Get adventurous with your gardening and explore some herbs that will bring new flavours to your kitchen.
Shiso
Britton Shiso (top), Red and Green Shiso (bottom)
I first discovered shiso two years ago just as I was expanding my set up for growing indoor seedlings. I started a few plants from seed, and I've been in love ever since, not only with the distinct taste, but also the decorative element that shiso brings to my balcony food garden. Shiso grows well in pots and in part shade, and the leaves of red shiso are beautiful on a balcony when the sun shines through them. Britton shiso also has to be one of the most beautiful herbs out there, with green tops and a purple underside.
Britton Shiso
All varieties of shiso flower in the fall, with tall flower stalks similar in appearance to flowering basil. Shiso is a prolific self seeder however, so I do recommend harvesting the seed before it dries completely and drops. Seeds are fairly easy to save for the following year.
The taste of shiso is difficult to describe as it's so different than most herbs I was already familiar with. What I did discover though, is that I love the taste of shiso paired with grapefruit and fennel. This combination makes a flavourful and refreshing salad for summer, and a unique way to use your shiso.
Grapefruit & Fennel Salad with Shiso
Makes 2 Large Servings
Ingredients:
1 Red Grapefruit
1 Medium Fennel Bulb
1 Avocado
5 Red Shiso Leaves
1 tsp Rice Vinegar (optional)
Peel the grapefruit and segment it over a bowl to catch any juice. Set the skins aside. Break the grapefruit into bite size pieces in a separate bowl. Squeeze the skins you have set aside, along with one or two of the grapefruit segments adding to the bowl you used to catch the juice. Whisk the rice vinegar together with the grapefruit juice. (Often I omit the vinegar completely as I really enjoy the taste of the fresh grapefruit on its own.)
Wash and trim the fennel bulb and slice as thinly as you can or shave it with a mandolin. Peel and chop the avocado into cubes. Add these to the grapefruit pieces.
To chiffonade the shiso leaves, stack them up and roll them into a cylinder, then cut thin slices across the rolled leaves.
Pour the grapefruit juice and vinegar over the chopped salad, stir to combine then sprinkle the shiso chiffonade on top.
Anise Hyssop
Anise Hyssop
This could be your new favourite tea, and the bees love it! Anise hyssop has a licorice mint flavour and is tasty both fresh and dried. It grows well in pots, in full sun or part shade. It produces a tonne of seed that are easy to save by shaking the dried blooms into a bowl. It is a perennial here in zone 5, and will likely spread by seed if you let it. This plant is a must have in the garden, even if just to draw happy pollinators to your plants.
Orange Balm
By now you've probably heard of lemon balm. In the shared garden space I started working in last year, the yard had been neglected for years and the lemon balm was growing wild. Although some people love the taste, I find lemon balm reminds me a little too much of some sort of insect repellent than something I want to eat. Last year, however, I got my hands on some Orange Balm seeds, and ta da! The orange flavour isn't strong, but it's much more pleasant than the lemon and makes an amazing substitute for mint in mojitos. Please just remember to grow it in a pot or to cut it back when it starts to bloom to avoid having it spread to unwanted places.
Orange Balm
Mountain Mint
Mountain Mint
Mountain mint (pycnanthemum tenuifolium) is a must have in your garden. It has a lovely scent and mint flavour that makes a great tea. It is also native to Ontario, attracts pollinators, and has the benefit of being a perennial without taking over your garden.
Huacatay (Peruvian Black Mint)
Huacatay has a mild flavour with elements of citrus and mint. Some describe it as having notes of basil or tarragon. All in all it is a pleasing taste, and definitely worth a try in your next herb garden. In the right conditions the plant can grow quite large and would bring height and interest to a food garden. I had success growing it in pots in part sun in my balcony garden where it grew tall and thin. In the future I intend to grow several together in a pot to fill it out, or will prune it as it grows to encourage fuller growth.
Huacatay Roast Chicken
Serves 4
Ingredients:
1 Whole Chicken
3 Cloves of Garlic
1 Bunch of Huacatay (Peruvian Black Mint)
4 Medium Potatoes
Olive Oil
1/4 tsp Cumin
Salt & Pepper to Taste
Preheat the oven to 180ºC/350ºF
Cut the ptatoes into bite size pieces, leaving the skin on. Toss with a bit of olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Spread the pieces out in a large roasting pan.
In a blender combine most of the huacatay, the garlic, cumin & pepper
Lay the whole chicken out flat by cutting down the back side and pressing it flat with the legs tucked toward the center.
Spread te huacatay/garlic paste over the chicken, or under the chicken skin.
Sit the chicken flat on top of the potatoes, and roast in the oven for 50 minutes or until cooked through.
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