In our front-yard collard patch, last fall's collards have survived. We continue to cut leaves off the plants. Last night we had stir-fried collards with broiled salmon; tonight we
enjoyed collards in wraps with hot Italian sausage.
Mint is growing near the rocks piled in the patch. Soon we'll set out some onions in the collard patch. Today we bought stevia, chives, rosemary, fennel, and cilantro. We plan to start those herbs in pots inside the house.
Stevia, a tropical popular herb, is growing in popularity as a sugar substitute. Stevia's small green leaves are thirty times sweeter than sugar, and they can be dried. If our efforts succeed we'll save grocery money spent on Splenda©, Alterna©, and sugar.
We selected garlic flavored chives with long, flat leaves. They will be delicious on baked potatoes, in salads, and in stir-fried collard greens. Chives do not dry well, but the chopped leaves can be frozen.
Rosemary, ah, rosemary! We love it. Rosemary is very pretty in the garden. It is a great flavoring for polenta, marinades, salad dressings, soups, sauces, gumbo, chicken, fish, lamb, and pork. Since it flavors Creole, Cajun, and Middle-Eastern food like nothing else, rosemary is an essential in Louisiana kitchens. We use it dried, but we prefer it fresh. I hope our crop flourishes.
Fennel has a mild anise flavor. The bulbous stems can be served raw like celery or steamed. Their flavor will enhance stews, soup and collard greens. Paul likes to eat the
seeds.
Cilantro is important in Mexican dishes, which are important in our diets. It also flavors Mediterranean and Oriental dishes well. For a garnish it is unsurpassed.
All the plants we grow will help our personal economy, our health, and the world's ecology. Write me at Mary@CollardLovers.com to tell me how you are living green.
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