SPRING GREENS HERBSCAPE

 

April 5th is Dandelion Day!  Celebrate with lots of spring greens – your body will love it!  Greens are the succulent leaves and stems, eaten raw or cooked, of herbs, flowers and vegetables, annual and perennial, in colors ranging from pale jade green to magenta, from many different plant families and cultures around the world.  Greens are not only good; they’re good for you with beta carotene, vitamins, calcium and iron

 

Remember that you don’t need a full blown garden to grow delicious ingredients for the salad days of spring and summer.  Herbs can be raised in window boxes, containers, mixed into borders or hanging baskets.  Try growing a few of these to add to your salads this spring:

Amaranth – hearty spinach flavor that is sweet and slightly tart

Arugula – nutty, peppery, smoky flavor

Large Leaf Basil – sweet basil flavor in lettuce sized leaves

Salad Burnett – refreshing, light cucumber flavored leaves

Chervil – subtle flavor of parsley plus tarragon

Chicory – strong, green flavor

Chives/Garlic Chives – mild onion or garlic flavor

Mache Corn Salad – mild, sweet flavor and tender  “melt in your mouth” leaves

Dandelion – earthy, bitter, hot flavor

Bloody Dock – tart flavor, colorful leaves

Good King Henry – mild, spinach-like flavor

Mitsuba (Japanese Parsley) – unique flavor combination of angelica, celery and parsley

Mizuna Mustard – mild, sweet, earthy, mustardy flavor

Nasturtium – peppery taste

Italian Flat Parsley – tantalizing flavor

Shiso (Perilla) – curry-like flavor combination of cumin, cilantro and parsley with a hint of cinnamon

Sorrel – lemony, tart flavor

Watercress – snappy, clean, peppery taste

 

 

“The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it,
the world, and all who live in it;
for he founded it upon the seas and established it upon the waters.”
Psalm 24:1-2