Wednesday, May 30, 2012

Thai Basil in the Herb Garden

                                         Thai Basil (Siam Queen)

The Thai basil is still small, but I couldn't wait any longer, I had to pluck a handful of leaves to make dinner.
If you haven't tried this mild sweet basil yet, you must add this to your to do list. It has a light anise-like aroma, and not a bit spicy. You can add an entire handful to a dish, using it sort of like a green leaf vegetable. It lends great flavor to Asian dishes.

I'm trying a new tarragon this year. It was labeled "Texas Tarragon", but I did a little research and found that it's also called Spanish tarragon, Mexican mint marigold, and sweet mace. Unlike the hardy French tarragon, Texas tarragon is only hardy to zone 8. It smells and tastes like The French variety, only more pronounced, and much prettier to look at. I mix whole leaves into a salad, I also add chopped leaves to seafood dishes.
                                                 Texas Tarragon
 
I couldn't put the camera away before snapping a photo of the first lilies (my favorite flower) of the year.
                                                   Trumpet lilies

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