It’s getting to be growing season here in the Metroplex and after a long, especially cold and snowy winter, the gardening bug has bitten pretty hard.  We’ve got quite a few new things planted so far along with several transplants but we’ll just focus on the herbs today.  We have some herbs that are perennials, namely thyme and rosemary but typically each spring involves replanting herbs to season this years dishes with.  Last weekend, we planted Italian Oregano, Purple Sage, Italian Parsley (we prefer Italians in our cooking apparently) and Marjoram.

Italian oregano is a cross between Greek oregano and sweet marjoram, according to Papa Geno.  We’ve had Greek oregano in the past but haven’t really done much with it other than to sprinkle some on pizza.  This species is supposed to be hardy in Zone 7 which means it may survive here in Wylie.  It’s probably a tender perennial here if I was guessing and will likely need to be replanted each year.

Purple sage, made famous by Zane Grey in the classic Western novel Riders of the Purple Sage, is a small woody herb that has a slight peppery taste and is often used to flavor fatty cuts of meat.  We have used sage in the past sauteed lightly in oil or butter and then stuffed rainbow trout with the sauteed leaves with excellent results.  Our sages in the past have not been as perennial as we might be led to believe but maybe this one will be different.  Modern research, according to the Wikipedia page above, indicates that sage may be useful as anhidrotic, antibiotic, antifungal, astringent, antispasmodic, estrogenic, hypoglycemic and tonic.  It’s also been shown to treat mild to moderate Alzheimer’s disease.  So apparently, if we just eat sage, we should live a long healthy life with no infections, shakes, low blood sugar or loss in mental faculties.  Sounds like a winner to me!

Parsley is entirely uninteresting so we’ll skip it in favor of the marjoram.  It is another perennial herb that will likely be an annual here in Wylie.  It has sweet pine and citrus flavors according to Wikipedia which is good because I hate sour pine like a cat hates water.  Except for your cat, mister person with the cat who likes water exception to every rule.  I don’t think I have a thing for marjoram but it just happened to be on sale at Lowe’s and I can hardly pass up plants on sale.  There is actually a recipe on the back of the plant tag that sounds excellent and since we are growing the two main ingredients, I’m looking forward to trying it, once the snap peas mature.  The recipe is listed below for anyone looking for a way to eat more marjoram.

Sugar Snap Peas with Fresh Marjoram

2 tsp extra virgin olive oil

3/4 lb sugar snap peas, trimmed of stems and strings

1 1/2 tsp fresh marjoram, chopped

1 tsp fresh lemon juice

1/4 tsp lemon zest, grated

1/4 tsp salt

1/8 tsp ground black pepper

Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large skillet.  Add the peas and saute until tender-crisp, about 4-5 minutes.  Stir in remaining ingredients and toss gently to mix.  Serve immediately with an entire bottle of Chianti.

Ok I made up that last part but the recipe sounds fantastic and there is nothing like producing vegetables and herbs from your own garden using your own abilities for your table.