These perennials are easy to care for and indispensable in cooking. Fresh leaves enhance the taste of any dish, and dried shoots make aromatic health tea.
Herbs for tea
Peppermint
The main value of this plant is mint essential oil, which contains 50-80% menthol. Leaves and inflorescences are rich in carotene, ascorbic acid, other vitamins and organic acids, tannins and phytoncides. Leaves and young shoots are added to salads, meat and vegetable dishes, used for pickling cucumbers, flavoring sauces, various drinks and confectionery. Dried mint is indispensable in tea.
Medicinal properties: an old medical book said that “mint is cold in the mouth, but warms up the intestines.” This herb has a calming and local pain relieving effect. Peppermint is used for colds, indigestion, liver and gallbladder diseases. An infusion of leaves (5 g per glass of water) will save you from nausea.
Where to plant: mint is light-requiring, but tolerates slight shading. Grows well on loose fertile soils.
When to plant: mint is propagated by segments of rhizomes or rooted cuttings in April – May or August.
Care: plant feeding is carried out in early spring and at the beginning of budding. Loosening the soil and watering – as needed. Mint thickets should be renewed every 3-4 years, as it is quite aggressive, it grows quickly, occupying a large space, and at the same time it does not resist well .
How to dry plants properly
- Shoots are collected selectively at the beginning of mass flowering.
- Cut off almost at the very ground.
- Withered in the sun, and then dried in the shade under a canopy, in the attic or in a well-ventilated area.
- Drying is finished when the leaves begin to separate from the stems.
- The dried leaves are stored in tightly closed glass jars.
Thyme (thyme)
Thyme leaves contain an essential oil, the main components of which are thymol and carvacrol, which give the greenery a pleasant aroma and a slightly bitter burning taste. In addition to vitamin C, carotene, trace elements, this aromatic herb contains tannins and resinous substances and other useful components. Thyme is eaten in small doses as a seasoning for soups, vegetable, fish and meat dishes, cottage cheese, cereal products, as well as for home canning. The plant smells strong and pleasant thanks to the essential oil it produces. If you want to plunge into a cloud of spicy scent, just run your hand over the lush thyme bushes. Blooms in July – August.
Medicinal properties: in folk medicine, thyme tea is used for diseases of the respiratory and digestive organs, as well as for , neuralgia. A decoction of thyme disinfects the oral cavity, lotions and compresses are made from the infusion, which help with arthritis, radiculitis, neuralgia.
Where to plant: prefers sunny locations. Withstands partial shade and even shading, but in such conditions it stretches and blooms poorly. Areas with light, fertile, well-drained soil are suitable for planting.
When to plant: any time except late autumn; thyme is unpretentious and drought-resistant.
Care: does not require feeding. If the thyme bushes are pruned regularly, they will be dense and compact. Watering is necessary only in dry spring and summer. There are no diseases and pests on thyme. Only excess moisture causes damage to plants. Propagated by seeds, cuttings and dividing the bush. It grows in one place for 3-5 years.
Oregano (oregano)
All over the world this plant is better known under the Latin name oregano (“mountain decoration”). Oregano is very popular in Italian, Mexican and Spanish cuisines. It is added to pizza, spaghetti, salads, sauces, soups and many other dishes, because oregano gives them a bright pleasant taste, and at the same time whets the appetite. In the aroma of vermouth, by the way, there is also a “note” of oregano. And in Russia this herb has long been added to beer and kvass as a preservative. As a spice used in pickling, pickling cucumbers and mushrooms. The leaves and flowers of oregano contain ascorbic acid, essential oil, tannins and bitter substances. Due to its high selenium content, oregano is recognized as a “princess” in the company of “king” – garlic and “queen” – broccoli.
Medicinal properties: oregano is found in many health teas. For better perspiration in case of colds, tea made from oregano and linden flowers is good, as a mild expectorant and soothing agent – they drink tea from oregano with lemon balm. Well dried and crushed oregano (harvested in the second year after sowing) does not lose its valuable properties for three years.
Where to plant: this herb loves open sunny places. Oregano is undemanding to the soil, but grows better on light and neutral.
When to plant: April – June outdoors.
Care: watering only in severe drought, during the season – 3-4 feeding. Oregano is hardy and does not require shelter for the winter. It is easier to propagate oregano by dividing the bush or cuttings. It grows in one place for 4-5 years.
Oregano or marjoram?
The aroma of oregano is similar to that of marjoram. But the taste is thinner, slightly tart, bitter-spicy. The similarity of these plants is not accidental. After all, they are close relatives. And outwardly they are very similar: low bushes with fluffy and fragrant white or lilac inflorescences. The only difference is frost resistance. Marjoram, although a perennial plant, does not hibernate in the middle lane, it is not for nothing that it is called “annual oregano”. Oregano, on the contrary, perfectly tolerates Russian frosts, for which it is called “winter marjoram”. What to grow on the site – an annual or perennial spice, you decide.
Hyssop
One of the oldest spicy-aromatic plants. Hyssop greens contain a rich set of mineral salts, essential oil (about 1%). Shoots, leaves and flowers are used fresh and dried as a seasoning for salads, first and second courses, stewed vegetables, vinaigrette, sauces. Hyssop adds spice to meat dishes. It is put in jars when pickling cucumbers and tomatoes. Fresh leaves can be used to flavor cottage cheese and mayonnaise.
Medicinal properties: flowers and stems of hyssop, brewed like tea, help with coughs. In the Middle Ages, hyssop tea was used as a tonic drink to improve the health of the elderly. Hyssop is used for diseases of the upper respiratory tract, bronchial asthma, gastrointestinal diseases, angina pectoris. Infusion and decoction are used for washing the eyes, gargling, compresses.
Where to plant: prefers sunny locations and loose soil. The wetlands are unsuitable for hyssop.
When to plant: seeds are sown in late April – early May in open ground.
Care: hyssop is a drought-resistant plant. Therefore, it is enough to water it 1-2 times a week. Top dressing – 1-2 times per season (usually after cutting the greens). Cold resistant. It grows in one place for 3-4 years.
Lemon balm
Fresh lemon balm leaves contain about 0,1% essential oil, ascorbic acid, carotene, bitterness, tannins. Young greens are used as a seasoning for salads, soups, game, fish, mushrooms. It is added to sauces, dairy dishes, compotes, tea mixtures, vinegar and liqueurs are flavored, and tonic infusions are prepared.
Medicinal properties: lemon balm herb is a good pain reliever. Infusion stimulates appetite, stimulates digestion, relieves colic in the intestines, like mint, stops vomiting, calms the nervous system,… Melissa helps with insomnia, migraines. A decoction of lemon balm is used to rinse the mouth with inflammation of the gums, it is used to treat boils and skin rashes. But the aroma of dried lemon balm is short-lived – it lasts no more than 1 year (even in a hermetically sealed container).
Where to plant: completely illuminated, but protected from the winds (in open places, lemon balm freezes). Prefers neutral soils.
When to plant: seeds are sown at the end of April in open ground. It also propagates by dividing the bush.
Care: does not tolerate waterlogging of the soil. 1-2 feeding is required per season. It grows in one place for 3-5 years.