Wednesday, January 1, 2014

Celebrating the 2014 Herb of the Year, Artemisia!

Yes, French tarragon is an artemisia!
Sweet Annie Waiting to be a Wreath!
Well, I thought I would come out of the herbal gate strong with a post on the 2014 Herb of the Year, Artemisia.  So here are two of my favorite artemisias, French tarragon (Artemisia dracunculus 'Sativa') and Sweet Annie (Artemisia annua).   French tarragon is sterile and so if you find tarragon seeds, they are mostly likely an inferior form of Russian tarragon which has very little flavor.  You must buy a plant or take a cutting from a fellow gardener's plant.  One of the best ways to preserve French tarragon is in white wine vinegar.  Once you have flavored the vinegar for about two weeks, you can use the tarragon just as you would fresh.  It is very well paired with chicken and has a wonderful anise flavor.

At the opposite end of the spectrum is Sweet Annie which gives me a headache and maybe that is why I haven't done anything with this bag yet.  I may even have to work with it on a "warm" day outside if I have to!  It can be a terror in the herb garden madly self-sowing everywhere.  It is a very upright plant which I like for the back of the border.  It is an half-hardy (If it self-sows.) annual herb.   

I'm going to try (If I remember.) to do a post about different artemisias maybe once a month.  Adelma Simmons wrote a whole entire chapter on artemisia in her book, Herb Gardening in Five Seasons.  So hopefully, I will glean some new information for you and me.  As maybe you can see, I have changed some things around and delete some unnecessary information.  I'm going to be doing a few more travel posts while we are out of the garden to finish some trips that were unfinished and some suggestions from you.  I'll be busy, but that's good, herbally speaking!  Hope you had a great new year celebration.  Very cold here, but it is January, 2014!  Talk to you later.

9 comments:

Linda Goudelock said...

Rosemary gives me a headache and my eyes water...

Lemon Verbena Lady said...

I have never heard that about rosemary, Linda! That's too bad because it is one of my very favorite herbs! Thanks for stopping by! xo

Rosemary said...

Happy New Year, Nancy!

Lemon Verbena Lady said...

Happy New Year to you, Rosemary! xo

Anonymous said...

I have never heard of Sweet Annie, so already I have learnt something new in 2014!
Happy New Year, Nancy.

Rosemary said...

How could I resist a blog called Lemon Verbena Lady - my favourite perfume which I spritz over myself daily. It is the most heavenly scent.

Lemon Verbena Lady said...

Great Tracey! Always glad to educate you with a new herb. Hopefully we will get a thaw here soon and I can work with it outside and show you a crafty type herbal project! xo

Hi Rosemary! Glad to have you on board! I have a big bottle of lemon verbena as well and love the scent! Hope to inspire you with herbs! xo

mardea said...

What about artemissia annua. Does it in the same family? What is the laymen term?

Lemon Verbena Lady said...

Hello Mardea, Yes, Artemisia annua is called Sweet Annie and I talked about it briefly in that post. I might talk about it a bit more when I use it in a wreath. Haven't done that yet because it hasn't been warm enough to make it outside. I get a headache from it. Thanks for your comment. xo