Grow fresh herbs for holiday cooking

Some popular herbs cooks use in South Carolina are bay leaf, rosemary, sage and thyme.

“These herbs are easy to grow and can transform flower beds, home gardens and even containers into a vibrant collection of culinary tools,” Ketron said.

Thyme is a low-maintenance, low-growing, wiry herbaceous perennial that has been cultivated for centuries and is an easy addition to a home garden or a container. Of the many various cultivated varieties of thyme, common thyme (Thymus vulgaris) is most used as a culinary herb.

Different species of thyme will have varying flavors, fragrances, and growing habits. All thyme grows well in full sun and prefers dry, sandy soils that are well-draining. Thyme does not do well in wet, soggy areas.

“New gardeners often struggle to grow thyme from seed due to its difficult germination,” Ketron said. “It is a good idea to purchase young plants in spring and plant them in the ground on the edge of a garden bed or in an outdoor container.”

Once the plants have good leafy growth, Ketron said to cut handfuls of leaves with stems attached and place them in a paper bag or hang them in an area with low humidity to dry. When the leaves easily fall off the stem and can be easily crushed, separate the leaves from the stem and store them in a container for up to three months.

“Thyme can be cut and enjoyed throughout the year,” she said. “Trim the leaves and stems for improved bushy growth when the plant gets leggy. The leaves will have more flavor if cut before the thyme plant flowers.”

Thyme will grow larger each year, often crowding out other plants. To reduce the size of the plant, divide each plant every two to three years by taking a shovel and severing the plant and root ball in two, reducing the size and planting the remainder elsewhere.

Cultivars that do well in South Carolina include ‘Narrow Leaf French’ and ‘Provencial’. Other species that have culinary value include Lemon Thyme (Thymus pulegiodies),

One of the most recognizable herbal scents for the holiday is rosemary (Salvia Rosmarinus). Rosemary is a fragrant evergreen plant with needle-like green leaves that can grow up to five feet tall and provide a lovely addition to any garden. It is native to the rocky environments of Africa, Europe, and the Mediterranean. This plant loves dry, light, slightly acidic, well-drained soils.

Rosemary can tolerate salty coastal environments, sandy gardens, some shade and heavy pruning. It will not thrive well in heavy clay or wet soils.

“Upstate gardeners would do their best to enjoy rosemary in a patio pot,” Ketron said.

Rosemary is slow to germinate, so propagating from stem cuttings, layering, root division, or buying an already established plant is advised. Once planted, it can grow without much fuss, preferring heavy pruning after it has bloomed its light purple flowers.

Poor air circulation and overwatering are the most common causes of rosemary dropping leaves and dying.

Harvest rosemary before it blooms by cutting the flexible, lighter green new-growth branches. Avoid cutting more than one-third of the plant at any one time.

Store fresh rosemary in a glass of water, removing the bottom leaves to prevent them from sitting in the water.

Hang rosemary branches in a low-humidity pantry away from sunlight and dry for two weeks to remove moisture. After the stems are completely dry, gently pull the leaves from the stem and store them in an airtight container to use later.

Cultivars that do well in South Carolina are ‘Arp’, ‘Prostratus’ and ‘Tuscan Blue’.

There are many different types of sage plants. The common culinary sage (Salvia officinalis) has been cultivated for generations, first in Europe and then worldwide, where it thrives in Zones 4-10.

Sage is an easy perennial flowering plant with grey-green leaves that gardeners can incorporate into perennial gardens or the edge of flower beds. It can be grown from seed in the spring and harvested 75 days after.

Sage needs full sun. The soft green leaves make a lovely bushy plant that can continue to grow and reproduce by rooting stems. However, good air circulation is critical in South Carolina’s humid weather to prevent foliar diseases.

It is essential to prune the growth twice during the growing season to avoid too much woody growth.

“Pruning a sage plant is a great way to harvest the leaves,” Ketron said.

Do not cut back more than half the plant, or it may die. The pruned leaves can be washed clean, dried in a paper bag, and stored in an airtight container for three months.

Bay leaf (Laurus nobilis), or bay laurel is an evergreen shrub native to the Mediterranean that can be kept as a patio container plant from Zones 7-8a and planted in the ground in Zone 8b and higher. Bay leaf can be purchased as a small bush and cared for throughout the year, making it a lovely specimen species for a porch or backyard garden. This is not the same as South Carolina native swamp bay (Persea palustris).

The bay leaf is a slow-growing shrub. Its leaves can be harvested year-round, but harvesting the larger lower leaves in mid-summer will yield the most essential oils and flavor. It benefits from being pruned, so it often can be used as a topiary as well as a delicious aromatic additive.

Avoid harvesting more than 1/3 of the plant’s leaves at one time. Most bay leaves are dried for approximately two weeks and stored in an airtight container until used.

For more information about herbs, visit the Clemson Cooperative Extension Service Home and Garden Information Center (HGIC). Healthy, holiday recipes are also available from the HGIC.