What I really like about this book from Timber Press is the authors’ inclusion of some very exotic herbs and spices, like Ajowan, Curry leaf, Fenugreek, Rau răm, Spicebush, Kaffir lime, and Watercress, which I collected as a kid from Holmes Run in Fairfax County, Virginia, cooked, and served to the family. They were indifferent about it, but I liked the idea of foraging for food, and Euell Gibbons (author of Stalking the Wild Asparagus) was a hero of mine. The Culinary Herbal has given me some interesting ideas, like growing, harvesting, and pickling my own capers, which are the tiny flower buds of Capparis spinosa.
Capers
I’m also going to track down and grow Cuban oregano, Plectranthus amboinicus, also known as Spanish thyme, a succulent herb that makes a splendid herb paste for grilling chicken. I remember picking some in the herb gardens of Paramin, in Trinidad.
Cuban oregano, aka Spanish thyme
This is a beautiful book for gardeners, filled with interesting ideas. But alas, it’s another book with wonderful plants but no seed sources.
