Sigrid, a member of our Garden Group, lives in Flayosc with her husband. They have created a wonderful, productive vegetable garden planted under olive trees, just as the local Provencal people used to do.
Sigrid had offered to give a presentation on culinary and medicinal herbs. On a large table a number of herbs were displayed, we had to guess what they were:
Basil (Basilicum), Bayleaf (Lauris nobilis), Borage (Borago officials), Chervil (Anthriscus cerefolium), Dill (Anethum graveolens), Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare), Horseradish (Armoracia rusticana), Hyssop (Hyssopus officinalis), Lavender (Lavandula), Lemon verbena/Verveine (Aloysia triphylla), Lovage (Levisticum), Lemon Grass (Cymbopogon), Marigold (Calendula), Mint (Mentha), Mugwort (Artemisia vulgaris), Parsley (Petroselinum crisp), Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis), Sage (Salvia), Sorrel (Rumex acetosa), Tarragon (Artemisia dracunculus), Thyme (Thymus),
I've put the Latin name behind the common English name. Our foreign members can translate the Latin names into their own language.
With each herb Sigrid gave an explanation on the uses of the herbs. She had seeds of different herbs that we could take home, I took several branches of Basil and followed her lead in sprinkling the seeds around plant pots that have already plants in them. It works, the seedling have all come up.
One herb that no one could recognise was Mugwort (Artemisia vulgaris). It is not a very attractive plant, a bit unruly but it has culinary and medical properties. The only Artemisia that is used in cooking especially in Germany and Spain in dishes that use Eel or Carp and in stuffing for geese, duck, pork and game. Medicinally it was used to stimulate the menstrual flow.
After the presentation we walked around the swimming pool and came across a Patchouli plant in a pot. I had never seen a Patchouli plant before. It is grown commercially mainly in Indonesia and the Philippines for its essential oil made from the leaves used in the perfumery industry. It was a very popular scent during the 1970s when Patchouli oil was used as a perfume by Hippie girls.
As Sigrid has spent many years in China and is a frequent visiter to the Orient, reminders of her time spent there are everywhere. She has a collection of Chinese orchids that she has brought back.
We continued our walk around the garden. We came across a very large Chinese pot with waterlilies:
a pond with waterlilies
and on one side of the pool a collection of Lemon Trees in pots.
Onwards an area with fruit trees and there was her husband dividing up Lemon Grass plants for us to take home. I think we all took some home.
Afterwards we had a cool drink on the terrace. Sigrid had made some tarts with fruit toppings and a very refreshing drink in a Carafe filled with a combination of Lemon Verbena, Lemon Juice and Lemon Grass.
Her recipes for the drinks are as follows:
Lemongrass or Citronella (a bunch of herbs similar in size to what you find in the market for sale), add to that a few twigs of Lemon Verbena, slices of Lemon, ginger and honey optional, depending on taste. If you happen to have the root of Lemongrass or Citronella you can put that in as well. Pour 500 ml of hot water, just of the boil, on the herbs, let it steep for 5 minutes, even after 15 minutes if you happen to forget it, it is still very nice to drink. You can either have it hot, warm or as a cold drink with ice cubes.
Altogether a lovely visit.
After our visit we had lunch together at Restaurant 'Les Cigales' in Villecroze.
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