Tarragon and Cloves of Garlic

The Tarragon plant is sort of plain looking, with many branches, but it is easy to hide it behind other more decorative herb plants. Mature plants reach from 2-3 feet tall. It is a tender perennial which does not produce seed in the North, and is usually propogated by cuttings. It is not as commonly available as other herbs, so you may have to start yours by seeds.

I have found seeds in the Tasteful Garden in the past, but you may need to check around. Artemisia Dracunculus is the true French Tarragon that no gourmet cook worthy of his salt would be without. The plant is very aromatic, with an upright growth habit with lanceolate leaves up to 2 inches long that have a licorice-like flavor. You can use it fresh or dried. It is used in fish, chicken and potato dishes, and also to flavor salads and vinegars.

To grow Tarragon, obtain some seeds and sow them in a rich, sandy soil. Keep watered until the plant is at least 12" tall, then you can reduce the watering days by half. This is an excellent herb to grow near the kitchen door or along a pathway so that you brush against it as you pass. Sow some in pots for the windowsill or greenhouse. It gets a little big to grow in your tabletop system. In winter it needs cutting back and covering with some straw. Every few years tarragon should be reseeded for fresh plants, at the flavor diminishes over time and the plants get lanky.

It is easy to dry tarragon. Just snip the stems off close to the base of the plant, bunch and tie them and hang upside down to dry. Once they are dry, it is easy to strip the leaves from the branches and store in a glass jar or spice cabinet. Stems of fresh tarragon can be refrigerated and used fresh, put into jars of oil or vinegar to use on salads, put into the salads, and used to wrap fish for the grill or oven. Short pieces of stem will make a nice garnish for dishes. It looks especially nice with pasta dishes. You can also use it in flower bouquets for the table, for a old world look.

The leaves are generally a grass green, which combines very nicely with pink flowers. Sow tarragon in with forget-me-nots to add color to the herbs and something for the forget-me-nots to lean on as they are a rather lazy plant. Use the dried stems for barbequeing, for shish kabob skewers, or burn them in your fireplace.

Here is a simple recipe that uses Tarragon for flavor:

Roasted Potato Medley

Ingredients:

• 2 sweet potatoes
• 4 Yukon Gold potatoes
• 8 new potatoes from your garden
• 1/4 c + 2 T olive oil
• 1 t dried tarragon
• S & P

Easy Step by Step direction:

1. Preheat your oven to 425 F. Peel and cube the seet potatoes and the Yukon golds. Scrub the new potatoes and cube.
2. Place the potatoes in a large saucepan with enough water to cover the potatoes, sprinkle in some salt and bring to a boil for 3 minutes. Turn them off and drain them.
3. Spread the potatoes in a single layer on a large nonstick baking sheet or jelly roll pan.
4. Drizzle the potatoes with olive oil and sprinkle with tarragon and S & P. Roast in the hot oven until browned and crisp, about 25 minutes. Serve immediately.

Substitutes for Tarragon in this recipe: Dried Thyme and Rosemary.

Tarragon is considered a Culinary Herb of major importance in the food world. It will give an old world effect to a potager or dooryard herb garden, as well as a delightful aroma as you pass it. It is well worth the effort to find seeds or plants to grow it. It is an essential component of fines herbes (a blend of dried herbs that is basic to so many french dishes).

Creamy Blue Cheese Dressing

1/2 real mayonnaise

1/2 cup sour cream

1 T Tarrogon Wine Vinegar (recipe follows)

1/4 t. dry mustard

1 small clove garlic, minced

1/4 cup chopped gr.onions

1/4 crumbled Danish blue cheese

In a bowl blend the first 5 ingredients until smooth. Stir in onions and cheese. Cover and chill. While the dressing is chilling, the flavors are blending together and improving. This is called 'marrying'. If your dressing is too thick, thin it by stirring some fresh cream into it.

Tarragon Wine Vinegar

Purchase a bottle of red wine vinegar in a glass bottle. Pick a stem of fresh tarragon from your plant almost as long as the bottle of vinegar. Rinse the tarragon and let dry on a paper towel, then insert into the red wine vinegar, stem end first. Refrigerate for at least a few days to 'marry'. Improves with age.

Use in the above recipe, or for any vinegar & oil dressing. Also can be used in meat marinades.