Herbal nutrition

Oft-neglected sources of herbal nutrition for your home garden

 

What herbs are and what they do

Herbs are non-woody seed-bearing plants that produce flowers. Herbs can be annuals, biennials, or perennials. Medicinal and even magical properties have been attributed to herbs for millennia, and their potential uses are nearly endless.

Herb nutrition is not the only reason herb gardens are grown. Many herbs are aromatic and used in the production of perfume. Others display beautiful flowers or foliage.

Planning for nutrition

Herbs can be grown independently or as part of a larger garden. Even an indoor garden can provide a little homegrown herbal nutrition. As with vegetable gardens, herbs require lots of sun, but it’s very important to provide herbs with well drained soil.

An important point to remember with herb gardens is that some plants will affect the flavor of their growing companions, so plan well if you’re mixing herbs in with a vegetable garden.

The best plants for herb nutrition

Since herbs offer so many different benefits, it’s possible to grow an herb garden with a specific focus, such as herbal tea or natural cold and flu remedies. An herbal tea garden might feature peppermint, chamomile, and dandelion, while a home remedy herb garden would likely include echinacea, garlic, and thyme.

But with herbal nutrition as our theme, these are a few of the herbs you might consider planting in your herb garden.

Fennel

Fennel is a nutritional herb that contains Vitamin C and amino acids. Fennel has many potential culinary uses. Its leaves are added to soups, salads, and sauces, and its seeds used for baking bread and cakes and cookies. Fennel flowers are also used in salads.

Harvest the top few inches of fennel plants when they’ve grown about six inches tall. Avoid planting fennel near tomatoes and beans.

Parsley

Parsley is an herb that’s been hidden in plain view. It’s one of the most nutritious herbs you can grow, yet it’s mostly thought of as a plate decoration. Parsley boasts a greater concentration of beta carotene than carrots, a little iron, some calcium, lots of Vitamin A, and, for its size, 150% more Vitamin C than oranges. Think of all that nutrition the next time you shove the parsley garnish aside at a restaurant.

Parsley can be a little difficult to grow. Germination often takes four to six weeks, and its long roots make it resistant to transplanting. But for the herbal nutrition parsley offers, you can afford to be patient with it.

Cayenne

Though most commonly thought of as a food seasoning, cayenne offers a variety of nutritional benefits. A major ingredient of cayenne, capsaicin, is effective as a pain reliever and is touted as a fibromyalgia treatment. Cayenne pepper is an antioxidant, and is used as an appetite suppressant.

Provide cayenne with plenty of water and sunshine. Peppers can be used dried or ground into powder and used as a flavoring or nutritional supplement.

Marjoram

Marjoram is another excellent source of herbal nutrition that has been unfairly overlooked. It’s often overshadowed by oregano, but marjoram is subtler and sweeter and has a very appealing fragrance. As for nutrition details, marjoram is a great source of iron, calcium, Vitamin A, and Vitamin C.

Provide marjoram with dry, well drained, nutrient rich soil and it will reward you with tasty nutrition.