Birthday and Special Occasion home made Herbs Gifts Box

Posted by dodo

Fennel

Fennel is generally grown as an annual although in warm climates it is a perennial. The white bulb of the Florence variety can be grated raw into salads, or blanched and baked as a vegetable, while the leaves and seeds of common fennel are useful for their liquorice taste, adding a fresh flavour to fish and cheese. An infusion of fennel leaves is held to be a soothing lotion for bathing tired eyes and a toning skin tonic.

Garlic

Garlic is a popular plant in the kitchen for the use of its root, and although synonymous with French cookery, it is also widely used in Italian and Indian dishes, its pungent flavour and odour mellowing with cooking. Well- known for its antiseptic and medicinal properties, garlic is used as a cure for a variety of ailments including indigestion, rheumatism and colds. Garlic was traditionally used as a deterrent to ward-off vampires and evil spirits.

Sage

Sage has long been respected for its medicinal properties. Nicholas Culpeper, the renowned seventeenth-century British herbalist, recommended `gargles likewise made with Sage…. with some honey put thereto to wash sore Mouthes and Throats’. Well- respected cooks added sage and onion to stuffings for fatty meats such as goose and pork. In consideration of both its medicinal and culinary uses, sage signifies domestic virtue.

Marjoram

Marjoram has a strong, savoury flavour which precludes it from being used in cosmetic recipes, but makes it ideal for use in cookery. Sprigs of marjoram are often added to dishes containing tomatoes, chicken, game and beef, and to sausages to give a herbal flavour. Marjoram is another herb that thrives in sunlight. There is an old saying that ‘golden Marjoram will remain green with jealousy unless it is allowed a proper share of the sun’.

Parsley

Parsley is a commonly used herb and is regarded as the staple plant of any herb garden. Although difficult to grow it is said in folklore to thrive in the house where ‘the mistress is the master’. It also grows well when planted in the shade of a rose bush. Chewing a few parsley leaves is said to quench the lingering smell of garlic on the breath, and an infusion of the plant was often taken as a tonic, and as a relief for rheumatic pains.

Rosemary

Rosemary, also known as Dew of the Sea because of its preference for sunny coastal areas, is an evergreen which, in early May, produces tiny violet blue flowers that are attractive to bees. The fragrant rosemary plant provides an almost constant supply of the culinary herb, frequently used with roast meats, in stuffings and as flavouring for vinegar. Rosemary is an emblem of remembrance but can be given as a love token.

Mint

Mint has many varieties such as peppermint, spearmint, apple mint and Scotch mint. It is an easy plant to grow but can be invasive so it is best to plant mint in a tub or pot. Although most frequently made into jelly or sauce and used as an accompaniment to roast lamb, sprigs of mint are also placed on top of new potatoes and peas. In medicinal recipes, it is used in footbaths, moth bags and as an aid to digestion. Mint is the plant that represents virtue.

Thyme

Thyme grows best in a sunny area of the garden. The plant, whose varieties include lemon, caraway and Silver Queen, will not lose its leaves in winter, so provides a constant fresh herb supply for the kitchen; it can also be dried successfully. Thyme is used in many stews and sauces and is often added to chicken and egg dishes as well as to meat-based pies. Thyme is a symbol of activity.

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