Today’s Harvest Basket, September 16, 2014.
Bunnies are always hiding in my garden. Today, I also discovered carrots.
Big long, straight carrots.
I was planning a journal entry called “Garden Cleanup.” While I was tidying up the herb garden, I discovered these giant carrots. This is a new vegetable in my garden, it is only the second year to grow carrots. I was never inclined to grow carrots because I didn’t especially like them.
Carrots
Carrots was not a crop grown in Grandmother’s garden. Her Ozarks garden was red clay and very rocky, making it impossible to grow carrots. I had no idea where carrots came from.
The 10″ long carrots were masquerading as it’s cousins: parsley, cilantro, and chervil. All of these herbs are members of the carrot family. The flowers look like Queen Ann’s Lace.
Sitting behind the harvest basket are water-filled jars of parsley, cilantro, or chervil. The parsley will go into tabouleh. Cilantro will be frozen into a pesto-like condiment, ready to drop into bean dishes, chili, enchilada sauce or salsa.
Chervil on potato salad
Chervil has only been in the garden for a couple of years. I will use chervil in potato dishes like potato salad.
It is one of the herbs in the fines herbes blend. (pronounced “feen erb.”)
Fines Herbes
My recipe for fresh fines herbes
• 3 Tablespoons chervil
• 3 Tablespoons chives
• 3 Tablespoons parsley
• 2 Tablespoons tarragon
Finely chop all these herbs and mix together. Use fresh or store in the refrigerator in a zip lock or small air tight container for a couple of days.
I have all these herbs growing in the garden now. Usually, chervil is available only in the cool season. I will mix fines herbes into an herb herb butter to freeze.
Lacy chervil in part shade.
Try chervil or fines herbes:
