Some of the most famous and tastiest herbs in the world come from Italy. Some of the best cuisines come from Italy and are well known in part for their herbs. Growing your own herbs in an Italian herb garden provides a massive quantity of potential.
Basil is a well know Italian herb and useful in many Italian recipes. Basil will not only add flavor to many Italian cuisines, it is useful in the garden to other plants. Planting basil next to your peppers and tomatoes will actually improve their flavor. Plus, basil will also keep at bay those pesky flies and mosquitoes.
Parsley is a relatively hard herb plant to grow. It is useful not only in Italian dishes but many other types of cuisines. Many generations ago before their were breath mints it was found that eating fresh, raw parsley after a meal eliminated the bad breath left over from enjoying a savory cuisine. The tradition arose to serve parsley on a small dish after the meal. The custom lives today by using parsley as a garnish on an assortment of meals.
Oregano is as decorative as it is flavorful. When it is fully mature it will sprout pretty little purple flowers. Oregano should not be harvested until it has flowered because this is when the plant is at most flavorful.
Fennel is famous for its seeds that grace and enhance the flavors of Italian sausage. The interesting thing about fennel is that the plant looses its flavor as it matures. It is a perennial plant that should be divided and replanted every few years to savor its flavor.
Like basil, Rosemary is an Italian herb that is beneficial to the garden. It grows into a large shrub that spouts pretty little blue flowers. It helps the garden by attracting bees. Although it is a tough evergreen perennial, it is sensitive to frost.
Garlic is probably the herb that is most used in Italian cooking. No Italian herb garden would be complete without this useful herb. Garlic gloves can be planted and will flourish in just about any garden with very little attention. They can be stored to be used at a later date after they are harvested. Freezing them or pickling them to be stored in the refrigerator is some of the methods used.
Sage is used in a variety of Italian dishes from meats to salads. New shoots of the plant contain the most flavors. It is recommended not to let sage plants to get to woody by keeping them trimmed. New shoots will be encouraged to grow if you keep the sage trimmed. Sage can be harvested after it blooms.
There are many more herbs that you can include in your Italian herb garden. You do need to consider what kinds of herbs you wish to use and the growing conditions for the herbs you have selected to put in your garden. Make sure you are able to meet then needs of the herbs you have chosen for your Italian herb garden.
Italian herbs add wonderful flavors to food, but also offer so much more. Italian herbs make and incredible addition to landscaping designs. They can be shown for their spectacular colors and enjoyed for the tantalizing aromas the herbs release. By planting Italian herbs amid other plants, you will be graced with the sweet aromas straight from Italy.
By: Paul Zeman
Posts Tagged ‘Many Generations’
The Italian Herb Garden – A Culinary Delight
February 7th, 2010The History of Culinary Arts
October 5th, 2009
Cooking was once seen as either a hobby or a chore. Up till now, it is regarded as a highly skilled line of work within a multi-billion industry. Students taking up culinary arts are equipped with different levels of skills and knowledge, but they all share the same thing and that is the passion for cooking. You will never go further and study culinary arts if, in the first place, you don’t have interest in cooking, now would you?
Food is the one thing that has always been and will continue to be a big part of our daily lives as a result of the family recipes that we carry with great care from many generations passed. For some, they learn new cuisines while others even go to culinary schools to perfect their skills and experience and obtain a degree in culinary arts. Knowing that everybody needs food is so much easy to understand, but aren’t you interested to know as to when and where do the different types of taste, presentations and features of the food started? If you are, then lets us discover the history of culinary arts.
The history of culinary can be traced back in the 1800s when the very first cooking school in Boston was teaching the art of American cooking along with preparing the students to pass on their knowledge to others. The first cookbook ever published was written by Fannie Merrit Farmer in 1896, who also attended the Boston cooking school and whose book is still widely used as a reference and it remains in print at present.
The next phase in the history of culinary arts was taken through the television where in 1946 James Beard, who is also recognized as father of the American cuisine, held regular cooking classes on the art of American cooking. On the other hand, the French cuisine was brought to life in the American society by Julia Child in 1960s when, through the power of the radios, she entered all the kitchens nationwide.
Later on the history of culinary, the Culinary Institute of America (CIA) was founded and was the first culinary school to hold career-based courses on the art of cooking. Its first location was in the campus of Yale University in Connecticut, which was later moved in 1972 to New York. But before the CIA was established, those who wanted a career in culinary arts normally had to go through apprenticeships under seasoned chefs to gain on-the-job training. This learning method was a traditional course in Europe, but rather a challenging arrangement as organized apprenticeships were a quite new concept in the history of culinary arts in the US. However today, apprenticeships continue to offer an excellent culinary experience to aspiring chefs.
By: Milos Pesic
