As Mother Earth awakens from the winter season, we start to think of what our gardens will contain this year. We plan for fruits or vegetables so that we can enjoy them during the summer/fall months as well as what flowers or tress will paint our landscapes.
Why not add a few herbs? Not only will it look great, but think of the flavorful meals you can make with them. Here's one that might interest you - Chervil.
Chervil (Anthriscus cerefolium) is an herb that looks like parsley and easy to grow. It has pale green leaves with small white flowers and likes to be in a well drained, partially shady area. It has a slight aniseed/parsley flavor. Used widely in French cuisine, use it when you cook fish (especially oysters), chicken, salad dishes and omelettes. Also, try it to enhance carrots, spinach, sorrel, veal, cheese, corn and peas. Chervil can be combined with tarragon, parsley and thyme for a classic fines herbes blend when cooking any French recipe. Make sure you add it at the last moment to soups, stews and sautes. If it cooks too long, it will have a bitter flavor.
This herb is a traditional Lenten herb, representing new life/rebirth and has been known for its blood-cleansing properties. During Lent, it has been greatly used in cooking and as a skin cleanser. Eating the whole plant is a practice that some people today will do, to relieve hiccups, something the people during the Middle Ages did as well.
Companion Planting - If you enjoy the flavor of hot, peppery radishes, try growing a few chervil plants in the vegetable plot alongside the radishes. The chervil will help keep away harmful bugs and insects and the radishes growing closest to the chervil, will have a slight hotter flavor.
Enjoy!!!!!!!
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