planning the tillerman kitchen garden
field notes from our prep cook and kitchen garden manager, Pat Ford
herbs were our first medicine that existed before scientific methods. certain herbs were used as an antimicrobial before refrigeration (thyme, oregano and rosemary) or to support digestion (fennel and dill) and to detox (parsley and mint). herbs never intended these flavors for us, per say, but this aromatic release of terpenes is the language that herbs are using to communicate with the environment around them; encouraging one kind of insect and deterring another, or fending itself from a pathogenic fungus or harmful microbes. it's a universal language understood between species, having evolved over such a long expanse of time it is instinctual to our sense of smell. this language is amplified through taste, in a feedback loop with our digestive microbiome and nestled in our generational memories. cuisine is the pathway we travel to reacquaint ourselves with this ancient tongue. so on occasion, make sure to pause and smell the herbs.
during my first season tending the culinary garden at the tillerman, i was enticed by novel varieties that offered something rare and exciting that i hadn't experienced before, but found them difficult to integrate into our day to day menu. this year, our hope is to focus on classic flavors to match our fresh ingredients and executed technique. our favorite annuals include:
italian parsley- flavor workhouse, clean and fresh to cleanse the palette
dill- preservation steward
chervil- fickle and tender, but a spritz of freshness
genovesse basil- struggles in the cold spring, but becomes the star of the show in late july
perennials are like old friends, among the first plants to show life in the spring, they greet you from dormancy like no time has passed. i like to sneak a pinch of these early sprouts to reinvigorate those dormant senses. there is a pause between sowing seeds and when it's warm enough to work the soil-thus the perennial herbs are on the receiving end of my over-excited springtime energy. from what i notice from my gardening friends, benign negligence is often the best policy when it comes to perennials but i often go overboard splitting, layering and moving them like furniture to change the vibe or an attempt of a new organizational system. the perennials first planted at the tillerman by kate and jason have expanded to dense beds of aromatic sage, thyme and winter savory, thick rows of pungent chives, vigorous thickets of cool mint, and clusters of tart sorrel.
for edible flowers, violas open the show with some early spring razzle dazzle. spicy calendula flowers are my personal favorite because they look and taste like a flickering candle. borage is a garden bully with its broad leaves reaching for the sky and flopping over its neighbor but its flowers are elegant starbursts and they are the bluest food (blueberries are purple). i find nasturtiums to make a good companion entangling the borage with ranging vines and large lilypad leaves with abundant peppery flowers. finally, i splurged on dahlias for their wide variety of color, size, and shape adorning Jordan's show-stopping crudo and charcuterie boards for summer weddings and events.
