Why Didn't Basil Make Our Mediterranean Herb List?

Basil is an herb commonly used in Mediterranean cooking, however it is not necessarily an herb that is native to a Mediterranean Climate. There is a distinction that needs to be made in this regard. The region known as the Mediterranean specifically refers to the land masses that border the Mediterranean Sea, in particular the northern boundary of the Sea, which includes: France, Italy, Turkey, Greece, and several small islands. Our postings this month will refer to herbs that have developed in a Mediterranean Climate, which is characterized by hot, dry summers and short, cool winters. Although the region known as the Mediterranean is also part of a Mediterranean Climate, it is not the only global location where this climate type if found. In general, Mediterranean Climates develop on the western edges of continents because of high pressure climactic conditions. Plants that develop in these regions commonly share the characteristics described in our previous posting: they require very little water, thrive in somewhat arid conditions, and are able to withstand temperature extremes. Thus, plants that are characterized as Mediterranean Herbs did not necessarily develop in the geographic region known as the Mediterranean, but rather, they are native to the global Mediterranean Climate zones (see picture below for geographic locations).

Image of Mediterranean Climate Zones: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mediterranean_climate

Basil originated from India and Southeast Asia and some contend parts of Iran. The Tropic of Cancer, the geographic line which approximates the demarcation of tropic from sub-tropic regions in the Northern Hemisphere, passes through India. Although there are several climate zones and micro-climates in India, it receives a higher average rainfall than most Mediterranean Climates (see Monsoonal climates) and is largely tropical. Similarly, Asian varieties of basil, such as Thai Basil developed in the Southeast Asia, which is predominantly composed of tropical climates.

Image of Thai Basil provided by Choking Sun

Basil was imported to the Mediterranean Region during the spice trades; some estimate that it made its way to Southern France in the 15th century. The Italians began to cultivate their own species of basil, like Genovese and Sweet basil, for culinary and medicinal applications. After several centuries of cultivation in the Mediterranean, there are now species of basil the grow abundantly in the wild. So technically, there are some species of basil that have evolved and adapted over time to grow natively in a Mediterranean Climate. However, the type of basil that you would normally purchase at at your local garden store such as Sweet or Thai basil will require more water than a typical Mediterranean plant and they are also susceptible to cold weather. But you never know...I've planted Genovese and Sweet Basil in the Inland Empire and given them very little water and they have thrived. Go figure.

Image of Sweet Basil provided by Matt Burris

Now for the part you've all been waiting for...the Pesto recipe. Regardless of basil's characterization as a Mediterranean or non-Mediterranean Herb, we can all agree that its influence on the culinary culture of the Mediterranean Region (let alone the world) has been significant. Anybody who has tried some of grandma's homemade marinara sauce or finished their plate of pesto pasta longing for seconds knows that basil is a fantastic cooking herb. I've checked out a couple of Pesto recipes online and I've decided to combine some of the better features of them with my own recipe. So here it is without further ado...

Perfect Pesto

Ingredients:

1 Large Handful of Sweet Basil (you can use Genovese Basil as well)

1/4 cup of toasted walnuts (you can use pine nuts too, but walnuts have a higher fat content and they're yummy)

1/3 cup of freshly shaved parmesan cheese

3 cloves of fresh garlic

Salt and Pepper to taste

Extra Virgin Olive Oil (add this at the end)

Preparation:

-The key is to hand chop people. I know the fancy gadgetry of the modern age has made us lazy, but I promise you that the twenty minutes or so that it takes to chop everything will be worth it. Some people say that you need a special knife to do this, but I just find the biggest, sharpest blade in my drawer and go to town. The process of chopping is going to allow the essential oils of the basil, walnuts, and parmesan to erupt into an intense flavor cornucopia.

-Chop everything into small pieces, but not too fine because you want to be able to taste the individual ingredients.

-Add all of your chopped ingredients to a mixing bowl and gradually and SLOWLY pour in some extra virgin olive oil. As you pour the oil make sure to stir the mixture quickly to ensure that the small pieces suspend themselves in the oil. Remember: SLOW pour, QUICK stir.

-Now for the final tidbit of advice: try to time this process to finish at the same time that your pasta is finished cooking. Adding that highly aromatic mixture with its fresh oils to hot pasta will seal in the flavor of your mixture. Angel hair or spaghetti pastas both work well with pesto, but pesto makes anything taste great, so experiment and see what tickles your taste buds.

Image of Pesto Dish provided by Katrin Morenz

April is Mediterranean Herb Month!

April has been officially deemed Mediterranean Herb Month at the IEUA. Throughout the month we will be posting factoids, pictures, and recipes for different Mediterranean herbs. Today's post should provide some background information on these unique plants and throughout the rest of the month we will showcase several herbs individually. In addition, we'll also discuss some commonly used herbs (like basil and cilantro) that didn't make our Mediterranean herb list and explain why they didn't make the cut.

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Mediterranean climates have allowed certain types of plant species to thrive within its environs. These regionally-adapted plants require relatively small amounts of water, somewhat arid conditions, and can usually withstand extreme temperatures. Over many generations Mediterranean agriculturalists have been able to cultivate several highly aromatic herbs. These particular plants have become famous throughout the world for their culinary and medicinal uses. Herbs have a tendency to proliferate quickly, especially herbs like mint, oregano, or thyme, which spread rapidly by using crawling stolons or by attaching their stems directly into the soil with roots.

Any of the following plants listed below can be used in local gardens in the Inland Empire. Luckily each type of herb has several varieties within it, so try planting a few of each in your garden.

Bay: Bay leaves come from the Bay Laurel, a mediterranean evergreen tree or large shrub. The leaves are usually dried and used to flavor soups, stews, hummuses and pates.

Chives: Chives are actually the smallest species of edible onion. Unlike most onion species, chives are not usually grown for their edible bulbs, instead they are cultivated for their tasty, green stems. The scapes (leafless, flowering stems) of the chive are used to flavor stews and soups, or they can be finely chopped and used as a garnish.

Dill: Dill can used in dry, fresh, or seed form. It originates from Mediterranean climates, but has been adopted by the cuisines of colder climates (Baltic, Russian, and Scandinavian cultures) to use as a flavorant for preserved vegetables (such as pickles) and soups.

Fennel: Fennel is native to the shores of the Mediterranean. It produces a large, flavorful bulb that can be used as a vegetable and its frawns can be used for flavoring as well. Fennel has a sweet, licorice-like flavor and is common in salads, pastas, and risottos. Fennel seeds are often used in bread-baking as well.

Image of Fennel provided by Satrina0

Mint: Mints are highly aromatic herbs that grow by anchoring themselves into the earth with stolons; this process occurs quickly and this plant has a tendency to become invasive. They can double their size easily in one growing season. Mint is commonly used in Mediterranean cooking, particularly with lamb and regional side dishes. However, it is also commonly used in beverages, such as hot teas, mint juleps, and mojitos.

Oregano: Like many Mediterranean herbs, Oregano has been cultivated by several regions resulting in a variety of names and flavors (Italian, Greek, Turkish, Cretan, etc.). Oregano leaves can be used either fresh or dry and are most well known in the U.S. for being the flavorant of pizza sauce.

Rosemary: Rosemary is a woody, perennial herb that is well known for needing to little to no water once it has been established. It has a sharp, bitter taste and maintains its distinct aroma throughout the cooking process. Rosemary also has a long history as an herbal medicine for memory loss and cognitive development.

Sage: Sage is another woody, perennial herb that is regarded for its aesthetic beauty as well as its culinary potential. As a seasoning, it can be used in a fresh or dry form. It is also used as an essential oil that can be added to butters and other, less fragrant oils in cooking applications.

Thyme: Thyme is a perennial herb that thrives in semi-arid climates. Similar to bay leaves, thyme is slow to release its flavor in the cooking process and usually needs to be added rather early to achieve full flavor. Thyme's fragrance becomes more potent once it is dried.

Image of Thyme provided by Erutuon

For more information about Mediterranean herbs, see the following links:
http://gardening.about.com/od/herbsatoz/Herbs_A_Z_Growing_Tips_for_Specific_Herb_Plants.htm

Planning Irrigation for you Garden

When planning your garden you should take into consideration the water needs of each plant, the density/spacing of your plants, and ways to reduce the amount of water and equipment needed to sufficiently hydrate your plants. Staff in the Garden In Every School program prefer to use micro-irrigation drip systems. They are easy to install and manage, plus there are a variety of fittings so you can create custom irrigation designs.

You can use micro-irrigation fittings to target specific plants or you can use hoses that apply water evenly to a wider area. Targeted fittings include bubblers (seen below) and shrublers, which can be directed to the base of a plant. These come in handy with low density plantings and they help you meter the amount of water each plant receives. Bubblers generally come in 1 Gallon/hour to 3 Gallons/hour settings, while shrubblers can be adjusted by dialing the fitting head to the needs of plants and can emit up to 5 Gallons/hour.

Photo of bubbler courtesy of Joby Elliott

If your plants are relatively dense (within 8 to 12 inches of each other) and are aligned in rows you can use a couple of efficient products like drip tape or soaker hoses. Drip tapes attach to a water source and have small holes every 12 inches to water plants. Soaker hoses are porous tubes that allow water to drain directly through the hose into the soil; they will distribute water evenly and you can control the rate of the application.

Photo of soaker hose courtesy of Rian_Bean

Soil Preparation and Maintenance

Preparing and maintaining the health of your soil is the equivalent of taking your vitamins, exercising and drinking plenty of water. We take supplemental vitamins to maintain ideal nutrition, exercise allows oxygen to flow through the blood to make sure our tissue is healthy, and water replenishes our bodies and assists oxygen transport, among other vital functions. Other living organisms, including trees, plants, microbiota, and decomposers also need nutrients, oxygen and water to maintain their systems. By preparing your soil at the beginning of the growing season and carrying out a maintenance schedule for the rest of the season, your garden should maintain its health and production.

First we need to know a little bit about soil. Soil is a mixture of sand, clay, and loam, and depending on your geographic and geologic area, your soil may have a predictable composition. For those of us in the Inland Empire, particularly in the Chino Valley, our soil is clay-like. Those who live in the foothills near Upland and Rancho Cucamonga also have clay soils, but they are more likely to have rocky soil as well due to their proximity to the foothills.

Healthy soil also contains air, water, and a small amount of organic material. Loam soils are considered ideal because they are a good combination of sand and clay. The sand allows air and water to penetrate the earth, while the clay holds in nutrients and moisture. If you have clay soil, you can purchase special products at your local gardening store to amend your soil. I've searched several gardening blogs from the Inland Empire and it appears that people have had success with adding builder's sand and heavy compost to their clay soils. Builder's sand is different than ocean sand or playground sand. Builder's sand is coarse and large-grained. Adding this to fine clay should disrupt the settling pattern of clay. Also by adding coarse and heavy compost, you will add nutrients to the soil and provide a biodegradable aggregate, which will also disrupt the settling pattern of clay.

The manner of soil preparation described above is ideal for growing vegetables. Most vegetables are annuals and are expected to germinate, flower, and produce fruit or mature within a short time frame. They can take advantage of the freshly applied organic matter before it begins to decompose further and lose its nutritional value. Their roots tend to spread quickly, but not as deep, nor as extensively as a fruit tree. If your intention is to plant vegetables, use the mixture described above to achieve optimal results. If you're planting fruit trees, there are two schools of thought related to soil prep. Some say that compost and soil inputs should be added to the ground at the time of planting. This could give the tree a head start by having nutrients close to its roots, however, when the roots reach the native soil, they might go into shock. The second method, which we follow at IEUA, is to plant fruit trees directly into the native, clay soil. The tree may take some time acclimating to the parent soil, but its growth should proceed uninterrupted after it becomes accustomed to its surroundings.

Once you have prepared your soil, it's time to develop a maintenance schedule. Soil maintenance for vegetable beds is fairly simple. Compost can be added to the soil prior to planting and then once more during the growing season, preferably when plants are flowering. If you do not have compost readily available, you can use plant food instead. Make sure to keep weeds pulled so they don't consume the nutrients that were intended for your plants. Fruit trees can also be maintained by adding tree stakes to the base of the tree. About three tree stakes will suffice per tree, but make sure to read the instructions on the packaging just in case. Tree stakes or tree food should be added about three months prior to the fruiting season of your particular type of tree.

See the links below for more information on soil preparation and maintenance:

This site provides good info about clay soils and how to prepare for planting:

http://organiclifestyles.tamu.edu/vegetables/soilpreparation.html (Texas A&M University)

Although we didn't address it, some people prefer to add lime, blood meal, and other additives to the soil to adjust the pH for particular plants. The following sites are helpful in this matter:

http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/vh024 (University of Florida)

http://www.homesteadingtoday.com/showthread.php?t=303252 (Manure v. Bone Meal v. Blood Meal)

Preparing Seedlings

Don't wait until April to start your seedlings. You may miss out on some tasty, late fruiting varieties of warm weather veggies. Get started in early February and expand the possibilities of your garden!

What you'll need:

a seed tray (plastic or biodegradable)

potting soil

seed packets

 

Photo of tomato seedlings courtesy of Lucy Crosbie

Seeds need moisture and a constant temperature between 65 and 75 degrees Fahrenheit to germinate (or sprout). Depending on the plant type, some seeds will germinate in a matter or days, while some will need two to three weeks. Once the seed has germinated, it will send up starter leaves, often these are called "water leaves".

Seeds can be planted in late January and kept indoors for six weeks until they are ready to be transferred outside.

Not all seeds need to be started in a planter, some actually do better being planted directly in the ground.

Designing your Spring/Summer Garden

Designing your own garden can be rewarding and educational and you don't need to be a Landscape Architect to do it! Using the principles enumerated in our recent post, Planning your Spring/Summer Garden you can begin to turn your ideas into a physical reality.


To get started, grab a measuring tape and record the dimensions of your garden. Then use a ruler and a piece of sketch or graph paper to draw the outline of your garden. To draw your garden to scale, assign a certain length to equal one inch. For example, if your garden is twenty feet long, you can set 1 inch equal to two feet. Using graph paper is even easier because the quadriles are already on the page. Also, if you're interested in creating your design online instead of on paper, you can use free design tools like Google Sketch-Up to create your garden.

After the outline of your garden is drawn, you can create stencils or symbols to represent your plants. If you would like, you can buy gardening or landscaping stencils, or you can go online and download pre-made symbols (see the link below for gardening symbols). Just print the symbols on card stock, cut them out, and use them to trace your design.

Before you begin populating your garden with symbols, remember to make a plant key! A plant key is very important because it will help you organize your ideas and your design. It is invaluable when it's time to start planting, because it is difficult to remember the ideal location for every plant and your helpers can find the plant location directly from the chart.

After your outline, symbols, and key have been made you can begin to design your garden. Remember to keep the principles we have recently discussed in mind: intercropping plant species, incorporating pollinator-friendly and pest-deterring plants, and crop rotation (to confuse pests). Also, keep spatial and height elements in mind when planning your garden. Taller plants and those that need trellising should be placed near walls or toward the back of the garden so they do not block the sunlight needed by low and medium height plants.

Remember to add some color to your design. Shrubs and vines can be given a dark green color, while sunflowers can be bright yellow. A garden design is a practical way to organize a garden, but it can also be a fun way to get your creative juices flowing. Your final design can become an artful homage to your edible landscape!

Photo of garden design courtesy of Chris Kreussling



Try using some of these symbols from the University of Minnesota: http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.sustland.umn.edu/design/images/landscapesym2.gif&imgrefurl=http://www.sustland.umn.edu/design/lanscapesym.html&usg=__HDT3tT0S076F0OirIIEK8QS6b28=&h=770&w=600&sz=57&hl=en&start=5&zoom=1&tbnid=Gb4v_FnVJOpKfM:&tbnh=142&tbnw=111&ei=Ia0ZT9-WDurg0QHW_e3fBA&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dplant%2Bsymbols%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN%26rls%3Dcom.microsoft:*:IE-SearchBox%26rlz%3D1I7ADFA_en%26tbm%3Disch&um=1&itbs=1

Winter Garden Maintenance

The middle of January is a good time to do a little maintenance on your garden, even if you're not actively growing crops. Think of it this way: if you get a head start now, you'll have less work to do in the spring and summer. Here's a list to follow:

1) Weed your garden. Winter weeding is one of the best things you can do to ensure a successful yield in the summer. Most weeds sprout up in the winter, germinate in the spring and summer, set seed in the fall, and die when cold weather hits. If you can pull the weeds (or inhibit their access to sinlight) in the winter, then you have limited their chances of reseeding. Also, the longer a weed sits in the ground, the more time it has to establish roots, making it more difficult to extract. The moral of this story: pull weeds early and often.

2) Turn your compost. We all took our plant clippings, vegetable trimmings, and leaves and threw them into our compost bins at the end of the summer, but most of us probably forgot to turn our compost bins. If material has been in your bin since August or September, chances are it has already started decomposing. Give it a good turn and give those microdigesters some oxygen so you can have plenty of compost in the spring.

3) Prepare your gardening tools. If you're like me, you probably left a couple of tools outside and they've turned a nice shade of rust by now. Pick up your tools, clean them off (you can use a brilo pad or sand paper to scratch away at rust), and organize your tools. You might even want to get a head start and see if your local garden supply store has plant food that you can stock up on.

4) Stock up on seeds and trays. One of the many benefits of living in California is the immense amount of sunlight and good weather. So Cal gardeners can start a seed tray as early as January and be ready to plant by mid-March. Just remember to keep your seedlings inside by a window so they can be shielded from any unexpected weather. Also, if your local garden supply store doesn't have seeds yet, you can also go online and order them.

5) Prepare and repair. If you garden in pots, now is a good time to get rid of your old soil and give the inside of your pot a good scrubbing. Cleaning the inside of a garden pot is suggested so you can kill any mold or bacteria living on the walls of the vessel. Or if you garden in plant boxes, make sure boxes are in good condition. Finally, if you prefer in-ground planting, add soil additives like lime or clay conditioner today.

Good luck with your gardens!