Growing BBQ Spices in a Garden

Specialty Garden Series

“How to Bring Nature Home”

By Dave Sandersfeld

A Sandersfeld Enterprises Book

WHY TRY TO EXPLAIN MIRACLES TO OUR KIDS

WHEN YOU CAN JUST HAVE THEM PLANT A GARDEN

~ ROBERT BRUANLT

Copyright © 2011

ISBN-13:

978-1480066625

ISBN-10:

1480066621

Kindle Edition 2.0

All Rights Reserved

Sandersfeld Enterprises

www.abookbysandersfeld.com

Contents

INTRODUCTION

ZONE MAP

BBQ SPICE BED DIAGRAM

YOU CHOOSE THE PLANT!

RAISED BED TECHNOLOGY

SOME OTHER VALUES OF RAISED BEDS:

BAMBOO AND OTHER BARBEQUE “FLAVOR ENHANCERS”

THE BAMBOO

SPREADING

GOLDEN BAMBOO

(Phylostachys aureum)

GREEN BAMBOO

(Phylostachys nuda)

NARIHIRA

(Semiarundinaria fastuosa)

RED MARGIN

(Phylostachys rubro-marginata

CLUMPING

BLUE FOUNTAIN BAMBOO

(Fargesia nitida)

DRAGON’S HEAD

(Fargesia dracocephala)

UMBRELLA BAMBOO

(Fargesia murielae)

BURNING AROMATIC WOOD & SHRUBS

ANISE HYSSOP

(Agastache foeniculum)

BAYLEAF

(Laurus nobilis)

BEEBALM OR BERGAMOT

(Monarda didyma or fistulosa)

BORAGE

(Borago officinalis)

COSTMARY

(Chrysanthemum Or Tanacetum Balsamita)

HYSSOP

(Hyssopus Officinalis)

GERMANDER

(Teucrium chamaedrys)

LEMON BALM

(Melissa Officinalis)

MARJORAM

(Origonum Marjorana)

PURPLE PERILLA OR SHISO

(Perilla Frutescens)

SAGE

(Salvia Officinalis)

SWEET ANNIE

(Artemisia Annua)

VIETNAMESE CORIANDER OR RAU RAM

(Polygonum odoratum)

BARBEQUE HERBS, MARINADES & SAVORY SEASONINGS

“HERBS”

“SPICES”

“MARINADE”

“SEASONING BLENDS”

“SAVORY SEASONINGS”

“SEEDS”

SAVORY SORCERY OR BASTING HERBS

SOME SELECTED HERBS

ANISE

(Pimpinella Anisum)

BASIL

(Ocimum Basilicum)

CARAWAY

(Carum Carvi)

CELERY

LOVAGE

(Levisticum Officinalis)

CHERVIL

(Anthriscus Cerefolium)

CHILI

CORIANDER OR CILANTRO

(Coriandrum sativum)

CUMIN

CURRY POWDER

DILL SEED/LEAF

(Anethum Graveolens)

DRIED HOT PEPPERS

(Capiscum Species)

FENNEL

(Foeniculum Vulgare)

FINOCCHIO FENNEL

GINGER

(Zingiber mioga)

LICORICE

(Glycyrrhiza glabra)

MINT

(Mentha Species)

MUSHROOMS

MUSTARD

(Brassica Species)

ONION & LEEK & SHALLOTS & CHIVE

OREGANO

(Origanum Vulgare)

PARSLEY

(Petroselinum Crispum)

PEPPER (SALT & PEPPER)

(Piper Nigrum)

ROSEMARY

(Rosmarinus Officinalis)

SAFFRON

(Crocus Sativus)

SAVORY

(Satureja Montana)

TARRAGON

(Artemisia Dracunculus Var. Sativa)

THYME

(Thymus Species)

EPAZOTE

(Chenopodium Ambrosiodes)

BARBEQUE SPICES AND SEASONINGS

GARLIC

(Allium Sativum)

HORSERADISH

(Armoracia Rusticana “Variegata”)

JUNIPER BERRY

(Juniperis Species)

LEMON-ORANGE PEEL

PAPRIKA

(Capsicum Annum)

BIBLIOGRAPHY

ABOUT THE SPECIALTY GARDEN SERIES

“There are two motives for reading a book: one, that you enjoy it; the other is that you can boast about it.”

Bertrand Russell

Introduction

Ancient people, anthropological research shows, used to roast mammoth meat over open fires for feasts and this outdoor cookery technique is making a big come back in the Twenty-First Century!

Consider these statistics from the Hearth, Patio & Barbecue Association

Eighty-two percent of North American households own a grill or smoker.

The majority of grill owners use their grills year-round (56 percent).

Traditional summer holidays top the list of the most popular grilling holidays: the Fourth of July (71 percent), Memorial Day (57 percent), Labor Day (55 percent) and even Father's Day (47 percent).

Nearly half (46 percent) of grill owners see their outdoor grilling area as a functional cooking area of their home, while more than one-fourth (28 percent) see it as a place to rest and relax.

Forty percent of consumers have a large moveable grill system on a modest patio/deck, with some outdoor furniture and an informal place to eat.

Consumers say an easy ignition system (68 percent) and large grilling surface (55 percent) are the most important features of a gas grill, followed by durability (52 percent) and ease of cleaning (43 percent).

Gas grills are used on average 45 times a year and used to entertain an average of 11 times a year. While charcoal grill owners use their grill an average of 27 times a year and entertain with their grill an average of nine times a year.

Nearly one-fourth (23 percent) of households own two grills. (HPBA, 2012)

Have you ever wondered what the word “Barbeque” really stands for?

Outdoors camping, my favorite thing is starting a campfire before dusk and set up camp.  Before dusk, I throw a ¾-inch elk steak to sear quickly after a campfire dies down to red-hot coals, one can fan the coals to blow off all the soot and drop a steak onto the coals.

Is this Barbeque? How about the person smoking fish or hams in a smoker or smoke house?

How about some Australian Aborigine roasting some kangaroo flank on a spit over an open outdoor fire?

Then you got the people with a new gas grill flipping hamburgers on the back patio?

I think all these outdoors cooking techniques are “BARBEQUE”: and if you enjoy this hobby, this book will enhance your future experience!

Dictionary Of Word Origins says that Barbeque had a Haitian term “barbacoa” describing “someone who dried meat on a wooden frame over the fire.” (Ayto)

Well, that is another technique to barbeque!

I think half the fun of the barbeque is trading secrets with friends and neighbors; the other half is having fresh varieties of dried barbeque flavor enhancing herbs and spices to experiment with and invent new exotic flavors from the same barbeque technique your friends use.

This book explains how we American can grow bamboo in our backyards for fresh bamboo sprouts and Shish kabob skewers. Plus, several dozen other flavor-enhancing herbs to grow and try out on friends and family during your next BBQ season!

Happy BBQing this summer!

BBQ SPICE BED DIAGRAM

This is a possible BBQ Spice bed diagram incorporating all the smaller plants, place into a small backyard or raised bed or in containers.

This alignment of plants is for their ideal growing condition from full sun to partial shade in afternoon. Thus, I recommend the onion field be placed on the South and larger plants, like hyssop, sage, costmary and bergamot be placed on the North – so their taller shade does not kill the other plants in the Northern Hemisphere. (Opposite in Southern Hemisphere!)

Much larger potential BBQ Garden plants, like Bamboo, Sea berry, Bay leaf, Borage, Sweet Annie (re-seeds prolifically), Lovage (Celery), Dill, Fennel, Licorice, others and Lemon Balm and Mints need to be kept confined in containers!

YOU CHOOSE THE PLANT!

There is an endless bio-diversity of plants found on this planet Earth! When shopping for garden plants keep in mind these three simple forms.

ANNUALS: Bloom in one season and go to seed. Some are easily re-seeded. Some are not easy to simply re-seed a garden plot. I will try to recommend easy re-seeders.

BIENNIALS: These Do NOT bloom the first year, but bloom and seed the second year. Caraway is an example of a Biennial. I will try to not recommend any biennials in these books.

PERENNIALS: I will recommend permanent, year after year, perennials plants generally; but some annuals and biennials are amazingly beautiful. Thus, the reader can decide which to use!

RAISED BED TECHNOLOGY

We all probably have childhood memories of grandparents working their gardens; maybe you even got volunteered to help them weed.

The weeding process seemed to be never ending backbreaking work while standing under the hot sun; but the taste of a fresh, homegrown tomato or strawberry or blueberry seemed to make all the work worthwhile.

In the Twenty-First Century, many people are turning back to home fresh gardening.

Some are concerned about the endless line of chemicals, irradiation and pesticides sprayed on produce sold commercially to make them appear fresh. Also others read news reports about our Nation’s farmland soils are becoming sterile of essential nutrients and this fact is making even less nutritious fruits & vegetables essential for a healthy diet. More over others are concerned about shelf life and the deteriorating commercial quality of produce shipped in from all over the world.

Grandma’s garden was essentially a hole in the flat ground with some turned over soil in the backyard that she tended and watered with almost religious devotion because she knew it would feed her family in tough times.

Gardening in the year 2002 has evolved into a hi-tech science.

Grandma probably didn’t know about acid or alkaline soil, composting, soil enhancement additives, fertilizer or raised beds.

A “Raised Bed” is an engineered structure composed of stacked walls of timbers, cinder block, brick or landscaping wall block; it is a value-added addition to any modern home landscape.  Its height and dimensions are determined by this beds specific engineered function; but never build one wider than 5-feet. Most people can reach 2.5 feet into a bed to pick stones, weeds or an insect or harvest berries or mushrooms or tomatoes.  Any wider than five feet, a raised bed becomes a problem!

The original raised bed was designed as a lower maintenance addition to a home garden; as common lawn-grasses creep into ground-level gardens and one has to continually cut the encroaching grasses out of a garden – along with weeding! The newest “Dura-turf” lawn sod does not creep out by root-rhizomes?

SOME OTHER VALUES OF RAISED BEDS:

Raised beds are the first to thaw in spring and last to freeze in winter. Spring flowering bulbs flower in February in raised beds and one can harvest fresh tomatoes until November! The brick or stonework collects and retains solar radiation and the raised bed’s soil heats up 10 to 20 degrees higher than the existing ground level soils. This will mean summer drip irrigation or watering will be required to keep these soils moisten & cool by evapo-transpiration – like trees naturally cool themselves under intense summer heat.

Most raised beds are designed to be 24 to 30 inches tall to provide a seat for the individual homeowner to sit comfortably while occasionally weeding or harvesting a crop. Of course, Blackberry or Blueberry raised beds would be shorter; as the crop is taller!

Raised bed’s soil can be whatever you want it to be.

It won’t matter if you live with lava rock just under the topsoil, or you live where natural heavy clay, or sterile sand or above soggy wet ground in a wetland, the few cubic yards of soils in your raised bed will be perfect for any crop You want.

Raised beds cut down on the generic lawnscapes in a yard that we have to continually mow, water heavily and apply fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides!

The elevated crop heights of flowers-roses and aromatic spices can more easily be picked up by the summer winds and spread the scent throughout the yard.

Naturally attracted butterflies/hummingbirds and native songbirds come up closer to eye-level. A higher raised bed can accommodate those with special needs.

The raised bed’s engineered stable structure easily lends itself to install hoops over these beds for a clear plastic covering for instant greenhouses!

BAMBOO AND OTHER BARBEQUE “FLAVOR ENHANCERS”

Bamboo is a tough and tall grass with a hard stalk used for cane fences, fishing poles, furniture, and modern BBQ “Shish” (a skewer) “Kabob” (lamb chunks) for ages.

Any Bamboo grows too large to be considered a “spice”; but this makes a unusual functional landscaping plant for both BBQ cooks & gardeners an family projects.

One could buy dried out bamboo skewers at the store; but they burn up in the flames. Green Bamboo skewers add a light spice of their own and bamboo   roots or “toes” can be sliced, like water chestnuts, to hold meat chunks and goodies on the skewer tightly.

Culinary history says skewer cooked meats probably started with shepherds in civilization’s birthplace of Sumeria and Babylonia (Home of one of the ancient wonders of the world – the Tower of Babel’s Hanging Gardens) and Arabians, Armenians, Persians, Syrians and Turks cooks have a long history of cooking with skewer sticks. However, even the French cooks call it “en brochette”? I am confident traveling warriors of those ancient times deployed swords and spears as skewers; but I believe Shish kabobs are more popular today in backyard cookouts than even back then.

However, way back then, before refrigeration, “Burning Aromatic woods” and “marinades” or heavily spiced, pre-BBQ meat sauces were more commonly used back then than today to hide the fact the meat often was “turning” or tainted or spoiled by the time it was ready to cook.          Marinades also tenderized the meat!

Meat tenderizers have wine, vinegar or lemon juice added.

Fortunately today, we can go to a butcher or grocery store and pick up certified fresh seafood, shrimp, clams, mutton, beef, pork, chicken, ham or bacon we can accordion across a skewer for our family or friend any afternoon.

Yet is there any good reason we should not re-learn the creative art of herbal and spice outdoor cooking again – even though our meat is usually fresh?

Here are some ideas of what we modern BBQers can stick between our favorite meats chunks on our skewer: Asparagus chunks, Mushroom caps, pitted black or stuffed green olives, figs, Squares of green or sweet red peppers, cherry tomatoes, mild chili peppers, chunks of zucchini or yellow crookneck squash, small red or white potatoes or parboiled chunks of spuds, green leek leaves or shallots or small white-red-yellow onions, fresh or preserved apricots or peaches or apples, chunk of yam or sweet potato (pre-cook), cubes of tofu, wedges of lime, lemon, orange or grapefruit with peel, 2-inch chunks or carrot or broccoli, pre-cooked parsnip or turnip or rutabaga or okra, fresh or canned pineapple slices, various pickles or hard cheese.

One modern luxury the ancient Middle Eastern cooks were denied were fresh bamboo stems to split easily into meat skewer at any length you want.

THE BAMBOO

That grows in Northern Hemisphere comes in two forms: Spreading or Clumping.

INTERNET SOURCES: www.onegreenworld.com

NOTE: This is the only source I know of for these varied Bamboo plants.

COLD TENDER PERENNIAL

HABITAT: Bamboo like full sun and grows like a weed. The more water you give it the faster it grows.

SPREADING

Root spreading Bamboos can take over like Mint or horseradish, like grass that spreads by roots. Bamboo and these spreading plants need a corner of your yard where a solid bamboo cane clump can be left alone to spread!  However, these abundant spreading rootlets can be cut, washed and sliced into “Bamboo shoots” (like tropical water chestnuts for stir fries) for stir fry or wok cooking or slide onto shish kabob skewers?  For the Bamboo shoot advocates, you need to dig a foot deep trench around spreading clumps of Bamboo and let trench fill with fallen leaves – so these rootlets do not root!

Now you can cut bamboo shoots, like asparagus; but bamboo shoot grow all warm season long!

GIANT TIMBER BAMBOO

(Phylostachys vivax)

A shocking back yard view as this plant can grow canes up to 7 inches in diameter and when mature, it can reach 60 feet in height!

Keep this monster trenched in and under control! If any bamboo shoots get away, you can still make furniture?

The long drooping bright green wall of foliage adds exotic beauty to any backyard; and the strong durable canes could be used for furniture. This plant is hardy to minus 10° degrees F.

ZONES: 6-10

NOTE: This Plant loses its leaves at –10 °; but the root remains active and spring back each year!

GOLDEN BAMBOO

(Phylostachys aureum)

This bamboo has lovely, golden yellow canes and the 2-inch shoots are quite tasty and easily cut off. However, this bamboo reaches 30-feet tall; but the canes tend to warp or contort at the base?

It is great for a hedge or visual barrier; but it survives freezes down to 0° degrees F.

ZONES: 7-10

GREEN BAMBOO

(Phylostachys nuda)

This 15-foot tall wall of foliage has narrow long leave that shimmer in the slightest breeze. The two-inch shoots are particularly tasty. This is the hardiest Bamboo available and it withstands temperature drops to minus 20° degrees

ZONES: 5-10

NARIHIRA

(Semiarundinaria fastuosa)

This stately, upright and attractive landscape plant grows vigorously – but spreads out slowly. It is denser than most bamboos.

It grows a 15-20 feet tall-wall of long, heavy, dark green foliage and thrives in

ZONES: 6-10.

RED MARGIN

(Phylostachys rubro-marginata)

New shoots are delicious and develop an attractive red margin that is decorative in cooking. This utility bamboo grows 35-feet tall and canes are only 2.5 inches in diameter. The right size for tomato stakes, arches or other wood working projects. It is hardy to –10 degrees

ZONES: 6-10.

CLUMPING

BLUE FOUNTAIN BAMBOO

(Fargesia nitida)

This smaller, 12-foot tall, graceful plant would make a delightful accent to a small backyard yard.  It would supply bamboo shoots and half-inch diameter, straight canes for staking or fencing purposes. It is hardy to a winter temperature of –20 degrees F

ZONES: 5-9.

DRAGON’S HEAD

(Fargesia dracocephala)

This 8 to 10-foot tall bamboo with willow-like leaves looks like and erupting geyser in form. It produces half-inch shoots and canes. It grows in

ZONES: 5-9.

UMBRELLA BAMBOO

(Fargesia murielae)

This is a weeping bamboo that attains 12-foot tall.  The light green foliage could weep and cover your picnic table?  It has half-inch shoots and canes and grows in

ZONES: 5-9.

BURNING AROMATIC WOOD & SHRUBS

Grocery store sells bottles of “Liquid Smoke” or you can buy expensive smoked meats to impressed friends with your barbeque skills; but that seems dishonest and impersonal – lacking any creativity!

I think the most simple & satisfactory way to achieve that great and unique smoked taste is to throw a few moist stems in your fire or leaves of aromatic herbs.

After cooking the feast to perfection, cast a half dozen stems or leaves of cilantro, sage, thyme, hyssop, peppermint savory or whatever into coals and cover the meal to simmer and smoke a few more minutes.

You can even use trees and shrubs like oak, hickory, bay leaf, alder, wintergreen-aspen, myrtle, walnut, almond, juniper, cedar, spruce or fruitwood chips from cherry or apple, blackberry or raspberry leaves.

Orange, lemon, lime trees flavor nicely; but us Northern hemisphere folks can’t grow these in our backyard easily.  We have freezing temperatures each winter further away from equator.

Oh! Do not use pine needles; it leaves a residue like turpentine!

ANISE HYSSOP

(Agastache foeniculum)

This perennial, 40-inch tall shrub (2-foot wide) has stems and flowers strongly anise scented leaves. Grow it in full sun and it is not particular beyond that. It makes an excellent bee-attracting plant and makes a delightful, fragrant honey? Leaves make an excellent tea and culinary seasoning.

ZONES: 4-9.

HABITAT: Native of the Northern plains of the United States.  The spike of pink flowers are popular with native hummingbirds.

HEIGHT: 3-foot tall and two-foot wide

SEED: Buy plant. Place in full sun or partial shade with moderate water and well-drained soils.

INTERNET SOURCE: www.richters.com

BAYLEAF

(Laurus nobilis)

Is from a Sweet Bay or Laurel Tree; but it is considered an herb as we use the leaf rather than nut, bark or root in a spice.  I recommend the smooth leafed Bay leaf of the California species below – which is three times stronger than Greek or Turkish species.

Use bay leaf sparingly in stews or soups with beef, pork or lamb. Simmer the bay leaf for 30 minutes and remove and serve.  Remove the bay leaf before serving, as it does not break down!

Tender PERENNIAL

ZONES: 7-10

HABITAT: Long lived, tender shrub or small tree that grows in the grassy foothills of California. Frost-sensitive! It is best grown in wooded tub; so it can be moved inside during winter in the North.

Like wine, thyme, and leeks, Bayleaf is a foundation flavor in all-French cooking. – whether meat, fish or poultry.

HEIGHT: This plant makes good bonsai trees; but a cook may want it to reach out to a three-foot globe of leaves to harvest repeatedly.

SEED: grow plants

INTERNET SOURCE: www.richters.com

BEEBALM OR BERGAMOT

(Monarda didyma or fistulosa)

This plant has citrus-orange flavored leaves and blooms! Use whenever you want an added “delicious lemon-orange zest”!

PERENNIAL

ZONES: 4-9

HABITAT: Native to eastern U.S. It is mildly invasive; as it spreads around its root ball. No need to containerize though. It is popular with butterflies & hummingbirds; as it blooms all summer. The name Bergamot refers to wild plant’s smell similar to tropical tree called Orange Bergamot

HEIGHT: 2-4-feet tall and 1.5 feet wide

SEED: Buy seed of fistulosa and plants of didyma. This plant likes morning sun and light shade in hot afternoons in rich, moist soils. Heat evaporates essences away. Never let soil dry out!

INTERNET SOURCE: www.richters.com

BORAGE

(Borago officinalis)

This plant imparts a cucumber flavor; however, the leaves have bristly hairs. So burning the leaves would be ideal for imparting cucumber flavor to meats!

One would have to scrape the leaves to use in salad or cook them as “spring tonic greens”.

This plant also has a unique history with it. During the Middle Ages (400 to 1400 A.D.), this plant was known as the “Herb of Gladness” or the “Cool Tankard”!

English women drank its tea to relieve the jitters of love and premenstrual cramps and Knights drank the Cool Tankard before battle or tournaments & Jousts. This odd plant has chemical components to exhilarate the mind and calm the nerves. Before battles, maidens embroidered the purple starflowers on scarves as emblems of courage and wish for a safe return.

Today, people place the odd, small starflower in ice cube trays for distinctive ice cubes for punch bowls, summer drinks or ice tea cubes. Borage is naturally high in calcium and potassium and it would make an excellent afternoon tea

For elderly woman trying to ward off osteoporosis, borage can help.

With so many chemical components, it is best to use in moderation – maybe cooling summer drinks during sweltering hot summer eves exclusively? Add lemon balm to sweeten and add lemon twist.

Hardy ANNUAL, that re-seeds prolifically,

ZONES: ALL

HABITAT: Native to northern Europe. Borage blooms from spring through summer. Quite a conversation piece!

HEIGHT: 3-foot tall and 2-foot wide

SEED Place pinch of seed in full sun or partial shade with moderate watering in well-drained soils. This plant does not like heavy clay soils. Its long taproot resents transplanting; but it makes a good drought-tolerant ground cover and soil binder.

INTERNET SOURCE: www.richters.com

COSTMARY

(Chrysanthemum Or Tanacetum Balsamita)

This plant’s leaves have a strong mixed flavor of lemon and balsam. The flavor is tangy, suggesting sweet mint & bitter tansy. It is an ancient “strewing herb”!

PERENNIAL

ZONES: 2-9

HABITAT: Native to western Asia and southern Europe. It has been grown for ages for its sweet scented foliage.  Periodic cutting just keeps it from getting tall and scraggly!

HEIGHT: 2-3 foot high and 2 foot wide

SEED: Buy plants. Place in full sun with regular water weekly by drip irrigation.

INTERNET SOURCE: www.richters.com

HYSSOP

(Hyssopus Officinalis)

This plant is a strong minty honey flavor, used sparingly, it adds tang to soups and strongly flavored meat. Dried or fresh, the leaves reduce the grease in sausage. Instead of cilantro, try hyssop leaf in your salsa. Hyssop also flavors the liqueur Benedictine and Chartreuse.

HABITAT: Hyssop is native to the Mediterranean region; where it grows among the rocks. Hebrew King David once said “Purge me with Hyssop and I shall be Clean” Psalms 51:7.

It is evergreen and a member of mint family with a square stem. However, it is not invasive; one could bend down and bury branches off a living plant and start a new plant. Call it a sub shrub as it never gets very woody!

HEIGHT: 2-3 feet tall and 1-2 wide

SEED: Buy seed. It is easy to grow in full sun to light shade and it likes alkaline soils.  Gently rake seed into soils in March or April. Grow plants a foot apart. Protect plants with mulch each winter if the temperature drops below 20 degrees F. at night.

INTERNET SOURCE: www.richters.com

GERMANDER

(Teucrium chamaedrys)

ZONES: This is another sub shrub and hardy perennial in all zones with a mild garlic-spice flavor.

HABITAT: Its home is rock & boulders. It doesn’t need any special care – tougher than hyssop!

HEIGHT: 1-2 feet tall and 3 wide

SEED: Buy plants. Space plants 2 foot apart. Tolerant of high heat, prefers full sun and well-drained soil. Droughty once established. It makes an excellent low hedge too!

INTERNET SOURCE: www.richters.com

LEMON BALM

(Melissa Officinalis)

This plant has leaves that burst lemon when squeezed.  One of the sweetest scented herbs and a delightful tea too!

PERENNIAL

ZONES: 5-9

HABITAT: Native to southern Europe. It spreads by underground runners; so, in small gardens, it would be wise to keep it in black plastic containers like the mints!

HEIGHT: 2-foot tall and 1.5-foot wide

SEED: Buy plants.

INTERNET SOURCE: www.richters.com

MARJORAM

(Origonum Marjorana)

This plant, Wild Oregano, has a bitter bite backed by minty camphor like sensation. Fresh or dried leaves are popular in beef, pork, veal & fish seasoning, scrambled eggs, salads, vinegars, casseroles and tomato dishes. Use with a light hand for a delicate, distinctive flavor in cream and sour cream and brown sauces. Lamb and marjoram are a legend!

PERENNIAL

ZONES: 4-8, summer annual anywhere else.

HABITAT: Native to Mediterranean and Turkey. Blossoms are especially attractive to bees and butterflies.

HEIGHT: One - two foot tall and wide.

SEED: Place pinch of seeds in full sun with moderate water and any soil. In winter, cut down to ground to keep from getting too woody and keep abundance of new leaves.

INTERNET SOURCE: www.richters.com

PURPLE PERILLA OR SHISO

(Perilla Frutescens)

This Plant is purple and has a delightful cinnamon-mint aroma. Popular in Japan for flavoring raw fish, bean curd, pickles and tempura. It also imparts a scarlet color to vinaigrettes pickled plums or preserved ginger. Extremely easy to grow!

ANNUAL, which re-seeds,

ZONES: All

HABITAT: Native to Himalayas and eastern Asia.

HEIGHT: 2-3 foot tall and 1-foot wide

SEED: Place pinch of seeds in full sun or light shade with regular weekly water (Drip irrigation).

INTERNET SOURCE: www.richters.com

SAGE

(Salvia Officinalis)

This is perhaps the best-known herb. This evergreen plant has an exotic pine, rosemary and mint combo aroma or taste.  Here again, this herb is native to south-central Europe where most of the common herbs come from!

Typically, it is used in turkey dressing. However, pork, duck, chicken, fish, veal stews, omelets, chasse & bean dishes and sausages are complimented by it.

PERENNIAL

ZONES: 5-9

HABITAT: Largest genus under the mint family group.

HEIGHT: 2-3-foot high up to 2-foot wide.

SEED: Buy plants. Place in full sun with moderate water in about any well-draining soil. It likes alkaline soils.

INTERNET SOURCE: www.richters.com

SWEET ANNIE

(Artemisia Annua)

This plant has a very strong sweet basil & honey flavor and aroma. It makes a delightful visual barrier and powerful medicinal plants too!

ANNUAL Re-Seed

ZONES: ALL

HABITAT: Native of southern Europe and western Asia. The entire plant turns beautiful red comes fall and cut it down for sachets, herbal baths or potpourri during the winter!

HEIGHT: 6-10 feet tall and 2 feet wide

SEED: Sow seeds in place in fall or early spring in full sun in any type of soil and moderate watering. It grows like a weed in disturbed soils; so keep it from wandering out of your backyard!

Keep some seeds for re=planting in spring!

INTERNET SOURCE: www.richters.com

VIETNAMESE CORIANDER OR RAU RAM

(Polygonum odoratum)

This plant has a delightful orange spice aroma. Stems are dark red for added culinary color!

ANNUAL: Re-Seeds

ZONES: All

HABITAT: Native to Asia and Japan. Slowly spreading rhizomes; but not a problem in northern hemisphere

HEIGHT: 1.5 to 3.5 feet tall and 2-feet wide

SEED: Buy plants here. Like cilantro, it likes sun to partial shade in loose well-drained soil with moderate water.

INTERNET SOURCE: www.richters.com

BARBEQUE HERBS, MARINADES & SAVORY SEASONINGS

“Parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme….” are the opening line of a 1960’s song by Simon and Garfunkel; but these are BBQ and cooking herbs too!

Readers, we are now at the point that we need to compare notes on different recipes, types or ways to enhance our family BBQ experience going forward.

Here are some thoughts about the difference between herbs and spices, for example; but your family discussion may have different opinions. The main thing is we all think of barbecuing beyond simply slamming hot dogs and hamburgers on a hot grill. There is more to life and BBQ than fire.

“HERBS” are the aromatic leaves and stems of low-growing plants; largely from the Mediterranean region that can be annuals, biennials, or perennials. Caraway is a biennial; which means it grows the first year and next year it flowers and seeds.  I like Caraway; so I grow it for the seeds every other year. However, it is less than prolific!

Basil is an example of an annual plant that you must seed each year for a fresh summer crop. However, the clove-scented “Holy Basil” (Ocimum sanctum) is a true perennial that comes back each year from the same root in the same location and self-sows seeds also for larger and larger crops – if not weeded out?

“SPICES” come from the bark, roots, fruit, nut or berry of perennial trees or shrubs. Some examples of spices would be cinnamon bark, ginger root or nutmeg/mace from various parts of a tropical tree fruit. Thus, orange peel or lemon peel would be considered a spice.

“MARINADE” is an acid based syrup, lemon peel & molasses, for example, that is used to soak tough meat in before we cook it on the “Barbi”!  The acids break down tough gristle and strong meat fibers to make it easier for teeth to chew and stomach to digest. Many Commercial “Tenderizers” are on the shelf in pre-bottled concoctions – if you prefer.

“SEASONING BLENDS” are usually a secret family recipe or combination of several herbs and /or spices and /or seeds prepared for a specific purpose (i.e. tenderizer, BBQ sauce, salad dressing, dessert topping, etc. Poultry seasoning, chili powder or apple-pie spice could be an example.

“SAVORY SEASONINGS” or Basting Juices are our old friend’s garlic, onion, bell pepper, horseradish, mushrooms and others that can be diced or grated into easy to use powder, pastes or dried flake form

“SEEDS” are often the flavorful seeds of various annual plants; but caraway is a biennial. Anise, fennel, coriander, dill are examples of annual seeds. We will treat them as herbs.

SAVORY SORCERY OR BASTING HERBS

Before moving into a long list of herbs and spices to follow, I thought I would touch on the creative side of using your new BBQ beds for Savory Sorcery or “Gourmet Cooking”.

One can use dry black lava cobbles under meat  to enhance HEAT in BBQ cooking; the fun part is making something delicious with whatever you have on hand locally.

NEVER use stream stones as trapped moisture explode these  heated rocks!

Simmered cooked meat sauces provide a wonderful complimentary dish with vegetables or cheese or herbal gravy with potatoes. To get cooked meat sauces on a BBQ means cooking over an aluminum foil basin – where the coals heat up and swirls around the meat and juices drip down into some impromptu basin.

Vinaigrette or various flavored vinegars make a delightful basting, marinating and mix with meat sauce, a delightful gravy. Some people use peanut oils or others to baste a meal; and others like to use lemon or orange juices or molasses or honey to surprise guests with a delightful meal.

The key is being curious about this effect or that and perfects the science of time. Never dump a garlic bulb in a sauce or be heavy-handed with herbs. Like friendship, light touches make the best approach and you grow together.

French or Dutch Hollandaise is an example of how to work out your own personal style. “Hollandaise Sauce” is basically butter-lemon-egg yolk all mixed together in a blender. Most cookbooks have a recipe.

One author describes it as a “Lovely yellow, supremely rich, ineluctably smooth masterpiece of the culinary art”.

Once you make the Hollandaise sauce – then play with it!

Add minced garlic, chives, or horseradish or tarragon.

Beat in egg white to thin it or make it go further.

Fold in a heavy cream and call it “Sauce Mousseline”.

Beat in browned butter and call it “Sauce Noisette”.

Add orange sauce and call it “Sauce Maltaise

Stir in mustard powder and call it “Sauce Moutarde

“Sauce Bearnaise” replaces lemon juice with white wine, vinegar and tarragon & shallots! Some others add tomato paste? (Rutledge Book, 1978)

SOME SELECTED HERBS

ANISE

(Pimpinella Anisum)

This plant is best known for the source of seeds to create the liqueurs “Anisette”.  Fresh chopped leaves add a soft licorice-like taste to marinades or BBQ sauces for lamb or pork.

COLD TENDER PERENNIAL

ZONES: ALL

HABITAT: Native to Mediterranean, Asia minor and Egypt. The seed was an ancient trade item into Europe.

HEIGHT: 1 foot tall and wide

SEED: Direct seed in early spring. Average germination is 17-30 days space about 12 inches apart. Fast growing plants prefer full sun, average, well-drained soil and regular weekly water during growth. Dry period for seed ripening.

INTERNET SOURCE: www.horizonherbs.com

BASIL

(Ocimum Basilicum)

It was used for herbal flavoring dishes long before the time of Christ. Fresh Basil tastes mildly like licorice and the dried leaf has a more lemon anise flavor.  However, one can now buy a clove or cinnamon or other varieties of Basil for your BBQ Garden. Note: pick leaves just before flower buds open for the strongest flavor of each!  Tomatoes and basil go hand in hand. Throw stems on BBQ coals to flavor meat also!

TENDER ANNUAL THAT WILL NEED TO BE RE-SEEDED

ZONES: All

HABITAT: Originally grew in tropical Asia and Africa.

NOTE: All recipes that call for dried herbs –use three times as much fresh herb for dried!

HEIGHT: 2.5 tall and 2 feet wide.

SEED: Plant seed after soil is above 60 degrees F. in enriched, moist warm soil in full sun. Germination occurs within 7 to 10 days.

To preserve basil or any other herbs, cut the stem above root and hang upside down in garage or in a dry dark space. When dry and crackly, carefully place stems in large paper grocery sack and strip leaves of stems. Save stems in tied bundles and label for later BBQ coals; but pour leaves into dark plastic bottles (clean Coffee creamers jars work well) and label and date.

INTERNET SOURCE: www.horizonherbs.com

CARAWAY

(Carum Carvi)

This plant does not amount very much the first year; but next mid-summer you can harvest all the seeds you can take for drying and storage. Oh! Leave some seeds for re-planting site next summer – restart the slow process!

NORMALLY BIENNIAL – SEEDS SECOND YEAR

ZONES: 5-8

HABITAT: I do not know the origin of this spicy and often forgotten species; but it acts like a typical Mediterranean species. It is worth the troubles to use in soups, stews, sausages and add zest to vegetables or marinades.

HEIGHT: 2.5 feet by 2 feet wide

SEED: Sow seeds in early spring in average soil under full sun.

INTERNET SOURCE: www.richters.com

CELERY

Is a pain to grow on your own for various reasons; but there is an easy substitute called Lovage and the flavor is not watered down!  One can take lovage leaves and dry and powder and call it “Celery Powder” or add to salt for “Celery Salt”.

LOVAGE

(Levisticum Officinalis)

Has a more potent, crisper celery flavor than celery!

PERENNIAL

ZONES: ALL

HABITAT: Lovage was brought to England by Roman soldiers and English colonist brought it to America; but very few Americans know about this delightful celery substitute.

A medieval custom said “Yarrow & Lovage leaves steeped in brandy maketh a love potion”. Hey, it works for me!

However, I take lovage tea whenever I have an upset stomach or flu too. The girls in my life use Lovage tea to relieve “fluid retention” helping PMS also.

Plant die back in winter; but spring back in spring; its hardy and long lived.

HEIGHT: 4-FOOT TALL AND TWO-FOOT WIDE

SEED: Rake in a pinch of seeds where they will grow anytime during the winter; as it keeps the seedlings moist. It will tolerate any soils, even dry; but it grows best in rich, composted, well-drained soils.

INTERNET SOURCE: www.richters.com

CHERVIL

(Anthriscus Cerefolium)

Chervil is a quaint, low growing annual plant akin to parsley with a slight anise flavor. It will re-seed itself!

It is a key ingredient in several exquisite French recipes in cookbooks and I recommend it for marinades and/or BBQ sauces for pork, lamb, veal, scrambled eggs as well as any fish or shellfish – including lobster. and used often in French cooking.

ANNUAL

ZONES: ALL

HABITAT: this parsley family member is native to S. Russia. It is grown commercially now only in Belgium. It imparts a strong parsley flavor!

HEIGHT: 1 or 2 feet high and 1 foot wide

SEED: I planted my chervil under the shade of a large deciduous tree’s shade in common soil; because it tend to “bolt” or go to seed under direct summer heat. Flavor It best with weekly watering. It re-seeds so prolifically that you’ll have a perennial supple – once started.

INTERNET SOURCE: www.richters.com

CHILI

Is an admixture of cumin, garlic, coriander (Cilantro), oregano and several kinds of chili peppers (mild to hot?).

It is very pungent when fresh; but quickly loses its appeal in storage.  You say you buy “Chili Powder” in the store? How long has it taken from creation, packaging, and shipping and sat on store shelf before you bought it? It has lost its entire real flavor needless to say! I like fresh chili sauce in soufflés, cheese dips, marinades and basting sauces for pork, lamb, beef and chicken.

Least we not forget Chili con carne!

CORIANDER OR CILANTRO

(Coriandrum sativum)

For the record, coriander seeds come from cilantro plants annually each year.

The delightful orange spice aroma of Cilantro leaves are a favorite of mine and historical evidence shows it was the mass planting of cilantro/fragrance that really made the ancient Babylon Hanging Gardens one of the ancient world’s seven wonders! Even the ancient Biblical Book of Exodus (16:31) described Moses’ “manna” as being “like coriander seed, white; and it tasted like honey cakes.”

Moderns’ beware: Cilantro, Dill and Fennel within 10-feet of each other will share each other’s aromas! Hey, it might be great; but I have never tried it.

Cilantro’s piquant or peppery flavor in leaf loses its flavor quickly cooking; but it is good for marinades, salads, and such; but. Coriander seed works best in oven. Coriander seed has a pleasant orange flavor that increases in strength in storage!

To harvest Coriander seeds, cut the cilantro stem and dump into large, paper grocery sack and let sit in dark in garage for a week. Then strip plants from stem downward and seeds will cover bottom of sack to be poured into dark, airtight plastic container. I use old, clean, brown coffee creamer jars!

ANNUAL

ZONES: ALL

HABITAT: Cilantro is the leaves; Coriander is the seed.

HEIGHT: 3 FEET HIGH AND 1 FOOT WIDE

SEED: One of the easies herbs to grow from seeds. Cilantro grows 3-foot tall (foot wide) in full sun or partial shade. It is droughty and needs only average, well-drained soil.

NOTE: CILANTRO-DILL AND FENNEL WILL SHARE AROMAS – IF PLANTED TOGETHER.

INTERNET SOURCE: www.richters.com

CUMIN

A brown powder from tropical plants; but in the northern hemisphere we have a substitute called “LOVE-IN-MIST” (Nigella Damascena) takes the sweetness out of tomato sauce or sugars in BBQ sauces.

I use it to unsweetened mayonnaise in tuna, chicken, potato or macaroni salad or French Dressing.

COLD TENDER PERENNIAL

ZONES: 5 to 11

HABITAT: Nigella is originally from SW Asia. Over the Centuries, the leaves have been a pepper substitute, and known as Roman Coriander or Fennel flower. Its velvety black seed smell like crushed nutmeg!

I first grew it has a tough, beautiful blue, bizarre flower!

HEIGHT: 1 to 2.5 feet tall; but 6-inches wide!

SEED: Sow seed under full sun in spring in any soil! Flowers even take a light frost; then collect seeds! Let some fall to re-seed area!

INTERNET SOURCE: www.richters.com

CURRY POWDER

Is another mixture popular in India where meat, poultry, fish and vegetable curries are popular. The Indian cook mixes various amounts of cumin, coriander-cilantro, fenugreek, turmeric, ginger, pepper, dill, mace, cardamom and cloves in different combinations for each “curry” listed above. Personally, I have never investigated the science behind all of this.  I do know scientific evidence shows fenugreek enlarges female mammary glands; but I did not place it in the proposed BBQ Garden.

DILL SEED/LEAF

(Anethum Graveolens)

Dill is very easy to grow as an annual that prolifically re-seeds itself in a garden – unless you harvest ALL the Dill seed. The flavor is kind of earthy, pungent in aroma and taste; but never overpowering. Remember “Dill Pickles” – forget the taste of vinegar?

The seed are useful in dill pickles and dill sour cream or butter; but leaves are better in basting sauces for pork or lamb or cucumber salads where the hard pithy seed may detract from enjoyment.

Dill leaf is most flavor-full when flowering or in seeds in August.

HARDY ANNUAL

ZONES: ALL

HABITAT: Dill is native to rangelands of Asia Minor and Europe.

HEIGHT: 3-foot tall & foot wide

SEED: Plant directly in loamy, fertile garden soil in full sun. Cover seeds lightly and keep bed moist! Seedlings emerge after 12 days. Plant 16 inches apart. If you want only seeds to harvest- do not snip of leaves for cooking.

Continuous planting of seed brings new plants; but I lightly sample leaves along a row for cooking and collect seeds at end of season.

INTERNET SOURCE: www.richters.com

DRIED HOT PEPPERS

(Capiscum Species)

Are not really my thing; but there are an infinite variety of HOT peppers one could grow in your BBQ garden to suit your taste. You’ll often these little red peppers in a shaker jar at a pizza table or some Italian restaurants. Once under a blue moon, I like a touch of Tabasco sauce on eggs in morning to wake me up.

“The Cook’s Companion” (Rutledge Books, 1978) offers brief “pepper sauce recipe” by combining 1 tablespoon of dried peppers with 4 ounces of dry sherry, 1 teaspoon of garlic powder, I teaspoon red wine vinegar into a clean glass jar or jug. Let it stand together for a week; but shaking or stirring is recommended every day. After seven days, use it sparingly on meats, fish or sauces.

ANNUAL

ZONES: ALL

HABITAT: This tomato like plant comes from the hot tropics of Central America.  Mark Miller, the author of “The Great Chili Book” has a rating system for Capsicum peppers ranging from mild (1) to blast furnace (10). I use Capsicum for medicinal qualities; but many cook with them. Richters Nursery below uses this rating system.

HEIGHT: one to two feet tall and foot wide.

SEED: Buy local tomato and chili plants in short summer season areas; or plant seeds indoors in a windowsill or greenhouse to get the best crops from these warm weather annuals up North.

INTERNET SOURCE: www.richters.com

FENNEL

(Foeniculum Vulgare)

PERENNIAL

ZONES: 5-11.

HABITAT: “Foenum” is Latin for ‘fresh hay”. A rangeland or pasture plant from the Mediterranean!

Oddly, Fennel and tarragon leaves have a chemical component that removes fishy odors and smell when cooking fish; plus they impart their own unique anise-like flavor.

HEIGHT: 3-5-feet tall & 3-4-feet wide (Visual Barrier!)

SEED: Place seeds where you need a permanent visual barrier to hide garbage cans or dog run or whatever. Sow seed in full sun in any well-drained soil and some shelter from strong winds is a good idea for neatness. Well-compacted or poor soil seems to make it grow faster! Plant seeds a foot apart; as rootstocks will re-leaf early each spring from each seed location.

FINOCCHIO FENNEL has a bulbous leaf pattern like celery and some people like to use this in cooking. The Bronze Fennel I recommend below imparts a delicate “Wine Blush” to herbal vinegars with a slight anise flavor; but this species is less drought-tolerant.

INTERNET SOURCE: www.nicholsgardennursery.com

GINGER

(Zingiber mioga)

PERENNIAL

ZONES: 7-9

HABITAT: Normally, I have tested all the plants I recommend; but I have lived without tropical ginger – unless I go to store for something special. However, This year (2002) I discovered this Ginger Plant that northerners could grow – if careful. So I give it to you untested and no guarantees!

HEIGHT: 2-foot tall and 1-foot wide

SEED: Buy plants. Grow in partial shade with buried black boulders surrounding it to keep it warmer during the winter – if you are colder than

ZONES: 5-6

INTERNET SOURCE: www.nicholsgardennursery.com

LICORICE

(Glycyrrhiza glabra)

PERENNIAL

ZONES: 7-10

HABITAT: The Ancient Greeks traded Licorice or “Glycyrrhiza” or “sweet root”; and modern scientists find licorice is 50 times sweeter than sugar!  Most people use it for candies and a diverse array of medicines; but licorice leaf makes a delightful leg of lamb or pork spare rib recipes on BBQ.

HEIGHT: five feet tall and 3-feet wide.

SEED: Buy rootstock; as seeds are very unpredictable.

INTERNET SOURCE: www.richters.com

MINT

(Mentha Species)

The ancient Peppermint and milder Spearmint is probably the best knows mints. Peppermint was a must in lamb and milder Spearmint was used in beverages.

However, dozens of new varieties are now available from apple mint to pineapple mint!

COLD TENDER PERENNIAL

ZONES: 3 to11

HABITAT: Native to the Mediterranean again. Very invasive and spreading by root rhizomes. It is best to keep all mints in black container outside the Spice bed. The black plastic keeps the plants from freezing in cold climates until minus 20 degrees F.; but the black also heats up during the heat of summer! During the summer keep mints moist and in the morning sun & afternoon shade. Note: East Side of House!

HEIGHT: one to 3 foot tall and two feet wide

SEED: Buy plants. Keep in containers and bring inside for winter use.

INTERNET SOURCE: www.richters.com

MUSHROOMS

Have extremely toxic cousins and even experts make fatal mistakes eating the wrong mushroom. Thus, I am going to recommend people buy their mushrooms for a store that are certified to be safe. One wrong taste of white Amanita can do deadly, permanent liver damage!

MUSTARD

(Brassica Species)

Many people enjoy using mustard “TANG” in cooking and I have read it takes 400 million pounds to satisfy world demand for it. I only use it occasionally on hams barbequed, rarely fish. There are commercial white, yellow, brown and oriental types of mustard (stone-ground) and I recommend you find your favorite type in the store and use this incredible fine-grounded powder.

ONION & LEEK & SHALLOTS & CHIVE

(Allium Species)

PERENNIAL OR ANNUAL DEPENDING ON SPECIES

ZONES: ALL

HABITAT: Native onions in all there various forms evolved in grasslands all around the world.

HEIGHT: one to three-feet tall and under a foot wide.

SEED: Some onions spread by seeds and other come up from planted bulbs. I have a “walking onion” that is three-feet tall and bulbs form on top and bend green stems down to ground and replant themselves! Stems makes delightful light leek soup or onion taste to omelet’s and half-inch bulbs go great in stews. Anyway, this onion can walk around yard – if allowed to!

INTERNET SOURCE: www.nicholsgardennursery.com

OREGANO

(Origanum Vulgare)

HABITAT: It is a non-invasive member of the mint family. Notice it has classic mint’s square stem. Roots survive –20 degrees below zero Fahrenheit with a winter leaf much cover!

This plant’s leaves are known as the Pizza herb with its affinity to all spicy tomato dishes. There are two common varieties, Mediterranean is delicate both in fragrance and flavor, and Mexican which is very pungent.

It is indispensable in Italian, Spanish and Mexican cooking styles. As well as in beef BBQ, lamb stews or gravies, soups and casseroles.

COLD TENDER PERENNIAL

ZONES: 5-11

HEIGHT: two feet tall & 1.5 foot wide.

SEED: Plant seeds in warm (65 degree) garden soil in full sun where it will forever grow. Plant seeds two feet apart; as roots spread out. Fertilize monthly with broadband fertilizer each month for a bumber crop of new leaves. However, I never need to do this?

INTERNET SOURCE: www.richters.com

PARSLEY

(Petroselinum Crispum)

PERENNIAL OR ANNUAL DEPENDING ON SPECIES

ZONES: ALL

HABITAT: Parsley belongs to the celery family like Lovage. Its origin is unknown; but Greeks in 300 B.C. used it for cooking recipes. Parsley leaf is rich in Vitamin A and C, iron, iodine, manganese and copper!

It takes 12 pounds of fresh parsley leaves to make a pound of dried parsley leaf. A Chore; but use it year-round in vitamin-enriched salads, chowders, marinades for beef or fish or gravies. Oh! You must try garlic-parsley butter spread on garlic bread.

HEIGHT: 12-24 inches tall and foot-wide

SEED: Sow seeds in late spring; but soak seed overnight before planting to soften husks to speed germination! Plant in deep, rich garden soil under full sun or partial shade for best results.

INTERNET SOURCE: www.richters.com

PEPPER (SALT & PEPPER)

(Piper Nigrum)

Tropical pepper comes from a perennial vine in black, white forms from this plants seed.

Personally, I know northern black pepper substitutes; but I use inexpensive, finely, stone-ground store-bought canisters for all my limited black/white pepper use

ROSEMARY

(Rosmarinus Officinalis)

COLD TENDER PERENNIAL

ZONES: 7-10

HABITAT: this memory-enhancing herb is claimed to have a fragrance reminiscent of a seacoast of pines.  Its recipe use dates back to 500 B.C. - where three-part wine and one part crushed rosemary leaf – would make the rankest goat steak tender and delicious! It even kills bacteria and spoilage, I have read?

I have used it for BBQ basting or marinades for chicken, wild turkey, grouse, lamb, venison, elk, buffalo and veal!

HEIGHT: 2 to 6 feet tall & 3-6 feet wide depending upon species.

SEED: buy plants. Plant in any well-drained soil under full sun. I ring the plant with black lava rock to keep soil temperature from freezing too hard one freak winter eve.

INTERNET SOURCE: www.richters.com

SAFFRON

(Crocus Sativus)

This plant has the distinction of being the world’s most expensive spice. However, this harvested part is not a bark, root, nut or fruit; so I placed Saffron in an herb category.

Fortunately, a little saffron goes a long way; as recipes for saffron call only for a “pinch” to flavor and turn the food a bright yellow!  Saffron is our northerner substitute for Turmeric; as both turn food a golden yellow!

“Saffron” is actually the dried stigmas in a certain species of Fall-flowering crocus. I harvest these bright yellow stigmas inside flowers with a tweezers. I have read that 225,000 stigmas make a pound of saffron!

Saffron has an affinity with rice and fish, seafood and chicken dishes. I have used it on pork to brighten the color and flavor in a marinade-BBQ sauce.

PERENNIAL FROM CORMS (a bulb root)

ZONES: 1-9

HABITAT: This Mediterranean Crocus blooms in the fall!

I have no idea why or who first discovered these tiny stigmas in this flower were useful; but I am grateful!  However, the orange-red stigmas from twelve flowers are required to season a single-family size dish of paella or similar dish! So plant plenty and they look better under a “mass-effect blooming”. It is also easier to harvest! To grow lots of Saffron, you will need to divide bulbs every late fall after bloom and leaves turn brown then replant immediately and then compost soil.

HEIGHT: This 9-inch tall, grass-like plant doesn’t look like much; but the flowers are beautiful and useful!

SEED: Set corms 2-3-inches deep and 3-4-inches apart. Remember to cover corm patch with a low groundcover; so you do not dig up corms when dormant! I would recommend Thyme listed below.

INTERNET SOURCE: www.nicholsgardennursery.com

SAVORY

(Satureja Montana)

SUMMER SAVORY IS ANNUAL (re-seeds), WINTER SAVORY IS PERENNIAL

ZONES: 5-8

HABITAT: Both sub-species of Satureja have a peppery bite; but Summer Savory has exotic, fruity, floral, and lavender like aroma/flavor too! Harvest Winter Savory any time, even during winter; but Summer Savory leaves are best when flowering.

Winter Savory can withstand cold down to –10° degrees Fahrenheit.

HEIGHT: 4-16-inches tall and 3-8 inches wide.

SEED: Buy Winter Savory plants; but seed ok for Summer Savory.

INTERNET SOURCE: www.richters.com

TARRAGON

(Artemisia Dracunculus Var. Sativa)

PERENNIAL

ZONES: 4-7

HABITAT: the French chefs made this herb special with its vanilla-anise like flavor. It is indispensable for the sauces of Béarnaise, Hollandaise and Mousseline!

This species was brought originally from the plains of Siberia; but Russian Tarragon is not considered as cooking herb!

Oddly, a warmer climate evolved a delightful tasty treat for European cooks.

HEIGHT: 2-feet tall and 1.5-feet wide

SEED Buy plants and plant in rich, sandy soil in full sun.

Ring rootstock with black lava rock, like rosemary, in areas of super cold winter nights!

This plant’s roots oddly knarled up underneath this plant and it is recommended that every third spring – you dig up and divide roots and spread them out for stronger plants. My plants are dormant this third spring at this writing!  I guess I’ll do it?

INTERNET SOURCE: www.richters.com

THYME

(Thymus Species)

PERENNIAL

ZONES: ALL

HABITAT: The ancient Greeks swooned over Thymus capitatus that grew naturally around the mountains of Mt. Olympus. The species is long lived once growing and we take a stem and strip leaves into soups salads, stuffing, pork or lamb marinades and herbal vinegars, oils and teas.

HEIGHT: various plants grow from an inch tall to about a foot tall and 1.5 wide.

SEED: Wild Thyme is easy to grow from seed in at least 4 hours of sunlight a day. When soil temperature reaches 70 degrees F. the seedling start emerging. Mix tiny round seeds with sand for easy and even dispersal. Then cover lightly with a dusting of sand. However, special thymes species are better started from plants!

INTERNET SOURCE:

EPAZOTE

(Chenopodium Ambrosiodes)

This strong scented, camphor-bitter herb is an annual that easily re-seeds itself about anywhere. Yet it can be a lifesaver if you know someone that bloats up eating beans.  Gas-less beans can be found by adding Epazote leaves into bean recipe! It is very popular in Mexico and Guatemala for seasoning corn, beans, mushroom, fish and shellfish too!

TENDER PERENNIAL, BUT WILL RE-SEED ALL OVER AS AN ANNUAL BE CAREFUL!

ZONES: ALL

HABITAT: Epazote is from Mexico where they found a few leaves in chili has the unique ability to counter the effect of gas produced by hard-to-digest vegetable proteins.

HEIGHT: 5-feet high and 2-feet wide

SEED: Sow seeds in fall to spring and plant it along a fence in an out of the way, shady spot to control this tenacious herb –once it is started.

INTERNET SOURCE: www.richters.com

BARBEQUE SPICES AND SEASONINGS

ALLSPICE, CARDAMON, CINNAMON, CLOVES, GINGER, NUTMEG & MACE, and TUMERIC are all store bought spices in the northern hemisphere. They grow around the center of the earth near the equator in tropical rains forest ecosystems.

These spices are inexpensive to buy and they are already processed and store well for years. All you need to do is take a pinch out of a jar for cooking!

GARLIC

(Allium Sativum)

Comes in garlic salt, powder, bottled juice or minced and in whole cloves or heads from the store; but I prefer the taste of fresh picked garlic from Elephant to standard bunches.

You can use garlic on anything, garlic toast; except cake and strawberry ice cream.

Get local Garlic from your area!

HORSERADISH

(Armoracia Rusticana “Variegata”)

PERENNIAL

ZONES: ALL

Horseradish growing out back looks likes rhubarb. It is a two-foot tall clump of large leaves lacking the succulent red stems of rhubarb used in cooking also. Rhubarb could be used in BBQ sauces; but I chose not to include it.

Horseradish root is harvested after the first frost, which enhances the texture, flavor and color of the root, by taking a shovel down along the outside of the clump. A handful of horseradish root can make a lot of horseradish cream sauce!

It can add “wow” to any BBQ marinade, basting or BBQ sauce, especially for beef and some vegetables like potatoes.

When growing horseradish, I wanted to pass on a mistake I made; so it will never happen again! After growing horseradish for several years, I decided an occasional store bought bottle of horseradish cream sauce was fresh enough. So I tried to dig out that massive root and it was a large chore!  However, next spring, I found that I had missed some small rootlet and they sprouted new plants all over the place. Roundup would not kill it; so I took a roto-tiller across the area!  This stupid act only shredded the rootlets more and spread them even wider! Suddenly, I found myself with 50 horseradish plants? I gave up!

Thus, you make sure you use a lot of horseradish sauce before planting it and do not worry about killing it during harvest after frost!

The Cook’s Companion mentioned before offers this simple horseradish cream sauce recipe on page 321:

Take 1 tablespoon of dried horseradish root in 2 tablespoons of water; add 1 teaspoon white vinegar, ½ teaspoon onion powder. Whip ½ cup heavy cream and fold the horseradish admixture into cream. One can omit vinegar and use 1-cup sour cream in place of the heavy cream.

Keep sauce in refrigerator when not in immediate use!

INTERNET SOURCE: www.richters.com

JUNIPER BERRY

(Juniperis Species)

Juniper was a favorite flavoring of the ancient Druids.

It is an evergreen, permanent shrub/tree with hazy blue berries in the fall that Scotchman used to use to make the alcohol “Gin”!  A lot of people still like gin & tonic; so this exotic berry may create some new BBQ sauce for you that are not sweet. The flavor is strong, ethereal and pervasive; so use it lightly!

I have used it by rubbing berries into wild game or fowl to cut the gamy taste; but it also works on pork or lamb. Also, in dressing for duck, turkey or chicken salad.

Any plant nursery can sell you a juniper; just tell him or her that you want blue berries in the fall! You’ll need to take a male and female plant for berries forever!

LEMON-ORANGE PEEL

Citrus trees and fruits will not grow further north than Florida and parts of California. However, we northerners do have a substitute in Siberian “SEABERRY” (Hippophae rhamnoides). During the World Wars of the early 1900, Germany and Russia had a hard time importing orange juice; so they had to look for another source of Vitamin C!

Their collective research focused on a scraggly, 10-foot tall shrub growing in the most inhospitable places imaginable!

These plants survive in temperature of minus 40 or worse! I do not know what Zone that is called?

Research showed the orange-yellow clumps of berries, Siberia’s only fruiting plant has 7 times the Vitamin C of lemons! It also has generous amounts of Vitamin A and E; plus a very acidic flavor of oranges.

Extensive breeding programs the last half-century has developed FOUR varieties of Seaberry that tastes like oranges eaten fresh.

INTERNET SOURCE: www.onegreenworld.com

This female, fruit-bearing, upright shrub is very popular for its abundance and easily harvested crops of very large and good flavored bright orange fruit.  The berries ripen in September and freeze well. No pun intended.

One male pollinating plant could probably service eight female plants.

She produces crops of large light orange unusually sweet berries that ripen in September. This fruit is tasty eaten fresh and it makes delicious orange marmalade and juice.

This attractive, upright, female shrub bears large crops of unusually sweet, tasty reddish-orange berries. It also can be eaten of the branch or cooked in juices, jelly or ham or wild duck orange sauce.

A true cook will search the world for the right ingredients of his special orange wild duck sauce. Right?

PAPRIKA

(Capsicum Annum)

Hungarians fell for the paprika pepper three centuries ago. It is a mild cayenne pepper-sweet pepper fruit that is small, brilliant red and turns brownish red as the spice ages.

Paprika is often available at spice racks in stores in the ground form. It is our greatest garnishing spice and it is chiefly used to give white meat or casseroles an artificial, well-done, brown appearance. Our modern form is almost flavorless; but the fresh paprika pepper below would be mildly nippy!

INTERNET SOURCE: www.nicholsgardennursery.com

NOTE: Most local plant nurseries have a good selection of tomatoes, peppers and such. Buying plants locally is always best to support your local community! However, you might find it difficult to find many of these specialty plants locally; so I give an Internet site listing on the World Wide Web!

For Example, Radish/root seeds are always available locally; but some World Wide Web sources - www.nicholsgardennursery.com may have a more diverse offering of new radish hybrids like Easter Egg Radish of many colors

Eventually, we all may have equal, easy access to all the good radish seeds available locally; but that has not happened today (March 15, 2002).

ZONE MAP

Bibliography

Ayto, J. (n.d.). Dictionary Of Word Origins. Arcade Publishing, New York,.

HPBA. (2012, 1 6). Media. Retrieved 9 11, 2012, from HPBA - Hearth, Patio & Barbecue Association: http://www.hpba.org/media/barbecue-industry/hpbexport-2010-bbq-trends

Rutledge Books. (1978). The Cooks Companion. New York: Crown Publisher Inc.

SPECIALTY GARDEN SERIES:

Growing BBQ Spices in a Garden – 2011

Landscaping for Repelling Deer – 2011

ABOUT THE SPECIALTY GARDEN SERIES

The Specialty Garden Series is bringing Nature back into our lives in a practical, low maintenance, bio-diverse style that offers participants fresh harvests or beauty of various specialized gardens, garden rooms if you will.

Over 70% of the World’s population lives in urban areas practically devoid of the once prominent Nature. The urban landscaping generally consists of lawns with homeowner association requiring flowers and shrubs. This urban grass landscape is ideal habitat for Robins, non-native Starlings and Crows. As this urbanization evolves, native songbirds (e.g. Bluebirds and Goldfinches) and wildlife diminish from lack of food and shelter once common in the natural area. This current evolution is an ecologic disaster evolving before our eyes!

Gardening is quickly becoming a number one hobby and backyard bird watching is quickly coming up second as a family orientated, inexpensive, stress-reducing, leisure time activity. Remember Nature laughs with flowers!

Healthy heart and relaxation are a critical part of gardening experience and by offering these diverse “how to” books on restoring nature by re-creating and utilizing the existing bio-diversity of nature still around us today.

Future generations will need to import nature back into their lives – If We Do Not Save Some Today.

“A truly great book should be read in youth, again in maturity and once more in old age, as a fine building should be seen by morning light, at noon and by moonlight.”

Robertson Davies

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Dave grew up walking to school and wandering open fields in the Rocky Mountains. He looked forward to seeing moose, bald eagles or elk or some other creature along the way to school. This prepared to learn every day!

Now in his golden years, he is staying indoors more than he used to and is writing on subjects that he knows about nature, history, happiness and humans. Most, if not all of his working career had him working with nature outside. He finished a B.S. Degree in 1994 in Technical Journalism and Public Speaking from Oregon State University. He came out of OSU as communication machine to investigate, explore, examine, research, explain and clearly communicate through any media insights on complex issues.

Ironically, kids of the modern age are staying indoors. Thus, Dave now wants to write, speak, and inspire families to spend more time outdoors as he used to.

Table of Contents

Epigraph

Copyright

Introduction

BBQ SPICE BED DIAGRAM

RAISED BED TECHNOLOGY

BAMBOO AND OTHER BARBEQUE “FLAVOR ENHANCERS”

BURNING AROMATIC WOOD & SHRUBS

BARBEQUE HERBS, MARINADES & SAVORY SEASONINGS

BARBEQUE SPICES AND SEASONINGS

ZONE MAP

Bibliography

SPECIALTY GARDEN SERIES:

ABOUT THE AUTHOR