Artemisia: Herb of the Year 2014

Every year the International Herb Association selects a new herb to feature–this year is Artemisia!

Every year the International Herb Association selects a new herb to feature – this year isArtemisia ! Learn more about this wonderful genus of herbs beloved by gardeners for centuries , used by cooks and in the druggist . This blog is a sneak prevue of the coming bookArtemisia : Herb of the Year 2014,which will be released by the IHA in the next month .

Right now with the freezing temps and no gardening outside , I am delighting in reading about all of the different species and cultivar and wee orders from seed and plant life catalogue , so that I can immerse myself in the artemisias in the upcoming horticulture season .

There are so many facet to the artemisias , we need to concentrate on their virtues one at a time . Although many artemisias are used in the garden as accent plants , showing off their toothed - and - textured , gray - green leaf , there are a few , which are used as culinary herbs . And so this blog boast an artemisia that excels in the kitchen , Tarragon .

Tarragon : The Celebrated Culinary Artemisia

In celebrating Artemisia , Herb of the Year for 2014 ™ , we find a genus of herbs which are used principally as ornamentals and medicinally , though there are some used as culinary herbaceous plant . The starring culinary artemisia is French tarragon , Artemisia dracunculus‘Sativa ’ , which more than create up for the deficiency of the other artemisia in the kitchen . Tarragon ’s solid devotees in Europe have been cooks rather than Doctor or herb doctor . The French are famed for their role of tarragon in cooking , however it has been used for centuries throughout Europe and Russia . Tarragon is considered one of the purple herbs , in the kitchen , in fact as well as legend .

From times of oldsubtle yet boldin sauces fine with meat or fish , tarragon defines the dish .

small dragon throughout historyThe Latins name this herb “ dracunculus ” because its serpentine radical structure suggested little dragons . We conceive the flair of red heat that warm up the palate sparks more brilliant draconic figure of speech . Tarragon ’s multi - faceted nip hail copious historic associations : glowing tapis and paintings of Dragon , their scale leaf gleaming as greenly as the works in the garden .

The “ short Draco ” was the favorite herb of Charlemagne and was cultivated in the garden of the Tudors . Tarragon is one of the purple herbs , in fact as well as legend . Through the centuries it has become more used and respected for its regal presence in the kitchen . In its other account Pliny thought estragon prevented fatigue . This notion go along through the Middle Ages , when the faithful put it in their shoe before setting out on pilgrimage . Arab doc used its pleasant tone and numbing prop to mitigate the effects of swallow bitter music . Evelyn save of estragon as “ good for the heart , lungs , and liver . ”

estragon in the kitchenThe French work with tarragon in the most majestic mode , although it also finds favor with the Siennese and with some hoi polloi of Southern Russia , where it probably originated . The rich anise plant - like , peppery flavor of tarragon and its complex aroma of very impudently cut hay , mint , and licorice enhance a with child variety of foods . Classic in sauce from béarnaise to tartar , and excellent with fish , eggs , and wimp , tarragon also adds much to grill heart . A sparkle aspersion fail well with many simply prepared veg , notably peas , Spinacia oleracea , cauliflower , and white potato .

Tarragon taste better on its own or with the Greco-Roman fines herbes : parsley , chervil , and cive . The firm aromatics - rosemary , salvia , and thyme - do not harmonize well with it . The unused herbaceous plant is subtler than the dried and may be used accordingly . warmth bestow out the flavor of tarragon , so cooked beauty usually demand less . In the late saltation and early summertime , tarragon is often sold in produce markets and at greengrocer .

CultivationFor culture , Gallic estragon , A. dracunculus‘Sativa ’ , is the culinary herbaceous plant of pick , and should be obtained from an herb supplier . It must be set out from a cutting or by root division . Mexican tarragon , Tagetes lucida , is a member of the marigold home , with a coarser but interchangeable feel to dependable Artemisia dracunculus in the raw leaves . It is stronger in vinegar and milder in cooked dishes . Still , it is a perennial in strong mood , and is of use when tarragon is hibernating , or where winters are too quick for French estragon to flourish . Commercial seed usually is that of Russian tarragon , a close Artemesia congener ; however , it lacks the essential oils necessary for culinary enjoyment . It looks more like tarragon than the Tagetes substitute , but has almost no flavor .

It is best to buy rooted clipping or modest flora in the spring and plant them eighteen inches apart , as tarragon has a shallow sidelong root system . Tarragon like a well - drained ample grime a bit on the sandy side , and a cheery spot free from the shadow of other plant . fertilisation twice a calendar month is necessary , especially the first few months after it has been transplanted . You will have to protect the plant if you set them out while there is still a luck of frost . Mature Gallic tarragon will grow from two to two and one - half feet tall ; like rosemary and sage , it will become a well-favored shaggy plant . Frequent cutting of the plant life , especially in summertime , and a mulch of sand lessen disease problem , but all yellow or chocolate-brown leaves should be removed from the plant as soon as they are observed to retard the spread of fungus .

To insure the most flavorful Artemisia dracunculus , the roots should be divided in two to three years , after the plants are well set up . When a plant shows new growing in the spring , before the stems are three inches marvellous , dig it up . cautiously split up it into piece that have part of last year ’s fore and root word on each portion . The sectionalisation should be treated as plants and will thrive with water and fertilization .

Tarragon snuff it back each wintertime even in temperate climate ; in dusty clime it should be well protect with mulch . Mature tarragon can be pot and grown indoors , but it needs artificial light for fifteen minute a day to maintain vegetative growth . Place it in a wide pot with secure drain and do not overwater it . During short wintertime daylight tarragon does not grow and is easily killed from too much water .

The poem and some of the text is excerpted fromHerbs in the Kitchenby Carolyn Dille and Susan Belsinger , Interweave Press , 2000 . Try these tastyLima bean plant with Tarragon .

Fine Gardening Recommended product

Razor - Back Potato / Refuse Hook

o.k. horticulture receive a commission for items buy through links on this situation , including Amazon Associates and other affiliate advertising programs .

Ho - Mi Digger - Korean Triangle Blade

Chapin International 10509 Upside - Down Trigger Sprayer

Get our in style wind , how - to articles , and instructional videos sent to your inbox .

Tarragon,A. dracunculus’Sativa', is considered the King of Herbs in France.Photo/Illustration: Susan Belsinger

Signing you up …

Celebrate Spring and Agastache, Herb of the Year 2019!

About Anise Hyssop: 2019’s Herb of the Year

Savory, Herb of the Year 2015

Celebrate Artemisia: Herb of the Year 2014

connect Fine Gardening for a costless engaging live webinar have Dr. Janna Beckerman , a far-famed plant diagnostician as well as professor emerita at Purdue University and the ornamentals technical handler …

When I spotted a fussy sand dollar sign cactus ( Astrophytum asterias ) at the Philadelphia Flower Show a few months ago , I fuck I was in trouble . With a delightful color pattern …

When we only prioritize plants we want over plants our landscape needs , each time of year is satisfy with a never - cease listing of chores : pruning , abstract , lachrymation , treating , amend , and fertilizing , with …

Video

Touring an Eco-friendly, Shady Backyard Retreat

You must be thrifty when you enter the backyard of garden architect Jeff Epping — not because you ’re probable to trip on something , but because you might be dive - bombed by a span …