This month, Michelle Obama replanted the White House garden with a whole host of delicious and lovely plants. We've already walked you through how to get the fruits and vegetables in your own garden, now onto the herbs!
Photo: Alex Wong, Getty Images
Ivette Soler of The Germinatrix and The Edible Front Yard is kindly walking us through the in's and out's of planting every herb in the 2011 garden -- plus herbs featured in the last two years by Mrs. Obama.
White House Garden: Herbs
Anise hyssop
Anise hyssop has another name that will give you a hint to figure out what it tastes like -- licorice mint! Plant it in your garden in bright sun, and soon you'll be able to eat both the leaves and the flowers. Even before the flowers bloom, you can cut the leaves and have your parents help you make some tea with them. When the flowers start blooming, you can use them to make salads look prettier (and you don't have to pick them out before eating).
Basil and Thai basil
Yummy basil is used in lots of different kinds of cooking, and there are many kinds of basil plants that look and taste very different. Italian basil has big green leaves that you eat in pasta and on pizzas; other basil varieties have smaller leaves that taste like licorice and cinnamon and are often used in Asian dishes. Growing basils is fun because you can plant a seed and as long as it's hot, it'll grow fast into a little bush that you can use to make all sorts of delicious dishes. Plant basil when it's warm outside, and give it a little bit of organic fertilizer so the leaves can get big and delicious.
Chamomile
Chamomile is so pretty, with lots of little white flowers floating on top of tiny leaves. When the flowers dry, the middle of the flower, the yellow part, makes a wonderful sleepytime tea. Chamomile is also a good neighbor plant;; it makes all of the plants next to it healthier, and they won't be bothered as much by bugs. You can give it a little more water than other herbs, but don't go overboard, because chamomile won't grow in soggy soil.
Chervil
Garlic Chives and Chives
Onions and garlic are sooo good! But if you don't like a big chunk of garlic in your food, or if onions aren't your thing -- plant chives! They are in the same family, but instead of having a big vegetable to gnaw on, all you do is snip off some grassy leaves, and they make your food taste just as good as onions or garlic does. They are really easy to grow, too -- all you have to do is plant them in the soil and water them, and they'll look like pretty clumps of grass with pink, puffy flowers. Note: You can't eat the grass, but you CAN eat the chives!
Cilantro
Cilantro is a strong flavor - people either love it or hate it. If you do like it, you can plant it in the spring when it's cool, and use the leaves as long as the weather doesn't get too hot. Once it gets too hot, the plant makes a flower and the leaves start to go yellow. You can keep the leaves fresh by cutting off the flower and watering it with a little organic fertilizer, but if it gets hot, cilantro season is over.
Dill
Dill is used to make pickles, and it tastes good on fish and in vegetable dips. It is an easy plant to grow, all you have to do is plant the seeds right where you want it to grow, cover it with a little soil, then water it. In a couple of weeks, you'll have tiny sprouts that will grow into tall, pretty dill plants. The taste of the leaves is best before the flower pops up, so when you see the flower start to bloom, cut it off and give it to someone you like. That way, the leaves will be tastier longer!
Fennel
It might look like celery with a big bottom, but fennel tastes more like licorice. People cook the stems, but they use the seeds and leaves to make teas and spices. You can plant fennel seeds wherever you want it to grow, and it will take about 16 to 20 days before you start seeing little sprouts. Once they start growing, watch the bottom of the plant. When it starts to swell and get big, you can cut it and cook it. You might want to leave it alone and let it grow and flower, so you can enjoy the tasty seeds.
Marjoram
Marjoram smells so clean that lots of people use it in their baths - you can tie a bundle of it together with a string and throw it in when the warm water is running. Marjoram also tastes delicious with all kinds of meats -- chicken, beef, fish and pork. It even tastes great on eggs. Some people think marjoram looks a lot like oregano, and it's hard to tell the difference, but all you need to do is smell it -- oregano will smell like pizza or spaghetti. Plant marjoram just like you would other herbs, but you can water it a little more.
Mint
What tastes like a mouthful of clean, cold air and makes delicious teas and ice creams? Mint! This is a plant that should be in every garden, but you have to be careful when you plant it. Its roots grow like crazy and can disturb nearby plants. Never plant mint right in the ground -- grow it in a pot! All you have to do is get some potting soil, a little trowel (a trowel is a tiny shovel that fits in your hand), and a small to medium pot. The next step is important: find a rock and cover the hole at the bottom of the pot so the soil doesn't run out. Then take your baby mint plant out of the tiny pot you bought it in, and put it in its new home. Now, fill up the rest of the pot with potting soil, and then press it all in so that it feels nice and snug. All you have to do is water it, and you have yourself a perfect place for your mint to live!
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