The encyclopedia of herbs: a comprehensive reference to herbs of flavor and fragrance PDF
Preview The encyclopedia of herbs: a comprehensive reference to herbs of flavor and fragrance
The Encyclopedia of Herbs The Encyclopedia of HERBS A Comprehensive Reference to Herbs of Flavor and Fragrance Arthur O. Tucker and Thomas DeBaggio Edited by Francesco DeBaggio Copyright © 2009 by Arthur O. Tucker and Thomas DeBaggio. All rights reserved. Illustrations copyright © 2000 by Marjorie C. Leggitt. Frontispiece: Wasabia japonica. Opposite: Geranium macrorrhizum. An earlier edition of this volume was published as The Big Book of Herbs (Interweave Press, 2000). Published in 2009 by Timber Press, Inc. The Haseltine Building 133 S.W. Second Avenue, Suite 450 Portland, Oregon 97204-3527 www.timberpress.com 2 The Quadrant 135 Salusbury Road London NW6 6RJ www.timberpress.co.uk ISBN-13: 978-0-88192-994-2 Printed in China Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Tucker, Arthur O. The encyclopedia of herbs: a comprehensive reference to herbs of flavor and fragrance / Arthur O. Tucker and Thomas DeBaggio; edited by Francesco DeBaggio.—[2nd ed.] p. cm. Earlier edition published as: The big book of herbs, Interweave Press, 2000. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-0-88192-994-2 (alk. paper) 1. Herbs. 2. Herb gardening. 3. Herbs—Utilization. I. DeBaggio, Thomas, 1942– II. DeBaggio, Francesco. III. Tucker, Arthur O. Big book of herbs. IV. Title. SB351.H5T777 2009 635’.7—dc22 2009016700 A catalog record for this book is also available from the British Library. Contents Introduction Chapter 1. Plant Identification Chapter 2. What’s in a Name? Chapter 3. The Flavors and Fragrances of Herbs Chapter 4. How to Maximize Flavor and Fragrance Chapter 5. How to Create the Best Growing Conditions Chapter 6. Container Cultivation Chapter 7. Propagation and Planting Chapter 8. Keeping Herbs Healthy Chapter 9. The Harvest Herb Profiles Acorus Agastache Allium Aloysia citriodora Anethum graveolens Angelica Anthoxanthum Anthriscus cerefolium Armoracia rusticana Artemisia Asarum canadense Bergera koenigii Borago officinalis Brassica Calamintha Calendula officinalis Capparis spinosa Capsicum Carthamus tinctorius Carum carvi Cedronella canariensis Chamaemelum nobile Chrysopogon zizanioides Citrus hystrix Coriandrum sativum Crocus sativus Cryptotaenia japonica Cuminum cyminum Cunila origanoides Cymbopogon citratus Dianthus Dysphania ambrosioides Elsholtzia Eryngium foetidum Ferula Foeniculum vulgare Galium Geranium macrorrhizum Glycyrrhiza glabra Hedeoma pulegioides Helichrysum italicum Houttuynia cordata Humulus lupulus Hyssopus officinalis Inula helenium Iris Juniperus communis Laurus nobilis Lavandula Levisticum officinale Limnophila chinensis subsp. aromatica Lindera benzoin Lippia Litsea glaucescens Matricaria Melissa officinalis Mentha Monarda Myrrhis odorata Myrtus communis Nepeta cataria Nigella sativa Ocimum Oenanthe javanica Origanum Papaver somniferum Pelargonium Perilla frutescens Persea borbonia Persicaria odorata Petroselinum crispum Phyla scaberrima Pimpinella anisum Piper Plectranthus Pogostemon Poliomintha bustamanta Porophyllum ruderale subsp. macrocephalum Pycnanthemum Rhus coriaria Rosa Rosmarinus officinalis Ruta graveolens Salvia Sanguisorba minor Santolina Sassafras albidum Satureja Sesamum orientale Sinapis Solidago odora Stevia rebaudiana Tagetes lucida Tanacetum Thymbra Thymus Trachyspermum ammi Trigonella foenum-graecum Umbellularia californica Valeriana officinalis Wasabia japonica Zingiber mioga Selected References Index Introduction THIS BOOK PROVIDES accurate information to help identify, grow, and use hundreds of herbs. Although it draws heavily on scientific research from around the world, it is tempered by personal gardening experience and written in a simple understandable style. No single book is big enough to describe all the plants called herbs, so we have focused on herbs that are most common in home gardens, catalogs, restaurants, and markets (or should be). For the purpose of this book, we define an herb as any temperate climate herbaceous or woody plant used for flavor or fragrance. This excludes a wide range of herbs for medicine, dyes, fibers, insecticides, soap, and rubber. We believe our range, while limited, remains wide. Old favorites, such as basil, dill, parsley, coriander, lavender, mint, sage, rosemary, tarragon, and thyme are included in detail and many species that have not reached a wide audience are included. Among the unusual or hard to find herbs are rau r m or Vietnamese cilantro (Persicaria odorata), which immigrated to the United States along with the airlift of 140,000 Vietnamese in 1975. Another cilantro-flavored ethnic herb, papaloquelite (Porophyllum ruderale subsp. macrocephalum), comes from south of the border. This nine-foot marigold relative has been used in Mexican cooking for centuries but only entered Texan cuisine around 1990. The Encyclopedia of Herbs grew from our frustration with the superficial treatment of our favorite herbs and the gross errors about them in many popular herb books (a recent one erroneously claimed that dill “resembles fennel in appearance and aroma”). We have spent years searching for thorough, unbiased research to dispel many cultivation myths perpetuated by four centuries of misinformation. The most interesting data we uncovered was not in the popular press but in small circulation technical books and journals where scientists use shorthand and jargon to communicate with each other. This is one of the first times that most of these research findings have been available in a non-scientific venue. We rely on botanists and agricultural scientists for an understanding of herbs
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