Right now, I have Mascotte French beans, Magenta Crisp lettuce, and a variety of basils growing in my garden. The basil pictured is Siam Queen Thai basil, which has a licorice/anise flavor…
Tag: Herb
Mitsuba: does it grow in Hawaii?
Mitsuba likes cooler climates and indirect light. Can it be grown on the plantation home lanai?
It tastes like cilantro, but does it? Rating the substitutes
Cilantro, the plant we in Hawaii once knew as Chinese parsley, is a gardener’s frustration.
It’s slow to sprout, and once it gets above ground, a feast for slugs and snails. Then, if we’re lucky enough to get a few leaves of it, it goes to seed in the hot Hawaii sun.
We hear that there are plants that are like cilantro, but are there really?
Fennel
Edible fennel, belonging to the carrot and parsnip family, has the texture of celery with a faint flavor of anise. Used extensively in Italian cooking, the vegetable can be eaten raw or…
Shiso (Perilla), Multiple Varieties
The Asia Ip and Britton varieties come from Johnny’s Seeds. The green shiso is grown from the seed stock of shiso originally purchased locally at Leilani’s Nursery in Waimanalo. Green is a…
Krishna Tulsi – Purple Holy Basil
Tulsi, or holy basil, is a medicinal herb used for tea. Considered sacred in traditional Ayurvedic medicine, it is believed to be promote longevity. The purple leaf variety is known to have…
Mini Leaf Basil – Pluto and Spicy Bush Varieties
Both varieties are dwarf basil that produce heavily branched plants with tiny, dark green leaves. The leaves have a good basil aroma and a fine basil flavor. The plants are compact, globe-shaped…
Mexican Mint Marigold
Mexican Mint Marigold has aromatic leaves which are often used as a substitute for French Tarragon. Sweet licorice flavor brightens salads and main dishes. The edible, pretty, golden-yellow flowers bloom all summer….
Lettuce Leaf Basil (Tuscany)
This particular basil variety is from Johnny’s Seeds, where I purchase a number of my plant seeds. Although I’ve found this variety is less heat-tolerant than other basil varieties, the herb is…