Unexpected Pleasures

I first started growing fresh herbs back in Texas. We planted some thyme and sage in the hollowed stump of the Mulberry tree that we cut down in our back yard. I only occasionally used it to cook, but it always looked very cool. I would imagine it is still there.

When we moved to VA we realized that the garden around our deck provided an excellent spot to plant our herb garden. Until this year, it was actually our vegetable garden too (limited to tomatoes only). Since we now have an actual vegetable garden this year, we were able to expand our herb garden. Having the herbs right outside the back door is perfect. When I'm cooking I can just step out and clip what I need for dinner.

We now have basil, thyme, rosemary, lavender, chives, tarragon, sage, oregano, mint, lemongrass and the reason for this post, pineapple sage. This spring when we went to get the plants for our gardens I was intrigued by this new herb. The freshly pressed leaves do indeed smell like pineapple. While I have used them in only a few dishes, I'm still glad I added them to the landscape.

The thing about fresh herbs that is really nice, besides their obvious addition to the culinary experience is that the vast majority of them bloom in the late summer. Actually the basil begins to bloom in July and I am in a constant battle to hold it at bay long enough to get the nice leaves to chop to go with my tomatoes and mozzarella. The flowers vary from subtle to dramatic, but they are almost all beautiful.

However, the nicest surprise in the garden this year, was surely the pineapple sage. It's brilliant red flowers, shown above, make it worth planting, regardless of it's epicurean contributions.



This first picture is the mint. It has very delicate white flowers on the top of it that are quite lovely.


















This next picture is the rosemary in our garden. You can barely see the small white flowers on the top. I have a smaller rosemary bush on the other side of the garden that is a pretty amazing story. I bought some rosemary at the store. Used some. Put the rest in the fridge for about a month. I took it out, clipped off the top to use it and stuck the rest in a glass of water. It sprouted roots. I eventually planted it out in the garden.







The last pic is of the lavender. It's flower are gorgeous. Unfortunately most of them have already gone for the year. I'll try to get better pics next year. The real thrill though is the smell....mmmmm good.