June herbs from the garden

Midwinter here can be a little cool and gloomy when the clouds make an even cover all day, but it’s never long before we get some beautiful sun again. Our garden is productive right through Winter, and that includes aromatic leaves to pick for the kitchen; the June herbs.

June herbs
Winter herbs from the garden

I thought I’d do an inventory of what I can pick, and maybe follow it with Spring and Summer versions. This is what I found on a walk round.

Clockwise from the left, in an inward spiral, they are: lemongrass, curry leaf, lemon myrtle, coriander, dill, fennel, purple basil, salad burnet, borage, chives, yarrow, vietnamese mint, mint, lemon balm, bay leaf, kaffir lime, basil, rosemary, oregano, tarragon, parsley, lemon thyme, thyme, and sage.

Some, like the basil, don’t do too well in Winter and are hanging on from Autumn plants. The lemongrass is abundant but doesn’t grow. Others like the dill, fennel and parsley don’t seem to care what season it is.

Making a june herbs inventory like this is a good way of reminding myself what needs replenishing. I have just dug out the basil bed, which could do with a rest before Spring. I realised I needed to sow some borage to get a good lot of flowers for Spring salads.

I’m also reminded that I need to organise a large pot for sage. The Summers here are too wet for sage, and it does best if you can keep it out of the rain and hand water sparingly. You can see from the small grey leaves in the centre that my sage (and actually standard thyme too) isn’t what it might be.

It’s also a reminder to use some of them. I love the flavour of chives but don’t pick it nearly enough for the kitchen. I should start with an omelette for lunch…..