Add more flavor to your food this fall with Northern Virginia’s ultimate garden-to-table herb-guru, Peggy Riccio. For over 30 years, she has shared her passion for gardening through her popular newsletter and presentations to local garden groups.
Whether you're picking herbs from the garden or the local market, turn your fall harvest into culinary gold.
Why do we crave herbal flavors in the fall? It is the autumn harvest, the bounty that inspires us to nestle in and cook and bake. Squash leads to squash soup and squash risotto (add thyme and sage), corn pairs well with thyme, apples pair well with sage and thyme with pears better with a few rosemary leaves. Think too of herbs as garnish: place a roasted chicken on a bed of rosemary, or use a sage leaf as a butter pat.
What can we do with herbs this season?
Mint is great to add to your drinking water and there are many different kinds: spearmint, peppermint, chocolate mint, and doublemint. It is a great gift plant, just root a cutting, pot it up and insert a recipe for peppermint brownies (minced peppermint leaves in store bought brownie mix).
Rosemary is pliable and can be used to make door wreaths, small wreaths as napkin holders or around candles, or as stirrers in mulled apple cider.
Thyme has small leaves that can be sprinkled like confetti on tomato soup, corn chowder, or a platter of mushroom appetizers.
Chives freeze well so before we get our first frost in the fall, cut them down and put them in freezer bags. Or make chive butter and freeze it.
Sage leaves add a nice touch on pies, squash dishes, and even a macaroni casserole.
What do people often ask you about herbs?
Most people want to know if they can grow herbs in containers because they live in an apartment. Herbs are perfect for containers: most are small and drought tolerant. You can easily grow a few on your windowsill.
What's the best way to dry herbs? If you are growing rosemary, thyme, and sage you can cut branches and hang them upside down in your kitchen.
Any must-have tools? For example, a mortar and pestle looks charming on a counter.
I do have a mortar and pestle, but it is not necessary. I know people who use coffee grinders for herbs only (no coffee beans). You can just use a chef’s knife and a cutting board to chop the herbs. I recommend a large bowl for washing herbs, trays and paper towels for drying. When you dry and store herbs, you try not to crush the leaves as you put them in jars. However, when you are ready to use them, crush or chop to release the essential oils.
Any tips for buying herbs at the store?
It's cheaper to buy herbs by the bunch instead of plastic packets. When back home, go through the bunch again, pulling out any that are less than ideal. For herbs with tender stems such as mint and parsley, cut the stems and place in a glass jar with a little water. Put a plastic bag loosely over the top. Place in fridge. For those with woody stems such as rosemary, thyme, and sage, wrap in slightly damp paper towels and place in a bag and then in the vegetable drawer in the fridge. If you buy basil, cut stems again, put in a jar with a little water and leave on the counter.
You can contact Peggy at pegplant.com and subscribe to her newsletter.
Herb and veggie recipe:
- Crush and mix rosemary, sage, and thyme in a bowl.
- Cut up veggies such as potatoes, onions, and carrots and put in another bowl.
-Coat veggies with olive oil and sprinkle your herb mixture. Place on parchment paper on a baking pan and roast.