savor — guide to food & dining on the azalea coast
83
argaret Shelton
of Shelton Herb Farm in
Brunswick County says her
best sellers are basil, parsley,
oregano, dill, thyme and
chives. Other favorites include
M
lemon thyme, lemon basil, sweet marjoram, mints (spearmint
and peppermint), rosemary and sage.
“That’s a dozen basic herbs that everyone should have,” she says.
Rosemary and sage are good for roasting vegetables and for
grilling. She recommends mints, lemongrass and lemon ver-bena
for water infusion.
“That’s very easy to do. You just put a few leaves into ice
water in your glass,” she says. Shelton also recommends add-ing
a few sprigs of mint to iced tea because it is cooling and
refreshing.
Basil is an abundant summer herb.
“Think of doing a basil vinegar. And you can do vinegars
with other herbs as well — they’re nice for salads and mari-nades,”
Shelton says. “Basil preserved in vinegar is as easy as
putting the leaves in a jar and pouring vinegar over it,” like
cider vinegars or clear vinegars such as wine vinegars. Rice wine
vinegar is good with Thai basil for cooking stir fry.
Shelton says containers are good for herbs because they offer
the drainage they need. Good drainage and good air circulation
help the herbs grow.
She recommends placing the containers in a sunny spot with
five to six hours of sunlight.
“If you’re growing in containers, you have to be mindful
that you keep them watered, and don’t bake them in the sun,
but expose them to bright light,” she says.
Eastern exposure is nice for plants because it gives them a
chance to cool down and not get baked by the western sun,
Shelton says. “They cool off before dark, in other words. So
this is good for a lot of plants, especially herbs in containers.”
Above and left: Herbs are among the offerings at the Wrightsville
Beach Farmers’ Market.
www.wrightsvillebeachmagazine.com WBM