Our Range

Coriander

Coriander Corriandrum Sativum is an annual herb and a native of Southern Europe and the Middle East. Coriander is the name given to the seeds of the plant whilst the leaves are known as Cilantro. Coriander is from the carrot family. It leaves are either tiny white or tiny purplish and are in clusters.

Coriander is considered an aid to the digestive system.  It is an appetite stimulant and aids in  the secretion of gastric juices. The essential oils of the cilantro leaves contain antibacterial properties and can be used as a fungicide.  Coriander seeds is considered to have cholesterol lowering properties

Coriander is often referred to as Chinese Parsley. The strong spicy taste can liven up many dishes.

Marjoram

Marjoram leaves are best used fresh, as their flavor is sweeter and milder. For this reason it is also best to add them at the last moment when you use them for cooking. Marjoram has a slightly mintly, citrusy taste. Use marjoram's fresh taste to enhance salad dressings, seafood sauces, soups, and poultry.

A chicken that has been rubbed with garlic, salt, course black pepper and marjoram, then grilled makes a quick and delectable summer treat -- one of my favorites. Marjoram's flavor also works well with cheese, tomato, bean or egg dishes.

Marjoram is most often used in recipes of French or English origin, whereas oregano's more robust flavor is often called for in the recipes of Italian, Greek, North African and Mexican cuisines.

Mint

Here are some simple culinary uses for mint.
Teas:  Fresh Mint, Spearmint, Peppermint sprigs are great to put in your tea pot with your favorite tea.  It is believed they reduce the adverse effects of tannin and caffeine.  Pick the top of the mint plant off, wash it and add to your teapot.  Steep for 2-3 minutes.  Longer for a more potent flavor.

Jellos:  Add your favorite mint to the jello once you've poured the hot mixture into its containers for refrigerating.  (Use two mint heads per quart of liquid).  Let it sit for 5 minutes before refrigerating and then take out the mint leaves. This makes very refreshing desserts.  Chocolate mint is best in chocolate mousse or any chocolate dessert.

Eggs:  Add chopped mint leaves to scrambled eggs, omelettes, soufflés or quiches for a peppy flavor, or to your eggs or egg substitutes.  Add the mint at the end of cooking of scrambled eggs or omelettes.

Salads:  Fresh leaves are good with salads.   Pineapple mint particularly is great in a mixed greed salad.  Mixed with bulgar, red onions, tomatoes, parsley, and a lemony vinaigrette, it becomes Tabbouleh, a Middle Eastern salad perfect for summertime picnics.

Steamed Vegetables:  Mint is most commonly used with peas. Carrots, potatoes, eggplant, white or black beans, and corn all pep up with the addition of freshly chopped spearmint.  Add the herb at the end of the cooking process.

Rosemary

Rosemary is an evergreen perennial shrub native to the Mediterranean region, Portugal and Spain. It has silvery, needle-like foliage and delicate flowers. Blue, pink or white varieties are available, and they range in habit from creeping to mounding to upright.

Long known as the herb of remembrance, rosemary symbolizes loyalty and friendship, and has traditionally been associated with both weddings and funerals. Believing the gift came from Aphrodite, the goddess of love and beauty, brides wore it in wreaths as a symbol of their fidelity.

Ancient Greeks and Romans knew this shrub well. In their world, it enjoyed a reputation for improving memory and rejuvenating the spirits. Greek scholars wore garlands of rosemary during examinations in order to improve their memory and concentration. Shakespeare also wrote that it improved recollection.

Rosemary is indeed a versatile, aromatic herb. It's used in a wide variety of dishes, including fruit salads, soups, vegetables, meats (especially lamb), fish, eggs, stuffings, dressings and even desserts. It is also used to scent cosmetics and perfumes, in insect repellants, and has medicinal uses. You'll find rosemary a delightful herb in both savory and sweet recipes.

Sage

Sage is a silvery-green plant with leaves that offer a memorable fragrant. The most common variety of sage was first found growing in regions around the Mediterranean but now grows in regions of North America as well. The leaves of the sage herb serve both medicinal and culinary purposes.

For thousands of years sage has been used for a variety of culinary and medicinal purposes. It has been used in connection with sprains, swelling, ulcers, and bleeding. As a tea, sage has been administered for sore throats and coughs. Herbalists have also used this herb for rheumatism, menstrual bleeding, strengthening the nervous system, improving memory, and sharpening the senses.

Thyme

Thyme is one of the best known and most widely-used culinary herbs. It is quite easy to grow and is commonly found as a decorative as well as a functional plant in many home gardens.

You will find thyme a welcome flavor in salads, soups, chowders, sauces, breads, vegetable and meat dishes, and even jellies and desserts.

Thyme is an essential ingredient in bouquet garni, as well as a prime ingredient in the expensive Benedictine liqueur.

A member of the mint family, thyme is a perennial evergreen shrub, whose sometimes woody stems are covered with small, gray-green to green leaves.

Yet interestingly enough, insects are repelled by thyme. Make a cup of thyme tea, put it in a plant mister, and spray around doorways and windows in summer to repel insects.

Lemon Thyme

Lemon Thyme looks like English Thyme and grows like English Thyme but that is where the similarity stops. Lemon thyme is a compact, upright shrub that grows to a height of 12 nches. The leaves are tiny and heart shaped, ringed with a splash of yellow.

As the name implies, lemon thyme has a bit of a citrus tang, but is milder than most other thyme. This makes it a natural choice for seasoning seafood dishes and even sweets. The citrus flavor also helps to lighten fatty dishes. The natural, volatile oils also work as a digestive aid. These same pungent oils make lemon thyme a favorite in aroma therapy for the treatment of asthma.

Chervil

Its bright green leaves look like carrot tops, not too surprising being that it is a member of the carrot family. It also produces characteristic umbels of tiny silvery white flowers at the end of its very short growing period.

Use only the young green leaves. These tender young leaves have been used in spring tonics for thousands of years, dating back to the ancient Greeks. Dandelion, watercress and chervil were combined to combat the nutritive deficiency brought on by winter (and lack of fresh greens). This combination of greens with all their vitamins and minerals were thought to rejuvenate the body. Even today European herbalists recommend this tonic. In Norway and France bowls of minced fresh chervil leaves often accompany meals. People liberally sprinkle this on salads, soups and stews.

As with most herbs, chervil is an aid to sluggish digestion. When brewed as a tea it can be used as a soothing eye wash. Pour 1 cup of boiling water over 1 TBLS. fresh chopped chervil and let this steep for 20 minutes. Be sure to cover this to keep in all the volatile oils. When cool, moisten a cotton ball with some of the mixture and place over closed eyes for 10 minutes. Definitely refreshing.

Watercress

A small dark green plant with round shaped leaves that imparts a peppery flavor to salads, sandwiches or garnishes. The watercress plant grows naturally along some streams but is grown hydroponically for commercial distribution.

Apples, broccoli and tomatoes are often cited as the “wonder” fruit and vegetables, but gram for gram, watercress is a better source of vitamins C, B1, B6, K and E, iron, calcium, magnesium, manganese and zinc. Only raw broccoli has more vitamin C and magnesium – but it is much more often eaten cooked.

But people love it for its flavour too.  The peppery heat comes from the plant’s mustard oils, which are released when chewed (and act as a stimulant to the digestion and the taste buds), while the stalks are succulent and cool (from the water in which it is grown). The Romans called it “nasturtium” which means “twisted nose.”

Basil

Sweet basil, with it's wonderful aroma and flavor, is one of the most popular and widely grown herbs in the world. We associate basil with Italian cooking, so you may be surprised to find that basil originated in the far eastern countries of India, Pakistan and Thailand.

Basil has a warm, resinous, clove-like flavor and fragrance. The flowers and leaves are best used fresh and added only during the last few minutes of cooking. Basil works well in combination with tomatoes. Finely chopped basil stirred into mayonnaise makes a good sauce for fish. Use as a garnish for vegetables, chicken and egg dishes. Large lettuce-leaf basil can be stuffed as you would a grape leaf.

Basil doesn't keep well in the refrigerator. Instead, place the cut stems in water and keep them on the windowsill. Sprigs stored this way will remain fresh a week or more.

Chives

Chives grow in clumps, with their round, hollow, grass-like leaves reaching a height of 9 inches or so. The stems are firm, straight, smooth, and, like the leaves, bright dark green. The flowers, which bloom for two months in midsummer, form round deep purple or pink globes that make an attractive garnish.

Chives are easier to snip with scissors than cut with a knife. The snipped chives give a hint of onion flavor to egg dishes, cheese soufflés, salads, soups, cream cheese sandwiches, and sour cream dressing for baked potatoes. Chive butter is great with grilled chops and steak.

Dill

The word “dill” comes from the Norse “dilla”, meaning “to lull”. Drinking dill tea is recommended to overcome insomnia. A native to Europe, it is a Russian favourite and can be cultivated near the Arctic Circle. Both seeds and leaves are edible. It was known as a medicinal herb to the ancient Greeks and Romans, where soldiers placed burned dill seeds on their wounds to promote healing. Medieval Europe could not grow it fast enough for love potions, casting spells and for protection against witchcraft.

Dill weed contains the carminative agent, carvone, which has a calming effect and aids with digestion by relieving intestional gas. Romans considered dill good luck and also used it as a tonic.

A couple of centuries ago, parents would give dill seeds to children to chew during church services to keep them quiet and alert during long sermons. This usage caused them to be called "meetin' seeds."

The seeds are also high in calcium, with 1 tablespoon providing an equivalent of 1/3 cup of milk.

Dill is said to promote lactation in nursing mothers and has been historically used as a weak tea given to babies to ease colic, encourage sleep, and get rid of hiccups.

Oregano

Italian dishes are practically synonymous with oregano; it is hard to imagine pasta sauce or pizza without it. Oregano's rich flavor deepens and melds flavors of soups and sauces without overwhelming the dish. Because it retains its flavour well, oregano can be used either fresh or dried. If you are using the fresh herb, use twice the amount of it as you would the dried called for in a recipe.

Oregano's pungent, spicy flavor makes it a perfect match for tomato based sauces, eggplant, seafood, pasta sauces, pizza, chili con carne, barbecue sauce and grilled meats. Excellent in egg and cheese dishes; meat or poultry stuffings; on pork, lamb, chicken and fish. Essential ingredient of chili powder. Common in Italian, Greek and Mexican dishes.

Tarragon

Vinegar and sauce bearnaise, tartar sauce and hollandaise . . . what do all these condiments have in common? Why, they can all include tarragon, of course, the crown prince of the Artemisia herbs . . . whose family includes the fragrant southernwood, wormwood, the Silver King ornamental, and our native western sagebrush.

There are two species of tarragon: the Russian, Artemisia dracunculoides (native to Asia), which is the hardier, more prolific—and less desirable—of the pair . . . and the French, Artemisia dracunculus (from southern Europe), which contains the essential oils so treasured in cooking.

Known as estragon or herbe au dragon in France—where it's considered one of the fine (as opposed to robust) herbs and is a mainstay of that nation's famous cuisine—tarragon lends a distinctive and delicious flavor to chicken, veal, seafood, numerous vegetables, salads, sauces, marinades, and more. The herb must be used with a light hand, however, because its flavor—something of anise, something of camphor, and something unique—is so fierce that it overpowers other tastes with ease!

In the Middle Ages the herb was thought to increase physical stamina, so many pilgrims put sprigs of it inside their shoes before setting out on a journey. And—although its use today is almost exclusively culinary—people have employed tarragon as a cure for hiccups, tooth ache, worms, indigestion, air swallowing, rheumatism, lack of appetite, irregular menses, and water retention.