Comments on: Grow your own Herbes de Provençe

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Tue, 06 Aug 2013 20:16:16 +0000

당신의 연구를 공유하기위한 감사합니다.뉴욕 럭셔리 아파트

By: Matt Mattus

Matt Mattus — Wed, 31 Jul 2013 07:12:02 +0000

Hi Alain, I know exactly what you mean about Bay Laurel. I trimmed my trained standard forms ( they are nearly 9 feet tall) which stand outside of my greenhouse all summer, and I still haven't found time to sweep up the clippings. THey are scenting the long bluestone walk that leads to the greenhouse now, and I really don't feel like sweeping them up yet!

By: Alain

Alain — Wed, 31 Jul 2013 07:08:52 +0000

Thank you for sharing all the research you did. I agree with you that the flavor of various cultivars can make quite a difference. Some oregano don't have much taste. There is also a harvesting time problem. Chervil has now died down for the season and will only reappear next spring.
Your mention of Bay Laurel brought back memories. Last January we were in Victoria B.C. and someone had cut down, chopped up and put to the kerb a very large bay laurel. You could smell the marvelous scent it exuded streets away.

By: Cynthia

Cynthia — Tue, 30 Jul 2013 23:59:10 +0000

Great article, Matt, especially for the tips on selecting the right species of plants, as that clearly makes all the difference. Thank you very much.

By: Matt Mattus

Matt Mattus — Tue, 30 Jul 2013 21:37:33 +0000

Thanks Mlle Paradis, that means a lot coming from you! How jealous I am that you lived in Aix-en-P, I never made it that far. Yeah, I feel the same way about lavender – I love it in many things, but not in everything. My fav? When it's used with Creme, or, anything with lamb, right? I think I may try some of this in my olive oil cake the next time I make it. I usually use rosemary, but I never thought of using a mixture, or even lavender.

By: ValHalla

ValHalla — Tue, 30 Jul 2013 21:11:48 +0000

Gardening in humid Virginia, I think I need to break down and buy a dehydrator, but I am loathe to purchase one more kitchen appliance.
But the takeaway from this post is an obsession with locust pots–I think I may have to move Nice up on my list just to get one!

By: Mlle Paradis

Mlle Paradis — Tue, 30 Jul 2013 20:42:52 +0000

Thanks for spending some time to demystify herbes de provence! It's one of those silly marketing things isn't it? I wish people could feel more romantic about them (as I do) than intimidated. I spent a "Junior" year in Aix-en-P and have been cooking with them ever since. They're just a mix of herbs that grow wild in the countryside. When I left, a girlfriend brought me a big fistful of thyme that she'd pulled roots and all from her "backyard". I wrapped it lightly in tissue paper and brought it back to the States with me, letting it dry on the stalk, and cooked with it for…years?

I put a pinch of herbes de provence in everything – soups, chili, ragus, marinades, dry rubs, salad dressing it's a shortcut that saves you having to take five different jars out of the cupboard. And I recently bought a giant version from Surfa's here in L.A. which has an inordinate amount of lavender flower in it. I was dubious….but the lavender does not adversely affect the flavors in any way as long as you're letting everything cook down well. (In salad dressings, it depends on your tastes.) It's true, the herbes de Provence I bought in France back in the days never had lavender in the ingredients list though it did have "serpolet" (in addition to "thym") which I'm guessing was the thymus serpyphyllum you discourage. Provencal grannies may know something about drying that we still don't but it can't have been so hard – they lived quite rustic lives. Anyway, not to contradict you, but to encourage anybody who wants to experiment.

Thanks again for this…..no wonder you are among the top garden bloggers….love how varied and free ranging your posts are!