GARNISH HERBSCAPE

Garnishes have a way of transforming any meal into a work of art!  Garnishes can typically be made from ornamental vegetables, unique greens, herbs and edible flowers.  A garnish herbscape brings all the worlds together plus creates a beautiful and functional garden.  You can even decorate the entrance with an arbor covered with scarlet runner beans combining edible flowers and a unique veggie.  Choose any of the following as plants or grow from seed and make this garden a focal point that inspires you to entertain.

Vegetable Garnishes

Grate or thinly slice fresh veggies for a soup garnish or curl carrot strips in ice water, notch radishes into chrysanthemums and cut daisies from turnip slices. Keep raw vegetable garnishes in ice water until you decorate the plate.

Chioggia Beet – sweet flavor and unique concentric rings of red and white

Watermelon Radish – crispy and mild heirloom

‘Sweet Savour’  Pepper – compact cool pepper with fruity sweetness and a variety of colors

Green Garnishes

Line a serving platter with greens or combine with herbs and fruit for more color.

 'Bright Lights' Swiss Chard – a tasty veggie with colorful stalks and green leafy tops

Red Russian Kale – purple stems and huge ruffled oak leaves

Curly Kale – intense color and curly leaves make stunning garnish

‘Freckles’ Lettuce – heirloom romaine with bright flavor and green leaves splashed with burgundy speckles

Herb Garnishes

Match the herb to complement the flavor of the food then chop and sprinkle over the dish before serving.  Also, gather small bouquets to decorate a plate.

Purple Ruffles Basil – frilly and flavorful leaves add color and fragrance

Tri-Colored Sage – decorative and versatile plus can be fried

Chives & Garlic Chives – mild onion/garlic flavor that can garnish dishes before serving or wrap around a bundle of veggies before steaming

Lemon Grass – lemon-flavored leaves that can be wrapped around a whole fish before cooking

Curled Parsley – most common garnish and breath freshener

Flower Garnishes

Use only organic edible flowers to garnish both sweet and savory dishes.  My favorites include the following:
       Borage – brilliant blue blossoms with cucumber-like flavor for cold soups, salads or dessert
          Calendula – little flavor, but bright yellow to orange petals to add a splash of color
          Nasturtiums – spicy flavor and variety of hot colors
          Texas Tarragon (Mexican Mint Marigold) – petite yellow flowers with mild anise flavor  

“And God said, "See, I have given you every herb
that yields seed which is on the face of all the earth,
and every tree whose fruit yields seed;
to you it shall be for food.”
Genesis 1:29