he found his passion for food, dining, and the art of entertaining. “We had such great instructors and although I don’t cook professionally any more, everything I learned has stayed with me.” A favourite recipe from his school days which he enjoys serving to his guests every summer is rosemary infused cucumber lemonade.

“It’s a classic recipe,” says Messel. You’ll need a couple of large cucumbers sliced into thin rounds, fresh lemon slices, lemon juice, rosemary sprigs, and a large pitcher. Messel uses the back of a knife to mash the rosemary to release some of the essential oil and flavour. Store in the refrigerator for 24 hours before serving. It’s worth noting here that rosemary has undergone a taxonomic name change. Once classified as Rosmarinus officinalis, it is now Salvia Rosmarinus.

Messel is an active member of the Brandon Garden Club and serves on a planning committee for the garden club’s annual plant sale hosted each May. Herbs are one of the top sellers at the plant sale each year, says Messel. Some of the herb varieties that will be at this year’s sale include Hidcote Blue Lavender, Lemon Balm, Lemongrass, Mojito Mint, Italian Oregano, Satureja Indian Mint, and Dill Diana. Dill Diana is an aromatic culinary herb with feathery blue-green leaves. An heirloom variety, the fresh leaves of Dill Diana can be used in salads, egg dishes, or to season potatoes. The crushed seeds are used in pickling. The sale will take place on Saturday, May 27, in the historic Dome Building at Brandon’s Keystone Centre.

Messel is also planting a raised herb garden bed this year at Lady of the Lake Shop Café and Pub where he is the general manager. The garden will include pansies and violets. The edible flowers are used as a garnish on salads and desserts or added to cocktails. Rosemary adds zest to sauces and mint is used for mojitos.

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