Lemon balm has a delicious sweet lemon flavour.

Tisanes or herb teas have been in vogue in southern Europe since Roman times. The fictional detective Hercule Poirot often needed  a tisane after a particularly trying day. Today herb teas are increasing in popularity with the recognition of the harmful effects of too much coffee and ordinary tea. But aren’t herb teas expensive and don’t they taste awful? Not true! Especially if you grow your own, and can experiment with different combinations. Fresh or freshly dried leaves and flowers taste much better than the often musty plant material of questionable content and origin found in shops. Recent research by New York City high school students using simple DNA techniques, found that several herbal teas contain ingredients not listed on the pack. So if you grow and use your own, at least you can be certain about what you are drinking.

Many herbs can be made into tea but some have unpleasant flavours and others have potent medicinal properties which can be harmful if used in the wrong way.  The herbs described below are safe to drink but, as with all food and beverage, moderation is the key — don’t drink any one herb too often or in too much abundance.

The Herbs

Lemon grass need a well-drained position and plenty of water in hot weather.

Lemon verbena leaves dry well and keep their flavour for many years.

Lemon flavoured teas are probably the most popular and can be drunk hot or cold. Of the three most popular herbs — lemon balm, lemon verbena and lemon grass; lemon balm (Melissa officinalis) is the easiest to grow. Start it from seed or rooted pieces detached from a clump and it will thrive in any sunny, well-drained position. Often it will self sow around the garden ensuring an abundant supply, pick the leaves as needed and use fresh. Cut back the clump in autumn once the flowers are finished. Lemon verbena (Aloysia triphylla) grows as a small tree which is deciduous in cold climates. It is most easily grown from tip cuttings taken in late spring and the whole plant needs to be cut back by two thirds in early spring. Lemon grass (Cymbopogon citratus) is a native of more tropical regions. It needs plenty of moisture in summer and very good drainage in winter. It won’t tolerate heavy frosts but will survive moderately cold winters as long as it is not too wet.
Delicious fragrant teas can also be made from all the mints, perhaps the most refreshing being peppermint (Mentha x piperita). Mints are best grown in big tubs where they can’t take over the garden. A good potting mix, a shady corner and a hard prune after flowering are all they need. Peppermint tea drunk at night increases alertness but doesn’t stop you from going to sleep in the way coffee often will.

Chamomile tea eases stress and tension

Annual chamomile flowers (Matricaria recutita) made into a tea will be remembered by many readers who were given it as children when they had toothache, headache or stomach pains. It is a gentle relaxant and sedative but is unfortunately unpalatable to some people. The flavour improves with familiarity, but you can try mixing it with lemon balm which has similar properties, and a little honey, to mask the flavour. Chamomile is grown from seed and the flowers harvested as soon as they appear. The flowers can be used fresh or dried.

Dill (Anethum graveolens) and fennel (Foeniculum vulgare) make interesting anise flavoured teas. Dill is grown from seed planted in spring in any sheltered sunny corner, while fennel is a noxious weed in many regions so it should be collected from the wild. If this is not possible try planting the bronze form which is more decorative and not so invasive. The seed and leaves of both these plants are used to make a tea that is particulary good for indigestion and flatulence and helps to sweeten the breath.

Bronze fennel is less weedy than green fennel and the bronze leaves look great with orange flowers in the garden.

Dill with silverbeet

Several of the classic mediterranean herbs also make tasty and healthy teas. These include rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis) , sage (Salvia officinalis) and thyme (Thymus vulgaris). All these plants need sun and well drained soil. Thyme in particular does not like to be cold and wet in winter.
Drying the Herbs

Herbs drying, in a dry airy position out of direct sunlight.

I much prefer herbs for tea if they are fresh, but some are not available all year round so need to be dried. To dry herbs harvest them early in the morning just after the dew has dried from the leaves and hang in bunches in a cool airy place out of direct light. Flowers and small leaves are best dried spread on paper in a similar position, while seed drys well in paper bags. Once dry, seal the plant material into jars or plastic bags, label clearly with the name of the plant and date of harvest and store out of direct light. Check a couple of days later to ensure there is no condensation inside the jar or bag. If there is,  then the herb is not completely dry. Remove it and leave out to dry for a few more days. Don’t keep dried herbs for more than twelve months as after this the flavour begins to deteriorate.

Fresh lemon balm for this tisane

Making the Tea
To make herb tea, first warm the pot,  then add the fresh or dried leaves, pour boiling water over the top and leave to stand for up to five minutes. The longer the tea is left to brew the stronger the flavour will be. The tea can also be made in a cup and poured through a strainer, or a stainless steel infuser can be used. Milk is never added to herb teas.

Refer to the list for the medicinal properties of each herb and have fun experimenting with the different flavours.

Delicious aniseed flavour

French tarragon Artemisia dracunculus is one of the trickiest herbs to grow, but also one of the most rewarding. It’s anise-like flavour is clean, subtle and delightful, while also being penetrating; a little goes a long way. It has smooth narrow bright green leaves on stalks that grow from a spreading roostock. Growing to about 40 cm, it rarely flowers, and never sets viable seed.

French tarragon growing in a deep galvanised bucket.

Russian tarragon (A. dracunculoides) is similar, but much more vigorous; it both flowers and sets seed. However the flavour is muddy and it is not a good substitute for French tarragon and I would not bother growing it. Although French tarragon is difficult to grow, once the right position is found, it will thrive. Its main requirement is a well-drained slightly gritty soil that is pH neutral or slightly acid, sunlight for about half the day and reasonable water in dry weather. English books tell us that it needs full sun but I find, with our more extreme summers, it does best in a position with morning sun and afternoon shade. Propagate tarragon by root division in early spring, or take cuttings in summer. Every two to three years dig up the whole plant in spring and replant some pieces into fresh soil with well rotted manure and compost added, otherwise it’s serpentine roots eventually choke the plant. Tarragon also grows well in a deep pot.

Tarragon is a true herbaceous perennial and so disappears completely in winter and is often late to reappear in spring. Make sure you mark where it is planted so you don’t dig it up by mistake. In very cold regions with heavy frosts the roots may need to be protected in winter with a layer of straw. Tip prune regularly to keep it growing densely although if you are using the tarragon all the time this will naturally tip prune it.

Winter tarragon

In warm humid regions, tarragon generally succumbs to fungal diseases. So it is not suitable for tropical or even many sub-tropical regions. In marginal areas you can try keeping the foliage as dry as possible by growing it in a pot in an open, airy position, avoid wetting the leaves when you water, and mulch the root zone with pebbles to help create a dry environment. If you can’t grow this plant, try growing winter tarragon (Tagetes lucida). It thrives in tropical and sub-tropical regions and has a similar but stronger and coarser flavour, so use it in smaller amounts.

French tarragon is a classic culinary herb. It combines beautifully with any dish containing eggs or mushrooms and with a range of chicken and fish dishes. It’s also added to salads and sandwiches, used as a garnish with soup and is part of the herb combination fines herbes, (a mixture of chervil, parsley, chives and tarragon) that is added to stock, fish and poultry. My favourite way of using French tarragon (apart from sprinkling it over slowly roasted mushrooms) is to add it to vinegar. In the height of summer, stuff a wide mouthed jar full of fresh tarragon leaves and stems, pour a really good white wine vinegar over the top and leave to stand on a sunny windowsill, shake every few days. After about a month, strain the vinegar into a bottle, add a fresh sprig of tarragon and then use this vinegar right through winter (when no fresh tarragon is available) to make salad dressings and marinades or just sprinkle over veggies or meat.

This spring go and buy a pot of French tarragon and add this delectable herb to your repertoire. And how can you be sure the plant you are buying is true French tarragon? Break off a leaf and chew it, if it is French tarragon then the tip of your tongue will go numb.

The delicate yellow dill flowers attract beneficial insects.

Dill, Anethum graveolens, is a delightful tall annual herb that grows to about 1 m from a taproot, with a single stem and many feathery blue-green leaves and branches. These are topped by groups of umbrella-shaped flower heads made up of small yellow flowers. The flowers are followed by flat, oval, brown seeds, which self-sow readily if left on the plant. Dill is probably one of the oldest medicinal herbs. It was used by the Egyptians before 3000 BC. The name dill is found in several old European languages, reflecting its widespread use, but its derivation is unclear. In medieval times, dill developed a reputation for protecting anyone who carried it against witches. It was a common ingredient in potions and spells and English country brides would wear a sprig of dill on their wedding day, while in Germany, a bride would put dill and salt in her shoes to bring her good luck. By the beginning of the seventeenth century dill was grown in many countries all over the world because it was known as ‘a gallant expeller of wind’.

Sowing, growing, harvesting
Grow dill from seed sown preferably in spring where the plants are to grow, as they do not transplant well. In warm weather, the plants will mature in about seven weeks, so small numbers of seeds will need to be planted every few weeks to be sure of a constant supply of fresh leaves. Dill grows in most well-drained soils and likes full sun. Dill tastes best if you pick the leaves just before use but if they have to be picked earlier, store in the refrigerator in a plastic bag. I never bother to dry dill as the leaves don’t hold their flavour well when dried. But the seed is well worth drying. Harvest seed just as it starts to turn from green to brown. Dry by hanging upside down in bunches with the seed heads covered by paper bags.� Once the seeds are completely dry they will have dropped into the bottom of the bags. Dill and fennel are similar to look at but the leaves of dill are more blue-green, and the flavour of fennel is more strongly aniseed.

Remedies
The ground or gently bruised seed is the part generally used and it has wide range of uses. Chew the seeds to sweeten the breath. Ground seeds, added to a biscuit mixture for teething babies to chew on, are very soothing. Give a diluted, strained infusion made from the seeds to soothe colic. If drunk by nursing mothers the effect will be passed on to babies through the milk as well as increasing milk flow. Dill also helps with acidity, indigestion and flatulence in adults. Drink an infusion made from the seeds to calm and tone the digestive system, ease indigestion and acidity and reduce flatulence.

Eating
Try adding a few dill leaves to your next sandwich. It goes really well with cucumber and fish like tuna or salmon. Also add fresh leaves to dip, salads, soups and stir fries. It makes a decorative garnish too. The seeds are added to a range of different spice mixes as well as breads and preserves and pickles.

Dill pickle

Dill pickle

3 small firm cucumbers
2 handfuls of fresh dill leaves
50 g coarse salt
1 teaspoon dill seeds
1 teaspoon black peppercorns
half a teaspoon mustard seed
4 cups water
half a cup white wine vinegar
clean medium-sized screw-top jar
1) Wash and dry the cucumbers and place them with the dill in the refrigerator while you prepare the vinegar mixture.
2) Place the salt, dill seed, peppercorns, mustard seed, water and vinegar into the saucepan. Bring to the boil, simmer for 3 minutes, remove from the heat and leave to cool slightly.
3) Place the jar in the oven (remove any rubber seals first) and heat to 180°C, leave for 10 minutes. Turn off the oven and allow the jar to cool.
4) Remove the cucumbers and dill from the refrigerator, slice the cucumber into thick slices, about 5 mm, and roughly tear the dill into smaller pieces. Pack the cucumber and dill into the jar in alternate layers.
5) Pour the vinegar, spice and water mixture over the top. Make sure that the cucumbers are completely covered and that all the spices are tipped into the jar. Discard any excess liquid.
6) Seal tightly and leave to sit in a cool, dark position for about 3 weeks before opening. Once the jar has been opened keep it in the refrigerator.

This recipe is from my book Growing Easy Herbs for Beauty Fragrance and Flavour

The white flowers and savory, spicy leaves make this a delightful herb in the garden.

Little known and used winter savory Satureja montana comes into its own in winter. As the days draw in and cold nights become more frequent, its warm spicy fragrance and taste enhances the flavour of slow cooked soups and stews. It grows as a small woody shrub with tiny dark green, opposite leaves and white flowers that grow in the leaf axils towards the ends of the somewhat sprawling branches. There is also a prostrate variety that has coarser leaves, larger white flowers and is much lower growing, but is otherwise similar. Other varieties have pink flowers. It is easily grown from seed or cuttings, or by detaching rooted pieces and replanting. This is best done in spring, but is usually also successful in autumn. Keep the plants neat by trimming back after flowering. Winter savory is in the same family (Lamiaceae) as thyme and rosemary and likes similar growing conditions. In other words a well-drained sandy loam soil and an open, sunny position. But I have found them to be tough little plants that thrive in a variety of positions as long as they do not stay wet for long periods.

Prostrate winter savory growing in front of a clipped santolina hedge

Both the low-growing and bushier varieties make great garden edges and because of their strong scent will help to repel pests, while the flowers attract bees and other beneficial insects.
The fine spicy flavour of winter savory combines beautifully with beans in particular, but also with peas and other vegetables. Finely chop the leaves and add small amounts to salads dressings, soups and stews. I like to add winter savory to a bouquet garni and then suspend this into the soup or stew and remove before serving. Bouquet garni  is the name given to a small bunch of herbs, tied together with a long piece of string and added to sauces, stock, soups, stews and casseroles; in effect any dish that is cooked for more than a few minutes allowing time for the flavours to be absorbed.  A classic combination is one bay leaf (fresh is best) with a couple of sprigs of parsley and thyme. Other herbs can be added; the type will depend on the other ingredients of the dish. Don’t add too many though, or the individual flavours will be lost. So with any dish that contains beans, I substitute the winter savory for one of the other three herbs.
Medicinally, winter savory can be made into a tea and drunk as a warming and soothing digestive

A fine leafed form of coriander

Coriander, also known as cilantro and Chinese parsley, is one of the most ancient herbs still in use today. It is also claimed by some to be the world’s most widely used herb. Whether this is true or not, coriander leaves and seeds are essential to the cuisine of central and southern America, South-East and northern Asia as well as India and the Middle East.
History
Coriander comes originally from southern Europe where the seeds have been used for centuries, but the leaves were not usually used. Coriander seeds have been found in Egyptian tombs dating from more than 3000 years ago. The Egyptians cultivated coriander in their gardens and offered it at funeral ceremonies. It was used by Hippocrates and other Greek physicians as early as the fifth century B. C., while the Chinese considered that coriander had the ability to bestow immortality. This plant has the distinction of being one of the few herbs mentioned in the Old Testament Num. 11:7
“Now the manna was like coriander seed.”
The botanical and common name, coriander, comes from the Greek word koris which means ‘bug’. This presumably relates to the fact that the smell and flavour of coriander has been unfavourably compared with that of stink bugs.
This erect annual herb has lower leaves that are rounded and lobed, while the upper leaves are linear and finely dissected. Small flat umbels of pale pink flowers appear from mid-summer, and these are followed by fruits that are small green berries and which become brown and ridged when fully ripe. These drop very quickly once they are ripe and will self sow readily. The whole plant contains a fragrant volatile oil. There are now several cultivars that vary in flavour, size and tendency to bolt to seed in hot conditions.

Coriander starts with flat parsley-like leaves but older leaves are slender and deeply divided.

Growing and harvesting
Grow coriander from seed sown in spring or autumn. Although I prefer autumn because then you get months of harvesting before they even think about going to seed. Plant the seed where you want the plants to grow as plants don’t like being moved. Seed can take a while to germinate and it may be several weeks before the first young leaves appear. Thin to about 15 cm between plants. In areas with hot, dry summers, seedlings will go to seed very quickly, so in these places coriander is best planted in autumn. Coriander does well in any good, nutrient-rich soil that is well drained. In most regions in Australia, coriander does best in partial shade, but in cooler regions grow it in full sun. Keep well watered. Start harvesting leaves after about 30 days. Leaves have the best flavour while the stems are still soft and before the flowers start to form. Whole plants can be harvested for their roots at the same time. As the seeds ripen towards the end of summer their strong odour gives way to a sweet, orangy scent, when crushed. The seeds need to be harvested quickly, as they turn from green to brown, before they drop. Cut off the whole seed head and hang upside down in a paper bag, in a dry, airy, shaded position. When the seeds are dry, strip them from the stems and store in an airtight container out of direct light.
Cooking and eating
Coriander is a nutritious herb rich in calcium, phosphorous, beta carotene and vitamin C. It has an unusual, very strong taste when fresh, and both the leaves and roots are commonly used in Asian cooking. Leaves are used as garnish and to add fragrance to soups, meat dishes and particularly fish dishes. They are always added towards the end of the cooking process. Don’t bother drying the leaves as they don’t keep their flavour. The Chinese use leaves in dim sum stuffing and in soup. The Vietnamese use fresh coriander leaves in soups, salads and noodle dishes. Thais add fresh roots to a range of dishes and a combination of coriander root, garlic and pepper all crushed together is an essential seasoning in many Thai dishes. The dried seed has a sweet, almost orangy, taste and is an important ingredient of most curry spice mixes. Ground coriander, cumin and turmeric are the basic ingredients of most curry powders. The flavour of the seeds is enhanced if they are lightly cooked in a dry frying pan and then crushed just before they are to be used. Dried powdered seed is used to disguise the flavour of some of the more unpleasant medicines, and chewing the seed stimulates gastric juices and aids digestion. Bruised seeds can be applied externally to rheumatic joints to relieve the pain. They are also used in baking to flavour bread and cakes, in confectionary and to flavour liquers.

Ingredients for coriander and salmon dip

Coriander and salmon dip

from Growing Easy Herbs for Beauty Fragrance and Flavour
handful of fresh coriander leaves
1 small tin pink salmon (about 105 gm)
3 tablespoons of spreadable cream cheese (about 150 gm)
1 tablespoon lemon juice
sprig of coriander
dry biscuits or corn chips for dipping
1) Finely chop the coriander and place into a bowl.
2) Drain the liquid from the salmon and add to the coriander, then add the cream cheese and lemon juice.
3) Mash with a fork or puree with a food blender until a smooth paste is formed.
4) Place into a small decorative bowl, garnish with coriander leaves and serve with biscuits or corn chips for dipping.
Other herbs that can be added to this and other dips are basil, borage flowers, chives, dill, fennel, garlic leaves or cloves, lemon balm, parsley, salad burnet and tree onion leaves.

Bay trees make wonderful slow-growing hedges or clipped specimen plants. Heronswood, Dromana

Sweet bay (Laurus nobilis ) was seen by the old herbalists as a virtuous tree which “resisteth witchcraft very potently”. The Greeks dedicated it to Apollo, the sun god. The Delphic priestesses, oracles of Apollo, held bay leaves between their lips as they made prophesies. In Greek and Roman cultures victors, heroes, academics and artistic figures were rewarded with a wreath or crown of bay leaves. This gave rise to the terms ‘baccalaureate’ and ‘poet laureate’.
Bays are unusual in the world of herbs in that, given the right conditions, they can grow into large trees, sometimes as high as 20 metres. They are usually slow growing and with careful pruning make excellent lawn specimens, topiary trees, pot plants or hedges. To grow a bay as a standard or topiary specimen, remove any suckers from the base as well as all the lower branches, leaving only about six branches at the top. After this, continue to remove any suckers that appear and prune the branches at the top, into the desired shape, twice during the following and each subsequent summer.
Bays are lovely, evergreen aromatic plants with shiny, dark green elliptical leaves. Male and female flowers grow on different trees but all are greenish yellow and fairly inconspicuous. The flowers on female trees, once fertilised, develop into dark purple berries. Bays grow in most soils as long as the drainage is good, but like lots of sun and protection from harsh winds and especially cold winds. Young trees will not tolerate frosts but become more frost resistant as they grow.
New bay trees can be grown from seed, cuttings, or by detaching suckers. As seeds rarely germinate unless conditions are ideal (which includes constant temperatures around 24°C) and cuttings of semi-ripe shoots taken in summer can take up to 6 months to develop roots, the average herb gardener is probably better off buying an established plant or taking a sucker from an existing tree.
Bay leaves can be used either fresh or dried, but remember that the fresh leaves have a stronger flavour. The leaves are most commonly added whole to soups, stews, casseroles and meat sauces and removed before serving. Leaves are used either on their own or combined with other herbs as part of a bouquet garni. The combination will vary depending on the dish. For example, a bouquet garni for a beef dish could consist of one bay leaf and a sprig each of parsley stems, thyme, sage and sweet marjoram, tied together in a bunch.
Placed in food containers one or two bay leaves will prevent moths and bugs from infesting flours and cereals, and fresh bay leaves put between the pages of a book will help to repel silverfish. In fact the whole tree is disease and pest resistant and will protect other plants in the area from many insect pests.
The bay tree has been credited with numerous medicinal properties over the centuries, but is probably most useful now as an oil that is rubbed into aching limbs and muscles to bring relief. Combine 50 g of crushed leaves (either fresh or dried), 300 ml of olive oil and one tablespoon of white vinegar in a screw topped jar. Leave it in a warm place, shaking regularly for three weeks. Strain and add two or three fresh leaves, leave for another week and then use when needed.
Bay trees are supposed to protect us from devils, witches, thunder, lightning and bush fires so obviously no garden should be without one.

A small bay tree planted with other herbs in an elevated herb garden

If by chance you are female, single, looking for a mate and despairing of more conventional methods of finding one, then you could try the following technique that was once popular in Devon, England. On the evening before Valentine’s Day select five fresh bay leaves and pin them to your pillow, one in each corner and one in the middle. Now lie down with your head on the pillow and say seven times

Sweet guardian angels, let me have
What I most earnestly do crave—
A Valentine enbued with love,
Who will both true and constant prove.

Each time you say the verse you need to count to seven, seven times. If you follow these instructions carefully then your future husband will appear to you in a dream. Unfortunately the instructions don’t tell you how to actually ‘catch’ this husband, or what to do if you don’t like the look of him! — PW