We have an embarrassment of holiday riches all converging in the shortest month of the year: Black History Month, Chinese Lunar New Year (Wood Dragon), Presidents’ Day, Valentine’s Day, Groundhog Day, Super Bowl Sunday, Mardi Gras, and a slew of quirky food holidays. These include the monthlies, such as, National Chocolate Lovers Month, National Hot Breakfast Month, and National Macadamia Nut Month, as well as the dailies like National Carrot Cake Day, National Tater Tot Day, and National Stuffed Mushroom Day.
To top it off, it also happens to be a leap year with an added day of fun tacked on. In order to do justice to this cornucopia of festivals, holidays, hooplas, and memorials, I thought I’d create a culinary innovation that’s emblematic of the burgeoning spring season: sowing and growing an herb garden. So, here’s a February primer to help us celebrate double happiness, diversity, traditions, healthy rivalries, love, romance, and good friends and family with a down and dirty project.
February in San Diego is the ideal time to start planting. Quite simply, delicate herbs need plenty of sunshine (about four hours daily), well-drained, nutritious soil, and a generous heap of compost to add a dose of nutrient-packed humus (not yummy Mediterranean hummus) to the soil. Include carbon-rich brown materials (bark, sticks, eggshells, nutshells) for good aeration, and nitrogen-dense greens (melon rinds, coffee grounds, tea bags, kitchen scraps). Finally, dole out some sweet talk to make them all happy.
The little darlings can either be planted in the ground where they can luxuriously sprawl and grow unencumbered, or in a planter box or pot on a windowsill, patio, or deck, which cramps their style and stunts their growth, but keeps them safe from hungry critters like rabbits, rodents, and caterpillars. If you go the latter route select a large, deep, and spacious container to lessen overcrowding. Typically, rosemary, sage, oregano, and mint need more elbow room; thyme and tarragon require about half the diameter of growing space, while cilantro, chives, dill, and parsley are the most space-conserving of the bunch. Basil, on the other hand, needs a deep pot to accommodate its sprawling root system.
And please use quality organic potting soil so these dainty plants can survive and thrive. Don’t dig up your existing garden soil, which is probably nutrient-deficient for these little sweeties, along with being rife with pesticide residues. Add a layer of medium-size rocks to the bottom of the container (to assist with drainage and root aeration) before filling with soil. Mix with a gardening fork, then add roughly an inch of compost material into the soil for an added oomph of nutrition.
Once the soil is properly prepared, you’re ready to plant the organic seeds of your choice, germinating seedlings, or potted starter plants. Whichever you choose, scoop out soil, and gingerly place in the hollows, allowing an eight-inch diameter between individual herbs. Cover the seeds with soil, or tightly pack the seedlings or plants with the earth. Now water the thirsty seeds or plants until the soil is moist–not soggy. Herbs aren’t good swimmers and drown with excess water. Don’t forget to buy a planter saucer to prevent spillage. Check daily, adding more H2O when the soil is dry to the touch. They also crave food about every six weeks, so add liquid fertilizer or more compost to satiate the hunger pangs. When the plants start to flourish (I’m told basil can reach three feet) it’s a good idea to transplant these behemoths to a larger container, or a plot of land.
Keep a pair of shears handy to gently snip your herbs when they’re ready for harvesting, about four inches high with bright green foliage. Never tear the tender leaves, which leads to bruising. Happy planting!
Herbs for the Holidays
Now let’s pay homage to each major February celebration with the pairing of appropriate herbs:
Valentine’s Day – Topping the romantic herb list is culinary lavender, a delicate and calming purple bud symbolic of eternal love. Perfect for sun-drenched California climes, lavender is a pollinator’s paradise attracting bees and butterflies to its fragrant flowers. Romantic rosemary once played a central role in nuptial ceremonies during the English Tudor era–added to wine for celebratory toasts and gifted to the bridegroom by his bride to symbolize fidelity. While according to Italian folklore, fragrant basil had been used to concoct potent love potions.
Super Bowl Sunday – Ratchet up Big Game faves like guacamole with cilantro, chip and veggie dips with fresh chives, saucy chicken wings with rosemary, tarragon, and parsley, and hearty chili with coriander and Mexican oregano.
Black History Month – Herbs customarily used in the sassy southern and soul food cuisines include basil, mint, lemon balm, rosemary, thyme, and oregano.
Lunar New Year — Let the 15-day feasting begin with ritualistic delicacies like a whole steamed fish symbolic of togetherness, and uncut noodles for longevity all dialed up with traditional herbs, including cilantro or Chinese parsley, garlic chive stems, lemongrass, and Thai basil.
Now raise a tall, chilled glass of this refreshing lavender Meyer lemonade to kick off any and all of your spring flings.
Game on!
French Lavender Lemonade
Makes 4 pitchers
3 stalks lemongrass
12 French lavender flowers
1-cup spring water
1-cup sugar
4-cups fresh squeezed Meyer lemon juice
Cut lemongrass in 3-inch pieces, discarding hard bottom root. Crush pieces with mallet. Add water, sugar, lemongrass, and lavender to saucepot over medium heat, stirring to dissolve sugar. Simmer two minutes. Remove from heat. Steep 30 minutes. Strain through fine sieve. Chill.
Garnish
1 stalk lemongrass, cut into 3-inch pieces
1 Meyer lemon, sliced
12 lavender flowers
12 mint sprigs
Pour 1 cup lemon juice and ¼ cup syrup into pitcher. Fill to top with water and ice. Garnish with lemongrass, sliced lemon, lavender flowers, and mint sprigs.
This can also be used as a base for a lively spring martini.
Courtesy, Chef Bernard Guillas
