Herb

An Italian herb garden groups the herbs well-known in Italian cuisine together, such as oregano, basil, garlic and sage. Create a taste, smell and vision of Italy by creating your own Italian-themed herb garden. Its easy to do and adds authentic flavor to your Italian dishes.

Basil is useful in many Italian recipes. Not only will basil add flavor to your cooking, but also the basil plant benefits its neighbors in the garden. Planting basil in between peppers and tomatoes will enhance their flavor. Basil also repels flies and mosquitoes”wonderful in a container on the patio for summer evenings. Too much basil is never a bad thing; blend leaves with olive oil for homemade pesto. Fennel seed is used in Italian sausage to enhance the flavor. Oddly, fennel loses its flavor as the plant matures. One way to encourage new growth is to divide and replant this perennial every few years.

Any Italian herb garden needs to have garlic. Plant a garlic clove in virtually any soil and watch it thrive even with little attention. Harvest mature garlic heads in the fall and store them in the refrigerator or freezer. You can pickle garlic or hang to dry, though the individual cloves of hung garlic will send up shoots and want to grow after a time.

The easiest herb to name as Italian is oregano. Oregano is a perennial that likes full sun. Rich soil can dilute the flavor of the leaves. Wait to harvest oregano until after flowering for best flavor. Pinch the flowers to avoid bolting to seed and divide the plant when it grows dry and woody at the center.

Parsley is known today as a garnish, but back in the days before breath mints, parsley was chewed after meals to banish bad breath. Fresh raw parsley was served on a small dish after a meal and this eventually changed to placing the sprig of parsley on the meal plate. Parsley can be difficult to grow but can be directly sown from seed.

Sage leaves add a pungent flavor to meats, salads and sauces. Prune sage plants closely after flowering to encourage flavorful new growth. Sage is unhappy in extreme heat and prefers well-drained soil. Sage works well in containers and will grow indoors in strong light.

European sage leaves flavor dishes from meats to sauces and salads. New leaves are the most flavorful. Pruning encourages new growth and keeps the plant from growing too woody. Harvest sage after blooming. Sagebrush is not the same as sage the herb, though they share similar smells and color.

Italy can come to your garden by planting a few of the herbs famous in their cuisine. Outside of use for their flavor, many Italian herbs are beautiful additions to your landscaping. Consider which herbs you are likely to use and each plants sunlight, soil and water requirements before planting an Italian-themed herb garden. Many more herbs used in Italian cooking are not listed here”with a little research you can explore other herbs you might plant in an Italian herb garden.

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