Village Herb Farm - Kuranda, Queensland Australia

General Herb Info

Care of your herbs: To state the obvious, your fresh herbs are more closely related to cut flowers than potatoes. They must be kept refrigerated. I have listed some hints to help you keep them fresh for the maximum time: Put them in your esky with your refrigerated items on your trip home from the supermarket. The heat in your car boot will otherwise start to cook your herbs. Try to keep them high up in your fridge and not down the bottom with your vegetables. Our herb packets contain more than most of our competitors and should last for a couple of cooking extravaganzas. Don’t forget to keep the bag closed to limit drying out. If you have sufficient room in the fridge, stand bunches in a container of water, with a plastic bag over the top. If you have left the shopping in the car, wilted herbs may recover with a sprinkle of water and some chilling. Usage ideas: Jamie Oliver has some great herb tips in his video "Jamie's Kitchen": Try taking a bunch of the harder herbs (Rosemary, Thyme) and either pouring a little boiling water over them or stirring hot cooking water with them. The heat opens up the pores in the leaves and releases the essential oils and thus the aroma and flavour. Try frying herbs such as Sage until crisp but still green. These can be crumbled over the finished dish. A good pan-fried pork chop is amazing with some Sage treated like this. Try making Herb Salt. Take a few sticks of Rosemary (a bag-full) and pound the stripped leaves in a pestle and mortar with generous amounts of salt and the zest of a lemon. Seive the result to gain a lovely coloured salt that will last for months and which Jamie especially likes on his chips. Ring the changes - try different herbs and different citrus - lime, orange, grapefruit. Make a few different herb salts and line them up at a dinner party. Use of Specific Herbs:

	Banana: Yep - The Banana 'Tree' is, in fact, a herb; the stem lacks true woody tissue. Bananas are still fruit, but Banana Leaves are herbaceous. OK - I know we don't sell Banana Leaves (yet), but we have several examples of the world's largest herb down in the gullies - it's proving difficult to get a twenty-foot Banana Tree into a bag, though...
	Basil: Basil is the hardest herb to care for. It doesn’t like to be too hot, too cold, too wet or too dry. When exposed to any of these conditions it will start to go black and rapidly break down. Use fresh Basil raw in Salads, for most Italian cooking, for the very best pesto and for adding to stews and casseroles. It’s extremely versatile, and available most of the year.
	Bush Mint: Cut Leaf Mint Bush or native Bush Mint, is something we are just starting up, and it will not be available in quantity for a while. This is one of three edible Australian ‘mint’ species. An incredibly intense spicy mint aroma, a little goes a long way; however the aroma is diminished by long heating. The most successful uses I’ve seen so far are in Kuranda Butchery’s lamb sausages, in marinades and salads.
	Chervil: Chervil is a french seasoning. Visually it is a delicate fern like plant which is a great garnish. It has a mild flavour and can be used in sauces and butters and is good with seafood and chicken.
	Coriander: Coriander is our biggest selling herb, now. It has a unique flavour, and is ubiquitous in Asian recipes; however, try adding it to some of your standard recipes for a bit of variety. I add a sprig to my pumpkin soup. There are some stunning Coriander Pesto recipes out there – a great Pesto uses Coriander, chillies and sesame oil. Coriander will be difficult to find in the wet season.
	Curry Leaf: As the name suggests, add to any meat or vegetable for a mild curry flavour. This is the original and best Indian curry plant – the young pretender from Europe doesn’t have the depth. We have used the trees in a number of areas as they seem to like difficult ground; I'm not sure whether we have lost any pickers in the gullies yet, they may still be finding their way back.
	Dill: A great little herb for fish, butters, eggs and vegetables. Also makes a nice garnish. The next time you buy a good Tassie salmon, buy some Dill – the two go together very well. I’ll put up a recipe for Gravad Lax – salmon cured in sugar and salt with Dill. This Scandinavian recipe is centuries old, and a must-try, if you are bold; it disappears really quickly. Dill doesn't like the wet season.
	Garlic Chives: Mild garlic/onion flavour. Use in Asian cooking, eggs, rice and dips. Very hardy and keeps well in the fridge. Asian supermarkets often sell them with the bulbous flowering heads. We find that Garlic Chives are much hardier than Onion Chives, so you are more likely to find them throughout the year. Try them as a substitute.
	Green Peppercorns: Black Pepper, once the most valuable of spices, is the dried berries of the Pepper vine. Green Peppercorns are the unripe berries. They are wonderful in pâtés, a tablespoon crushed on your steak with a little cream, thrown into a Thai curry on the spike for some heat and bite. They are only available fresh for a couple of months a year, so Carpe Diem.
	Kaffir Lime Leaves: A necessity in Thai cooking, and one of the main reasons for the popularity of Green Curry Chicken or Tom Yam soup, in my opinion. The leaf is generally added whole to soups and curries. It is rarely eaten except when thinly sliced - the trick is to roll the leaf up into a tight sausage, and cut thin slices off the end to get thin shards.
	Lemongrass: Very popular in Thai and Vietnamese cooking; used for its lemon flavour which lacks the tartness of lemon juice. The plant is not eaten, but cut and bruised to release the scent before adding to the recipe. If the dish is to be strained, slice your lemongrass into small circular pieces through the bulb. Otherwise, cut it lengthwise so it’s easier to remove before serving. Steep in boiling water to make a refreshing hot tea, or drink chilled.
	Lemon Myrtle: I have been fascinated with this one ever since I first smelled the Essential Oil. An Australian native, it has what I can only describe as a ‘high-note’ lemon scent. Drop a leaf into your next cup of tea – this is a staple drink in the packing shed. A couple of leaves in your rice will add a lovely fragrance. Makes a stunning sorbet. In my opinion one of the culinary ‘finds’. Don't cook too long - the aroma will fade.
	Lemon Thyme: A really versatile little herb. It has a strong lemon aroma and can be added to salad dressings, breads, white meat & seafood. Under-rated and often ignored, you don't need a recipe to enjoy using this one. Often 'softer' leaves than Thyme, so easier to use in omelettes, for example.
	Marjoram: With a sweet mild flavour, Marjoram is compatible with just about any dish - with vegetables, in cheese, meat and chicken dishes as well as for flavouring vinegars. Marjoram is treated as Oregano’s poorer relation, but I think it’s unfairly under-rated. Good Marjoram is a wonderful thing, with velvet leaves and a lovely aroma.
	Mint: Mint is one of those flavours used in all sorts of products, but it is also a mainstay in middle-Eastern cuisine. Dishes such as Tabouli or Tajine of Lamb... We all love Mint sauce or jelly on baked lamb and it is great when included in salads. Try a Mint Julep, or a hot sweet Mint Tea when the weather is getting you hot and bothered.
	Onion Chives: Chives have a delicate onion flavour which is not as sweet as brown onions. Can be used in potato dishes, herb butters and soups. Add just before serving.
	Oregano: Oregano has a strong flavour, and is a necessity in Pizza and Pasta dishes. Chop the leaves and use with meat, salads, soups and Italian recipes. Once you start using the fresh herb, be prepared to discard the dried stuff; although, to be fair, Dried Oregano is about the only dried herb I would keep.
	Parsley (Curly): No introduction needed to this versatile herb. Use wherever and whenever you like. Great garnish as well, although I think parsley on sushi has crossed a line somewhere. A good antagonist to garlic, it is a necessity in garlic bread if you want to appear in public the following day. An essential for juicing.
	Parsley (Italian or Continental): Also referred to as Flat Leaf Parsley. Slightly stronger flavour than Curly but can be used as a substitute. Used extensively in Italian cooking and salads. Try chopping up a generous handful and throwing into a dish. Healthy and interesting.
	Rocket: Fast becoming one of our most popular herbs. Joss (our longest-serving staff member) is very reluctant to pack a particularly nice bunch of Rocket – it’s too nice to let go… This herb has a delicious hot peanut flavour and really brightens up an ordinary salad, great as a bed for seafood too. Treat it with TLC – don’t squash or crush it in your shopping bag, and eat it when it’s fresh and crisp.
	Rosemary: Too often overlooked, Rosemary is a wonderful herb. Spike your Lamb roast (and mine it with some garlic, too, of course). Sprinkle the leaves on baked vegetables and veal. Use the sprigs as skewers for prawns. Great for flavouring vinegars, oils and salad dressings. Makes a good Risotto great. Try Herb Salt.
	Sage: Add chopped sage leaves to breads, stuffing, sauces and stews. Strong flavour, so don’t use too much of this one. Sage and Onion are one of the original partnerships, often devalued by packet stuffing mixes. Forgo the five minute saving and make the real thing next time you roast some Pork. Try frying some leaves with a good Pork Chop.
	Sorrell: Smaller Sorrel leaves are great in salads. It has a lemon like aroma and a mildly sour taste. Can be added to eggs, vegies, sauces etc.
	Tarragon: Tarragon is widely used in French cooking and is not all that popular with us yet. It should be! Tarragon will enhance to flavour of anything it is added to and is great when added to a cream sauce for chicken, or included in an omelette or good old scrambled eggs.
	Thyme: Fragrant with a strong flavour, thyme is great in stews, vegetables and in soups or sprinkles over a roast. Often used in Italian recipes and good when added to herb bread. Invaluable in slow-cook stews and pot-au-feu.
	Vietnamese Mint: (Also know as Laksa Leaf, Rau Ram, daun kesom, water pepper or Vietnamese Coriander), it is great added to a Thai curry, and an essential component Laksa (a hot soup often made with chicken, noodles and coconut milk). It has a strong minty peppery flavour.
	Watercress: An attractive addition to any salad or as a sandwich filling. Said to promote appetite and clear the skin of blemishes.