April 14, 2015 - Radio Kitchen - What to Plant This Year
April brings us the bad news of tax season, and the good news of the return of gardens and farm fields. Our friends, the Maryland farmers, have spent the winter poring over their seed catalogs, planning on how to best please their customers this year. And of course, it's not too late for amateurs like us to do the same, and that's exactly what Chef Jerry Pellegrino of Waterfront Kitchen has been doing.
One notion that has crossed his mind is the superiority of fresh cut herbs over the store bought kind. Having your own little herb garden allows the home cook to select herbs at the peak of freshness, and get them into a recipe with a minimal loss of time. Keep in mind that fresh herbs are not a pungent as the same herb dried, so you need to use more in your recipe.
Living in the city, Jerry has limited space with which to work, so he relies on containers to get the job done. One very smart idea of his is to freshen the soil in the containers every year. He will dump the dirt onto a big tarp, and then work store bought compost and organic matter into the soil. Then it goes back into the pot all loose and airy, and ready for seeds or transplants.
The seed catalog that Jerry pores over every winter is from D. Landreth, one of America's oldest companies. They are an excellent resource for obscure, hard to find, and heirloom varieties. Their collection of herbs is first rate. Here are some good bets:
- Dwarf Green basil, small intensely flavored leaves
-Chamomile, dry it and make a lovely tea
-Chervil, a delicate herb that makes a delightful soup
-Chives, useful as garnish
-Cumin, one of the most useful of spices
-Thyme, a prime component of the "bouquet garni"
-Lemon grass, essential for Asian cooking
-Dill, very good with seafood
If you aren't a deft hand with growing from seeds, you can also shop at the farmers markets where you can pick up baby herbs of all varieties, ready for transplanting.
Visit www.landrethseeds.com for their online catalog.