Marjoram in the Garden

As it turns out, I have no recollection of ever actually cooking with marjoram. For some reason, though, I thought it was about time have some in my fall herb (container) garden. I spent about 3 dollars on a 4 inch marjoram plant (I also bought an oregano plant because I have failed in growing it from seed). As I reflect, I am certain I made a mistake because, rather than start with new soil, I just re-used the dirt from my summer garden without adding any compost or other type of fertilizer. (I'll have to remedy the situation soon). Not a great way to start off the fall herb garden.

I have another confession to make: I also planted this small (consisting only of oregano and marjoram) herb garden in a giant pot. The pot that housed two tomato plants and a marigold.

Despite shortcomings, the plants seem to be thriving. The marjoram is all about flowering. I also planted some basil seeds, sage seeds, green onion seeds, parsley, and chive seeds... I figure, why the hell not. So far, several basil seeds have germinated. The green onions are a few inches tall and there are a few parsley sprouts. Time will tell if these guys hang on.

I digress.

Origanum Majorana. Genus Origanum (think marjoram and oregano). Family Lamiaceae (think basil, thyme, lavender, rosemary, oregano,mint). Marjoram and oregano are of the same genus and are strikingly similar, even difficult to tell apart. There are thought to be 44 species of origanum (yikes! Some plants are tall, some spreading, some are conveniently used as ground cover for their anchoring qualities) The two can be used interchangeably in cooking (if your palate isn't too discerning). Marjoram is generally milder than oregano and some people, including me, describe it as having a citrus taste with floral hints. The flowers of oregano are purple/lavender, while, marjoram has white flowers.

According to Sunset Magazine, Sweet Marjoram needs well drained soil and only moderate water (I am never sure what that means exactly). It is a perennial or annual, depending on where you live (I have a perennial). It is supposedly easy to grow and likes to be really trimmed several times a year.

Here is an interesting tidbit: what you and I think of as Italian Oregano (or the stuff in pasta and pizza sauces) usually a cross between Origanum Vulgare (oregano) and Origanum Majorana (sweet marjoram). Real oregano is commonly called 'wild marjoram.' Oh, and if some one refers to 'sweet oregano,' they are talking about marjoram. Just fantastic. If you want some regular peppery tasting oregano, try 'Greek oregano.' If you want really spicy oregano find some za'atar, a spicy Middle Eastern oregano (yes, the sauce is named after the main ingredient). I was wondering about Mexican Oregano, so I did a search. Turns out to be a whole other source of confusion (try out this article if you are curious). In a nutshell, it is not in the Origanum genus or even the Lamiaceae family, rather it is in the Verbenaceae family (think lemon verbena).

My very smart friend Samin, suggested I dry some of my marjoram and oregano by hanging stems upside down in a dry dark spot. Sounds like fun. I will take pictures of the process. I am thinking everyone gets some oregano and marjoram under the Christmas tree (hey, we are in a recession...).

Now I just need a few vegetarian suggestions for casual uses for marjoram and I am in business. Anyone?

Some Links:

Check out the Herb Society of America's Guide to the Genus Origanum.

A great article about marjoram and oregano from Sunset Mag.

Growing Marjoram

How Tropical!

The local swap meet in SD is named Kobey's.  I have no idea why our swap meet has a proper name, but it does.  I used to go to Kobey's when I was a kid.  It contained loads of perfect finds for teenage girls.  Tons of cheap hair-thingies, bags, and backpacks.  I think I got a knock-off Esprit bag when I was in elementary school.  Ha. 

KD and I took a trip to Kobey's last weekend.  She had spotted these wrap dresses two weeks earlier when she was there.  We decided that we couldn't live without these dresses, so off we went to the swap meet.  It certainly hadn't changed much: still loads of hair-thingies.  There were some really cool booths with handmade purses and other handmade items, and there were some booths that looked like really bad yard sales- crap, crap, and crap. 

And, there were booths and booths of plants.  KD was not interested in strolling and shopping, so I could really only glance from afar.  But, I did manage to get one purchase in: a cutting from a dragon fruit for a buck.

It is likely that I will mess this up somehow.  The foot long spiny and prickly cutting is very handsome (as you can see in the pic).  But, I stuck the spine in some dirt and watered. 

Has anyone ever tasted a dragon fruit? After a terse search, I learned that these plants are quite tropical and grow in Hawaii, Thailand, and Vietnam.  Also, the flowers bloom at night so they are not pollinated by bees, but by other insects and moths.  Depending on how well my cutting does, I can expect fruit in 6-9 months. 

P.S. I also broke down and bought an Italian Oregano plant (not at Kobey's).  Planting from seed did not work out.  Has anyone had success growing oregano from seed?

Garden Broadleaf Sage- Salvia Officinalis

When I think about sage, so many thoughts come to mind. First, I think of autumn and squash ravioli. It makes me think of spirituality. Just the smell of it burning... It also bring visions of hippies at farmers markets. So much.

Sage is from the Lamiaceae family, also the Mint family which includes lavender, thyme and basil. Apparently all these guys have square stems. Though, I am reflecting upon basil and cannot seem to picture this square stem.

I bought some seeds and planted them in with my patty pan squash. The squash has grown in a single direction and has gone over the side of the pot. So there is plenty of room in the pot for other plants and it gets a lot of sun. I am concerned because the seed package tells me that it is easy to grow from seed, but some other random website says it is tough from seed and should be grown from cuttings. I have tried to keep it especially moist to encourage sprouting and even planted some more seeds in with my strawberries. So far, after only 8 days one seed has sprouted.

Fun Facts About Sage

• The latin name for sage is salvia, which means to heal.
• At some point, sage has been said to heal every ailment including warding off evil and encouraging women's fertility.
• It is one of the historical ingredients of "Four Thieves Vinegar" which was thought to help people ward off the plague.
• You should prune your sage regularly to encourage more growth of leaves rather than flowers.
• Germans apparently use sage in their eel dishes. Anyone tasted this?

Cilantro/Coriander

Cilantro and coriander are the same thing, sort of. Here in North America, when you cook with coriander, you are using the seeds from the cilantro plant. Other cultures call the leaves coriander, as well as the seeds. 
About two months ago, I planted some cilantro seeds directly in the soil outside on my back patio.  The seeds are mustard color and the size of that colored ball on the end of a push pin. Two of the seeds sprouted and are now tiny little plants.   They have taken, what seems to be, a long time to grow.  They are about 3 inches tall and pretty bushy.  Despite planting about 5 seeds, only two sprouted. 

I have done a bit a research and learned that cilantro likes a cool sunny environment.  If the soil reaches over 75 degrees the plant will "bolt," meaning send up a flower and die.  It is short-lived, the best plants only live 8-10 weeks.  As a result, it is suggested that you plant new seeds every 3-6 weeks.  (I guess I need to push a few more seeds into that pot.)  I am a bit unnerved about this since San Diego summer whether is often warmer than 75 degrees.  Perhaps I am engaged in a losing battle.  I need to mulch it and place it under another tree so that it gets more filtered light.

Fun Facts About Cilantro:

• Coriander seeds can be briefly roasted on a dry pan to enhance flavor. Has any one ever done this?
• Coriander roots are also edible (the whole darn plant is edible) and are stronger than the leaves. They are apparently used in many Thai dishes.
• There is a website called www.ihatecilantro.com dedicated to people who dislike cilantro.  Really people, aren't there better ways to spend your time.  
• Coriander is referenced in the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament in Exodus.
• Cilantro is one of the few herbs used in Chinese cooking (also called Chinese Parsley)
• My favorite Cheeseboard Pizza is the Corn Cilantro pizza- YUM!
• 
  

Common English Thyme (Thymus Vulgaris)

To further my quest for a superb herb garden, tomorrow, I will plant thyme. I bought a seed packet from Henry's last week for $2.69 (packet says its organic). The flowers and leaves are edible in this plant, though I am not sure that I have ever tasted the flowers. I would love to hear from anyone who has tasted thyme flowers. This packet has a wealth of information typed in very light gray print on the inside of the seed packet. Really? On the inside of a packet with 75 or so teeny tiny seeds. It is completely bothersome to have to empty the seeds out (because I am certainly not planting all 75) to be able to read exactly how to plant them, and in the process, destroy the seed packet because I have to cut it open.
Thinning, huh?
Here is my problem, I don't know that much about gardening. When the darn packet tells me to space the seeds 4 to 5 seeds per inch, I honestly don't really know what that means. Since I am potting in a container that is round, how do I calculate this. Hold on, it gets worse. The next instructions tells me to plant in groups. Okay....do they mean the 4 to 5 seed group per inch? And for the icing on this cake, it then tells me to thin to 1" when the plant emerges and then when it is 1" I thin to 10."
It cannot possibly want me to be handling seedlings so frequently. It sounds as though I am supposed to plant 5 seeds, then when I detect something emerge I am supposed to then dig the mini guy out an inch away. How odd. Wouldn't I completely disturb the other seeds that may just need a few more days to emerge? But following the thinning guidelines, if I just want one plant that will live in a 10" round pot, I should only plant a single 1" seedling in the pot.
The packet should really come with some pictures or something to translate. Or maybe I am just a dim wit and the instructions are completely self explanatory.

Thyme and Tomatoes
According to the seed packet, I should companion plant thyme with tomatoes in order to discourage white flies and worms. Sounds fabulous to me. The only question now is whether I attempt to put the seeds directly in my tomato plant container, or just keep a separate pot near the tomato. I am leaning toward the separate pot scenario to ensure the tomato doesn't block out the sun for the thyme.

Just A Few Fun Facts:

• Thyme and lavender are members of the same family
• It is drought resistant
• Ancient Egyptians used it for embalming
• Ancient Greeks believed that it brought courage
• It retains much of its flavor upon drying
• Common thyme essential oil consists of 20-50% of thymol, which is an antisceptic and the main ingredient in Listerine
• You can gargle water infused with thyme (boiled with thyme and cooled) to reduce throat swelling associated with bronchitis or sore throat. Think antiseptic! -- i am totally trying this if i have thyme for my next flu!