CHAPTER XIII SWEET, POT AND MEDICINAL HERBS

Are a very welcome addition to the kitchen garden, giving just the often needed touch to the achievement of a successful dish, a touch that will change an everyday vegetable or meat course to something unusual and fancy in cuisine¹, and with no trouble or added expense to the cook—just a little pinch of this or that, and what a difference it makes! In most households sage² is depended on for the flavoring of poultry³ dressing⁴, sausage and the like, in spite of the fact that it may be anything but pleasing to some member of the family or the welcome guest; so accustomed are we to its use that substitution is scarcely thought of, and yet a very pleasing one is found in summer savory⁵, which most people like better than sage, once its acquaintance is made. Coriander and caraway seeds are203 used in bread, cake and cookies, but just a touch of caraway is a very piquant⁶ addition to salads. Tarragon is used for making tarragon vinegar—the leaves being steeped in pale cider or white wine vinegar until the flavor is extracted and then used in the concoction⁷ of salad dressing. Dill is used principally for making dill pickles⁸, the leaves being laid alternately with the pickles when laid down. Sweet fennel is used for salads and soups and also for fish sauce.

If one has a strip of land at one side of the garden that is not needed, and can be conveniently skipped in the plowing⁹, that will be the place for the herb bed. The soil should be rich and mellow¹⁰ and contain a fair proportion of humus. A poor strip of land may be built up by adding to it from season to season the old manure¹¹ from the hotbed; this is nearly reduced to humus and the action of the elements will soon complete its transformation¹².

As many of the herbs are perennial¹³ it is best that the bed should be a permanent one, not subject to annual disturbance¹⁴. It should be long,204 rather than wide, so that the herbs may be gathered without walking on the bed; three feet is a good width as that can be reached across fairly well. As the amount of any one herb used in the average family will be small it is not necessary that they be set in regular rows; they may rather be started in rows, for convenience in planting and identifying when up and then the fine, vigorous plants set in clumps¹⁵ in the border, or in colonies of sorts. The leaves of the various plants are the part used and they should be cut or gathered on a bright, clear day just as the plants are coming into bloom, tied in bunches and hung up in a dry place, an attic¹⁶ with open windows, or a shed, or spread out on racks or a floor, anywhere where they will dry quickly so as to retain all their flavor. When thoroughly¹⁷ dry the leaves should be stripped from the stems and packed in bags or boxes for use.

The annual varieties are cultivated the same as the perennials¹⁸ but if one prefers these may occupy a row through the garden where they can have the cultivation¹⁹ accorded the other vegetables.205 The following list is quite complete and will indicate the various uses for which each is suitable.

PERENNIAL HERBS

    Balm. Lemon-scented and used for making balm tea.

    Catnip. Beloved of cats and useful in colic of infants.

    Fennel, Sweet. Used in salads and soups.

    Horehound. Very useful in coughs and bronchial colds, made into syrup²⁰ or candy, with sugar.

    Lavender. For perfuming linen²¹. Not hardy²² and should be protected in winter.

    Mint. For mint sauces.

    Pennyroyal. Used medicinally, and for seasoning²³ puddings and various dishes.

    Peppermint²⁴. For flavoring and in candy.

    Rosemary. For flavoring. ("Here's Rosemary, that's for remembrance.")

    Rue²⁵. For roup in fowls²⁶ and for medicinal purposes.

    206

    Sage. Seasoning for sausage, poultry dressing and the like.

    Savory, summer. Used in place of sage and as flavoring with string beans.

    Savory, winter. Used the same as summer savory.

    Sweet Marjoram. Used green in summer and dried in winter.

    Tansy. For medicinal purposes.

    Thyme, broad-leaved English. For seasoning and poultry stuffing; also a tea for nervous headache.

ANNUAL HERBS

    Anise. For garnishing²⁷ and flavoring and in making cordials.

    Basil, sweet. The stems and seeds are used in soups and sauces.

    Bene. Used medicinally—the leaves in water, beneficial in cases of dysentery.

    Borage. Excellent for bees. Leaves used in salads, the flowers in cooling drinks.207 Caraway. The seed used in bread, cakes, cookies and salads.

    Chamomile. Medicinal. Prescribed by physicians as an emetic²⁸ and vermifuge.

    Coriander. Seeds aromatic²⁹. Used as a stomachic.

    Cumin. As food for pigeons.

    Dill. In making dill pickles.

    Pimpinella. The young leaves, used as salad, have the flavor of cucumbers.

    Saffron. Used for flavoring and coloring.

    Tarragon. For flavoring and in salads. Does not come from seed but plants must be purchased.

    Tagetes. This possesses in its green parts almost the true tarragon flavor.

    Thyme. French Summer. Used for seasoning.

    Waldmeister. Used in May wine and also for scenting³⁰ clothes.

1 cuisine   

n.烹调，烹饪法

参考例句：

• This book is the definitive guide to world cuisine.这本书是世界美食的权威指南。
• This restaurant is renowned for its cuisine.这家餐馆以其精美的饭菜而闻名。

2 sage   

n.圣人，哲人；adj.贤明的，明智的

参考例句：

• I was grateful for the old man's sage advice.我很感激那位老人贤明的忠告。
• The sage is the instructor of a hundred ages.这位哲人是百代之师。

3 poultry   

n.家禽，禽肉

参考例句：

• There is not much poultry in the shops. 商店里禽肉不太多。
• What do you feed the poultry on? 你们用什么饲料喂养家禽?

4 dressing   

n.(食物)调料；包扎伤口的用品，敷料

参考例句：

• Don't spend such a lot of time in dressing yourself.别花那么多时间来打扮自己。
• The children enjoy dressing up in mother's old clothes.孩子们喜欢穿上妈妈旧时的衣服玩。

5 savory   

adj.风味极佳的，可口的，味香的

参考例句：

• She placed a huge dish before him of savory steaming meat.她将一大盘热气腾腾、美味可口的肉放在他面前。
• He doesn't have a very savory reputation.他的名誉不太好。

6 piquant   

adj.辛辣的，开胃的，令人兴奋的

参考例句：

• Bland vegetables are often served with a piquant sauce.清淡的蔬菜常以辛辣的沙司调味。
• He heard of a piquant bit of news.他听到了一则令人兴奋的消息。

7 concoction   

n.调配(物)；谎言

参考例句：

• She enjoyed the concoction of foreign dishes.她喜欢调制外国菜。
• His story was a sheer concoction.他的故事实在是一纯属捏造之事。

8 pickles   

n.腌菜( pickle的名词复数 )；处于困境；遇到麻烦；菜酱

参考例句：

• Most people eat pickles at breakfast. 大多数人早餐吃腌菜。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• I want their pickles and wines, and that.' 我要他们的泡菜、美酒和所有其他东西。” 来自英汉文学 - 金银岛

9 plowing   

v.耕( plow的现在分词 )；犁耕；费力穿过

参考例句：

• "There are things more important now than plowing, Sugar. "如今有比耕种更重要的事情要做呀，宝贝儿。 来自飘（部分）
• Since his wife's death, he has been plowing a lonely furrow. 从他妻子死后，他一直过着孤独的生活。 来自辞典例句

10 mellow   

adj.柔和的；熟透的；v.变柔和；(使)成熟

参考例句：

• These apples are mellow at this time of year.每年这时节，苹果就熟透了。
• The colours become mellow as the sun went down.当太阳落山时，色彩变得柔和了。

11 manure   

n.粪，肥，肥粒；vt.施肥

参考例句：

• The farmers were distributing manure over the field.农民们正在田间施肥。
• The farmers used manure to keep up the fertility of their land.农夫们用粪保持其土质的肥沃。

12 transformation   

n.变化；改造；转变

参考例句：

• Going to college brought about a dramatic transformation in her outlook.上大学使她的观念发生了巨大的变化。
• He was struggling to make the transformation from single man to responsible husband.他正在努力使自己由单身汉变为可靠的丈夫。

13 perennial   

adj.终年的；长久的

参考例句：

• I wonder at her perennial youthfulness.我对她青春常驻感到惊讶。
• There's a perennial shortage of teachers with science qualifications.有理科教学资格的老师一直都很短缺。

14 disturbance   

n.动乱，骚动；打扰，干扰；(身心)失调

参考例句：

• He is suffering an emotional disturbance.他的情绪受到了困扰。
• You can work in here without any disturbance.在这儿你可不受任何干扰地工作。

15 clumps   

n.（树、灌木、植物等的）丛、簇( clump的名词复数 )；（土、泥等）团；块；笨重的脚步声v.（树、灌木、植物等的）丛、簇( clump的第三人称单数 )；（土、泥等）团；块；笨重的脚步声

参考例句：

• These plants quickly form dense clumps. 这些植物很快形成了浓密的树丛。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The bulbs were over. All that remained of them were clumps of brown leaves. 这些鳞茎死了，剩下的只是一丛丛的黃叶子。 来自《简明英汉词典》

16 attic   

n.顶楼，屋顶室

参考例句：

• Leakiness in the roof caused a damp attic.屋漏使顶楼潮湿。
• What's to be done with all this stuff in the attic?顶楼上的材料怎么处理？

17 thoroughly   

adv.完全地，彻底地，十足地

参考例句：

• The soil must be thoroughly turned over before planting.一定要先把土地深翻一遍再下种。
• The soldiers have been thoroughly instructed in the care of their weapons.士兵们都系统地接受过保护武器的训练。

18 perennials   

n.多年生植物( perennial的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Name six perennials and six annuals suitable for indoor flower arrangement. 列出多年生及一年生花朵各六种，它们必须是适合插花的。 来自互联网
• Herbage can be divided into three categories: annuals, biennials, and perennials. 草本植物可分成一年生、二年生和多年生。 来自互联网

19 cultivation   

n.耕作，培养，栽培（法），养成

参考例句：

• The cultivation in good taste is our main objective.培养高雅情趣是我们的主要目标。
• The land is not fertile enough to repay cultivation.这块土地不够肥沃，不值得耕种。

20 syrup   

n.糖浆，糖水

参考例句：

• I skimmed the foam from the boiling syrup.我撇去了煮沸糖浆上的泡沫。
• Tinned fruit usually has a lot of syrup with it.罐头水果通常都有许多糖浆。

21 linen   

n.亚麻布，亚麻线，亚麻制品；adj.亚麻布制的，亚麻的

参考例句：

• The worker is starching the linen.这名工人正在给亚麻布上浆。
• Fine linen and cotton fabrics were known as well as wool.精细的亚麻织品和棉织品像羊毛一样闻名遐迩。

22 hardy   

adj.勇敢的，果断的，吃苦的；耐寒的

参考例句：

• The kind of plant is a hardy annual.这种植物是耐寒的一年生植物。
• He is a hardy person.他是一个能吃苦耐劳的人。

23 seasoning   

n.调味；调味料；增添趣味之物

参考例句：

• Salt is the most common seasoning.盐是最常用的调味品。
• This sauce uses mushroom as its seasoning.这酱油用蘑菇作调料。

24 peppermint   

n.薄荷，薄荷油，薄荷糖

参考例句：

• Peppermint oil is very good for regulating digestive disorders.薄荷油能很有效地调节消化系统失调。
• He sat down,popped in a peppermint and promptly choked to death.他坐下来，突然往嘴里放了一颗薄荷糖，当即被噎死。

25 rue   

n.懊悔，芸香，后悔；v.后悔，悲伤，懊悔

参考例句：

• You'll rue having failed in the examination.你会悔恨考试失败。
• You're going to rue this the longest day that you live.你要终身悔恨不尽呢。

26 fowls   

鸟( fowl的名词复数 )； 禽肉； 既不是这； 非驴非马

参考例句：

• A great number of water fowls dwell on the island. 许多水鸟在岛上栖息。
• We keep a few fowls and some goats. 我们养了几只鸡和一些山羊。

27 garnishing   

v.给（上餐桌的食物）加装饰( garnish的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• She had finished the vegetables and was garnishing the roast. 她已经做好了蔬菜，正在给烤肉添加饰菜。 来自辞典例句
• Finely chop the reserved dill andthe rest for garnishing. 将保留下来的刁草叶剁碎，以备装饰。 来自互联网

28 emetic   

n.催吐剂；adj.催吐的

参考例句：

• He was given an emetic after eating poisonous berries.他吃了有毒的浆果，已给了他催吐剂。
• They have a more scientific method emetic.他们有更为科学的催吐剂法。

29 aromatic   

adj.芳香的，有香味的

参考例句：

• It has an agreeable aromatic smell.它有一种好闻的香味。
• It is light,fruity aromatic and a perfect choice for ending a meal.它是口感轻淡，圆润，芳香的，用于结束一顿饭完美的选择。

30 scenting   

vt.闻到（scent的现在分词形式）

参考例句：

• Soames, scenting the approach of a jest, closed up. 索来斯觉察出有点调侃的味儿来了，赶快把话打断。 来自辞典例句
• The pale woodbines and the dog-roses were scenting the hedgerows. 金银花和野蔷薇把道旁的树也薰香了。 来自辞典例句