Culinary Herbs

Lesson Structure

There are 8 lessons in this course:

Introduction
Review of the system of plant identification
general characteristics of culinary herbs
information contacts (ie: nurseries, seed, clubs, etc.).
Culture
Planting,staking
mulching
watering
pest & disease
feeding
pruning
protection from wind, salt air, etc.
Propagate and create a Kitchen Garden
Propagation Methods of propagating this group of plants.
Creating a Kitchen Garden Growing in pots, inside, or in the open ground.
Cooking with Herbs.
Culinary uses of herbs
herb teas and recipes
fresh and dried herb use.
The Most Commonly Grown Varieties.
Garlic
parsley
chives.
Other Important Groups.
The Lamiaceae family- one of the most aromatic and flavoursome herb families.
Lesser Grown Varieties
How to cook with lesser known herbs.
Special Assignment
On one selected plant or group.

Each lesson culminates in an assignment which is submitted to the school, marked by the school's tutors and returned to you with any relevant suggestions, comments, and if necessary, extra reading.
Aims

Describe the plant naming system, the major family groups that herbs fall into and the resources available to the culinary herb grower.
Describe how to manage the cultural requirements of culinary herbs.
Describe the various methods of propagation, both sexual and asexual, the treatments generally used for seed storage and the handling of cutting material.
Explain the way in which herbs are used in cooking and which herbs best suit various dishes.
Discuss the most common herb varieties used in cooking.
Compare a range of culinary herbs in a single plant family.
Discuss a range of lesser grown culinary herb varieties.
Explain the uses of a range of culinary herbs within a specific group of herb plants.

It all Starts with Accurate Plant Knowledge

You must be able to identify a herb before you eat it.

Some herbs may be great as a medicine or bath oil; but that doesn't make them safe to eat.

Any good culinary herb course must then, first start with the identification of the herbs. Once you know what a herb is, you can then progress to learning how to grow it, how to harvest it, and how to use it with your food. This course will teach you all of this and more.

There are hundreds of Culinary herbs which you can discover, experiment with and learn about. Here is just one:

Rosemary

The common herb Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis) is characteristically grown as a plant in the herb garden for harvesting short sprigs that are used in the kitchen. It can also be used as an ornamental plant for hedges and greenery around other plants. Low growing (groundcover) varieties can be used in hanging pots, garden planters and in raised garden beds to spill over the edge to soften the landscape. When you clip it to maintain the hedge or shape, you can use these clippings in the kitchen. New flower colour forms have been released in the past few years although most gardeners prefer the traditional light blue flower form.

Rosemary grows best in full sun and well-drained soil. Do not over fertilise or use excessive mulch, although compost dug into the soil prior to planting is beneficial. When watering the plant, try not to wet the foliage too much, especially in the heat of summer, as Rosemary does not like excessive humidity.

USES: leaves fresh or dried to flavour meats, soups, vegetables, in vinegars, chutneys, etc. Rosemary has also been used as a garnish and flavouring for strong tasting fruit, such as Citrus. Rosemary can also be used in herbal teas, but be careful not to overdo it – lemon, honey or a few lavender flowers may be added for extra flavour.