The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1903-07-26
THE HERB GARDEN OF
OUR GRANDMOTHER
AGAIN In FASHION

Among the many old country customs
redivivus, none can show more reason
from either a gastronomic, medicinal
or aesthetic standpoint for it's rein
statement in popular favor than the
old-fashioned herb garden of our grand
mothers,
Fifty years ago she was a shiftless
housekeeper indeed, whose kitchen
garden did not boast it's corner sacred
to sage, summer savory, thyme, pars-
ley, tarragon, and all those other sea-
soning herbs whose distinctive fiavors
lent themselves so admirably to those
savory
Country messes
(which the neat-handed Phyllis
dresses"
The garnet, come late autumn, was
redolent with the pungent, delightful
odor of vegetable cure-alls and sim
pies, hanging in dry punches from the
rafters.
Then the custom fell into disuse and
Dependent upon a drugstore or cor
ner grocery for all such things, the
delicate seasoning of stews and soups
| went too often by default Not so
| with the French housewife. whose
Tagouts and soups are culinary
| dreams" for her seasonings are al
ways at hand and cost her nothing,
as she raises them herself If she has
| no garden, pots on the window ledge
answer the purpose. So it is with the
Italians.
| A bed of sweet herbs is not at all
| hard to cultivate, even in the circum-
scribed quarters of city back yard.
1t is an especially good plan to start
| such a bed near a country cottage. for
| the reason that the country store or
vegetable dealer seldom thinks to add
| any of the seasoning herbs to his
| stock in trade.
The most useful herbs to raise In
the garden are parsley, chives, sage,
summer savory, taragon, thyme,
caraway, mint and chervil
CherVil possesses a most delicate
| flavor, besides making a pretty salad
| garnish. 1t comes up quickly from
| the seed and grows rapidly. 1t Is
delicious in salads, and combined with
| tarragon, chiVes and cress, ii makes
the famous mince of herbs used by
| French cooks to season cold sauces
| and salads.
Tarragon is a hardy perennial which
must be purchased by the root to start
with. 1t makes a delicious vinegar
and lends itself to hot cookery as well
as salads.
Sage is also a perennial and, besides
furnishing its well-known flavor to
"stuffings" and sausage, 1t is time
honored and useful remedy in home
| nursing.
Hot sage tea will break up a cold
| If the patient will remain in bed,
buried under heap of blankets. That
| is what our grandmothers prescribed
| They also used sage leaves to clean
their teeth, and applied it to old, sup
| purating wounds.
Caraway is another old timer that,
once started, goes on growing for
ever Who can ever forget grand
mothers caraway seed cakes, now
| happily revived, or her green apple
| pie well sprinkled with the same
aromatic seed?
Thyme and summer savory, the fav-
orite seasonings Of the English house.
wife, should be raised from seed each
year, as also the most useful of all
| seasonings and garnishes-parsley.
With parsley to fall back upon in
| an emergency, the housewife may
| decorate her meat platter and dress
| her table. Parsley sweetens the
breath, and takes away the odor OF
onions. If wanted in early spring
| parsley, which is a biennial, may be
| sowed in September in a moderately
| fertile soil. During cold weather the
plants should be covered nearly to the
| top with leaves, held in place with
| brush.
The French herb, pimpernel, known
| in this country as garden burnet, is
another plant that deserves an honor
ed place in the herb garden or kitchen
window box. 1t grows wild in many
parts of this country and Canada,
where 1t was introduced by the
French settlers. II has mild, Gu
cumber-like taste, which makes 1t,
when finely minced, delicious addi-
| ton to salads.
A few punches of chives and borage
add much to the culinary value of the
| herb garden.
Lavender. balm and basil, cultivated
I in the garden or in pots, furnish in
| leaf or bloom the most delicious fra
| GRANGE for the family linen chest.