1 Donna Sheridan, December 2015 Favorite Drought Tolerant Aromatic Herbs--In Landscaping, Flower Arranging, Cooking and Baking With the severe draught in California, I am replacing much of my garden with draught tolerant plants. In addition to being draught tolerant, I am selecting plants that multitask so that each drop of water in my garden does double or triple duty. Based on my passion for flower arranging and cooking, I choose to focus on selected herbs that are drought tolerant, aromatic, look good in the landscaping, work in flower arrangements and can be used in cooking and/or baking. In my yard, I grow many favorites that meet my landscape, drought tolerant, cooking/baking, aromatic, flower arranging criteria: rosemary, sage, lavender, bay, fennel, marjoram, oregano, santolina, and thyme. For this paper, I have focused on two—rosemary and sage. 1. ROSEMARY (Rosmarinus officinalis), native to the Mediterranean region, is Latin for “dew of the sea” and was said to adorn the goddess Aphrodite when she emerged from the sea. Landscaping: The dark green, needle-like foliage is evergreen, an asset to the winter landscape. The small blue flowers add color to the spring and fall landscape. Rosemary, a symbol of remembrance and friendship, fills a garden with pleasant aroma and the activity of pollinating bees, butterflies and hummingbirds who love the blossoms. This herb comes in various forms, from stiff and upright, ideal for a hedge planting, to mounded and spreading, perfect for edging a slope or wall. It is an attractive, ornamental, evergreen shrub. The upright varieties can become large shrubs, and the prostrate varieties maybe used as ground cover or in rock gardens. It is hardy in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 7a through 10b. Cooking and baking: Besides the wonderful aroma, Rosemary’s unique flavor is a welcome addition in both cooking and baking. Rosemary is one of the most popular culinary herbs in Europe and the United States. Aromatic rosemary gives a distinctive accent to meats, vegetables, soups, cookies, breads, popovers and even cocktails. Harvest rosemary flowers for a delicious addition to fruit and vegetable salads, pasta or rice dishes. We enjoy rosemary and garlic marinated pork tenderloin and rosemary grilled chicken. Rosemary salmon is a favorite preparation I make for family and friends around the holiday. On a cookie sheet coated with olive oil, I place a generous layer of rosemary (I clip generous small branches from our bushes), then add thin slices of lemon and red onion rounds and top with salmon filet, then repeat, rosemary, lemon, onion and drizzle with olive oil, a squeeze of lemon and bake. It is festive, easy and always enjoyed by all at a traditional holiday feast with friends. The Palo Alto Junior League Cookbooks are favorites of mine since serving on one of these committees. A Private Collection includes 2 rosemary favorites--a delicious rosemary leg of lamb and yummy easy rosemary walnuts, perfect for snacking or a hostess gift. Although Private Collection 2 describes the Halibut with Rosemary as understated, it is, in fact, easy yet delectable. A fun baking recipe, lovely with tea, is Rosemary Lemon Butter Cookies by Sunset found at http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/lemon-rosemary- button-shortbreads Rosemary may be stripped from the stem and placed in a plastic bag in the refrigerator for a week with a damp paper towel to retain moisture. Rosemary may be frozen on the stems in a plastic bag. To use, just strip off the amount you need from the frozen stems. To air-dry stems, bundle and hang in a dark place with good circulation for up to a year. We use stems of rosemary, soaked in water to prevent burning, as skewers for grilling kabobs. When rosemary is chopped or pulverized, it releases aromatic oils and facilitates easier chewing in a recipe. The leaves are most tender in the spring.
With the severe draught in California, I am replacing much of my garden with draught tolerant plants. In addition to being draught tolerant, I am selecting plants that multitask so that each drop of water in my garden does double or triple duty. Based on my passion for flower arranging and cooking, I choose to focus on selected herbs that are drought tolerant, aromatic, look good in the landscaping, work in flower arrangements and can be used in cooking and/or baking.
In my yard, I grow many favorites that meet my landscape, drought tolerant, cooking/baking, aromatic, flower arranging criteria: rosemary, sage, lavender, bay, fennel, marjoram, oregano, santolina, and thyme. For this paper, I have focused on two—rosemary and sage.
1. ROSEMARY (Rosmarinus officinalis), native to the Mediterranean region, is Latin for “dew of the sea” and was said to adorn the goddess Aphrodite when she emerged from the sea.
Landscaping: The dark green, needle-like foliage is evergreen, an asset to the winter landscape. The small blue flowers add color to the spring and fall landscape. Rosemary, a symbol of remembrance and friendship, fills a garden with pleasant aroma and the activity of pollinating bees, butterflies and hummingbirds who love the blossoms.
This herb comes in various forms, from stiff and upright, ideal for a hedge planting, to mounded and spreading, perfect for edging a slope or wall. It is an attractive,
ornamental, evergreen shrub. The upright varieties can become large shrubs, and the prostrate varieties maybe used as ground cover or in rock gardens. It is hardy in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 7a through 10b.
Cooking and baking: Besides the wonderful aroma, Rosemary’s unique flavor is a welcome addition in both cooking and baking. Rosemary is one of the most popular culinary herbs in Europe and the United States. Aromatic rosemary gives a distinctive accent to meats, vegetables, soups, cookies, breads, popovers and even cocktails. Harvest rosemary flowers for a delicious addition to fruit and vegetable salads, pasta or rice dishes.
We enjoy rosemary and garlic marinated pork tenderloin and rosemary grilled chicken. Rosemary salmon is a favorite preparation I make for family and friends around the holiday. On a cookie sheet coated with olive oil, I place a generous layer of rosemary (I clip generous small branches from our bushes), then add thin slices of lemon and red onion rounds and top with salmon filet, then repeat, rosemary, lemon, onion and drizzle with olive oil, a squeeze of lemon and bake. It
is festive, easy and always enjoyed by all at a traditional holiday feast with friends. The Palo Alto Junior League Cookbooks are favorites of mine since serving on one of these committees. A Private Collection includes 2 rosemary favorites--a delicious rosemary leg of lamb and yummy easy rosemary walnuts, perfect for snacking or a hostess gift. Although Private Collection 2 describes the Halibut with Rosemary as understated, it is, in fact, easy yet delectable. A fun baking recipe, lovely
with tea, is Rosemary Lemon Butter Cookies by Sunset found at http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/lemon-rosemary-button-shortbreads
Rosemary may be stripped from the stem and placed in a plastic bag in the refrigerator for a week with a damp paper towel to retain moisture. Rosemary may be frozen on the stems in a plastic bag. To use, just strip off the amount you need from the frozen stems. To air-dry stems, bundle and hang in a dark place with good circulation for up to a year. We use stems of rosemary, soaked in water to prevent burning, as skewers for grilling kabobs. When rosemary is chopped or pulverized, it releases aromatic oils and facilitates easier chewing in a recipe. The leaves are most tender in the spring.
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Flower Arranging: Rosemary has qualities that make it quite versatile in arrangements. The stiff woody branches add structure to a bouquet; stand tall in an arrangement as a background; or hold their own upright stuck into a frog. The younger feathery branches fall nicely over the edge of a vase integrating it into the arrangement while adding a contrasting softness. Blue, pink or white flowers accent the arrangement. Rosemary is a quick stand-by that holds its own simply solo, in a bud vase in the powder room or on a coffee table sharing space with an appetizer. Rosemary adds fragrance, color and beauty to a small space. To the left is simply rosemary that I arranged in a slate vase that repeats the slate of our floor.
Rosemary pairs well with citrus and when growing both in your yard, offers a quick, thrifty arrangement to welcome guests in the foyer or to lend a sweet surprise when tucked caringly into a guestroom. Rosemary’s color and pine scent compliment a bright citrusy bouquet creating elegant, bursts of color and aroma. Below are three examples of this synergistic pairing:
2. SAGE (Salvia officinalis) also called garden sage, or common sage is a perennial, evergreen with woody stems, grayish leaves, and blue to purplish flowers. It is known for its medicinal, culinary, and ornamental landscaping uses. Native to the Mediterranean region, and naturalized in many places of the world, its name comes from the Latin Salvare, which translates roughly as "to rescue" or "to heal." Sage has been used as a remedy for respiratory problems--congestion, cough, sore throats, and for digestive aids--stimulating appetite or easing indigestion. Some say it has a beneficial effect on the liver, lowers fever, reduces menopausal symptoms and helps urinary problems.
Landscaping: Sage is one of the easiest herbs to grow in a drought garden and provides a nice backdrop to garden design as it grows bushy and fills in gaps while adding a pop of color. Sage grows to 3 feet in height and emits a distinct fragrance. Salvia officinalis "tricolor” has bright variegated leaves of cream, mint green and pink. For an ornamental garden, variegated green, golden or purple varieties are also available. Sage likes a sunny location with a well-drained, rich soil. The oblong leaves, gray-green in color, grow in pairs and measure nearly 2 inches long with fine hairs and soft rounded tips.
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There are many types of sage, some which aren’t really sage. Kathy Bosin says If you're a gardener, herbs offer a great variety of culinary, aromatic and ornamental uses. Sage is one of the hardiest additions to any garden, and because there are so many varieties, you can enjoy the best of all its uses. She explains varieties in an excellent article, 6 Different Types of Sage http://www.doityourself.com/stry/6-different-types-of-sage#b :
1. Garden Sage - This is the most common type of sage. It can be used for cooking, for brewing tea or simply for decoration. It is very hardy, and even after a long winter will come back more prolific the next year. Time seems to give this herb intensified production. Garden sage is silvery green with soft leaves, and can be used in cooking either fresh or dried. It will also attract beneficial garden insects if you leave some untouched on the ground.
2. Pineapple Sage - A perennial flower with tubular red flowers, salvia elegans, better known as pineapple sage, attracts hummingbirds and butterflies. Not known for its culinary uses, pineapple sage is thought to have medicinal effects, possessing antidepressant and anti-anxiety properties.
3. Russian Sage - Another perennial plant, Russian sage has silver-gray leaves and produces small, blue or lavender tubular flowers. It's not a culinary form of sage. In fact, it's not even in the sage genus, nor does it come from Russia. It's actually native to Afghanistan and Pakistan.
4. Purple Sage - Less hardy than garden sage, purple sage will nonetheless survive outdoors even in cooler climates. Once it is established--and if it is protected in the winter--it will come back in bloom the following year. Grow it in your garden for a dash of purple when you're mixing and matching different flowers for effect.
5. Golden Sage - Not merely a culinary herb, golden sage is used in many gardens as a strictly ornamental plant. It is about as hardy as purple sage, so it must be protected throughout the winter, but once it is established it will come back.
6. Berggruen Sage - This variety of sage is very similar to garden sage, except that it's bred so it will not flower. This hybrid sage will continue to produce soft, silvery green leaves for culinary and aromatic uses. I grow purple sage and golden sage for use in my flower arrangements and in cooking/baking, respectively. Both add color and fragrance to our landscape.
Cooking and Baking: Sage has a savory, slightly peppery flavor popular in many European cuisines, notably Italian, British and French, and also in Balkan and Middle Eastern cookery. In Italian cuisine, it is a vital ingredient in Saltimbocca and other fish flavored dishes and with veal. In British cooking it is essential to pork casserole, Sage Derby cheese and Lincolnshire sausages. The French add sage to stuffing, cured meats, sausage and pork dishes. And, of course, in the U. S., it is traditionally served as sage and onion stuffing, an accompaniment to roast turkey or chicken at Christmas or Thanksgiving Day. It is also tasty in bisquits or tea. Sage should be used with discretion as it can overwhelm a dish.
Below is a tasty simple recipe for Fettuccine with Brown Butter and Sage by Janet Fletcher of Bon Appetit (1-2008). Sage plays a lead role in this dish that we enjoy for a simple lunch, light dinner with a salad or as a side dish (serves 4):
Cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until tender, stirring occasionally. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup cooking liquid. Meanwhile, melt butter in heavy large skillet over medium-low heat. Add sage leaves and cook until edges curl and butter is dark amber (do not burn), stirring and turning leaves occasionally, about 6 minutes. Transfer sage to paper towels. Add stock to brown butter. Add pasta and 5 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese to brown butter mixture in skillet; toss to coat, adding reserved cooking liquid by tablespoonful if dry. Season with salt and pepper. Divide
among bowls. Garnish with fried sage leaves, passing cheese alongside.
Her recipe includes this test kitchen tip which I am adding here as brown butter and sage use can be tricky. In this recipe, the brown butter isn't strained, but it is in the shortbread and ice cream. Why? In some recipes, the milk solids are strained out of the brown butter to ensure a smooth texture. In others, the brown butter is strained because it
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will be cooked with other ingredients and the milk solids might burn. http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/fettuccine-with-brown-butter-and-sage-241121
One of our family favorite sage dinners is Milk-Braised Pork Chops with Sage and Mustard. I sauté the pork chops, then pour milk into the side of the pan half way (not over top) and bake with dry mustard and sage. A similar version (replacing mustard with garlic and adding beurre manié) can be found at: http://cookingfortwo.about.com/od/pork/r/milkpork.htm The recipe follows:
2 (1-inch-thick) pork loin chops seasoned with salt and pepper; 1 tablespoon oil; 1 to 1 1/2 cups milk; 2 whole peeled cloves garlic; 1/2 teaspoon rubbed sage; 2 teaspoons room-temperature butter; 2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
Heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium-high heat in a nonstick skillet. Brown chops on both sides. Arrange chops in an 8x8-inch baking dish and add enough of the 1 1/2 cups milk so it comes halfway up the sides of the meat. Add 2 whole peeled cloves of garlic and 1/2 teaspoon rubbed sage. Tightly cover baking dish with foil and place in center of 250 degree oven. Cook for 45 minutes. Remove from oven, turn chops over, re-cover, and return to oven for another 45 minutes. Meanwhile, thoroughly mix together 2 teaspoons room-temperature butter and 2 teaspoons all-purpose flour (this is called a beurre manié). Set chops on a plate and purée the pan juices of milk, garlic and sage in a blender. Pour the purée into a skillet and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Stir in beurre manié and continue stirring until thickened. Taste, adjust seasonings, and serve over chops.
A good tip about milk braising appears in this article: Most braising liquids include stocks, wine, beer or just plain old water. Braising in milk exists in many cultures and is thought to have originated in Italy with pork. But, certainly, the technique exists in Thai and other Asian cuisines where coconut milk is used and, undoubtedly, goat milk in Middle Eastern and North African cuisine. It is believed milk’s lactic acid tenderizes the pork, making it receptive to soaking up the flavors in the sauce. The pan juices become a sort of milk gravy. Pork seems to go well with sage and is tenderer when braised. I also make a recipe with pork chops and sage that braises in dark beer.
Fresh sage leaves should be aromatic and should have no soft spots or dry edges. Sage may be wrapped in paper towels and stored in a plastic bag in the refrigerator for 5 days, frozen without stems for up to one year, covered in olive oil and stored in the refrigerator for 3 weeks, or dried as a whole leaf to be used rubbed or ground to be powdery and stored in a cool dry dark place for 6 months. I use flavored oil in salad dressings or for sautéing. Freezing will intensify the flavor of the herb, so less is needed. Frozen piece are handy to add to stocks and soups.
Flower Arranging: Sage is lovely filler in flower arrangements, adding color and fragrance. It looks elegant simply placed in a nice vase as I did in the photo on the left. Sage holds its own in a jar, can step up to the role of boutonniere, or blend with other herbs like thyme and rosemary as shown below.
_______________________________________________________________________Herbs work hard to serve us, even in draught, adding beauty, flavor and fragrance to our meals, home and landscape. Drought Tolerant Aromatic Herbs herbs are truly an asset to every home.
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Internet References (in addition to those cited within text):
Mickelson, Bonnie Stewart, Ed. Private collection. The Junior League of Palo Alto, Inc.: Menlo Park. 1980.
Mickelson, Bonnie Stewart, Ed. Private collection 2. The Junior League of Palo Alto, Inc.: Menlo Park. 1984.
Napoli, Lizzie. If I had a garden in Provence. Editions Equinoxe: St. Remy-de-Provence. 2011.
There was not space in this paper to include lavender, a favorite of my garden herbs, so I have used it to add beauty to this reference page—shown here arranged in celadon vases we brought from Korea.
