The Garlands resident loves spilling the tea on herbs
As much as she enjoys growing herbs, The Garlands of Barrington member Cathy Nardo's passion really blossoms when talking about herbs.
"Every herb has a story," says Nardo. "They've all been used throughout history, some even dating back to the Egyptians."
Nardo is a seasoned lecturer on herb history and folklore, who has given presentations to local garden clubs, historical societies, arboretums and botanical gardens.
For example, did you know that rosemary is the herb of remembrance? Nardo shared how Greek students wore rosemary crowns to keep them alert during lessons, how mourners would toss rosemary onto graves to assure the deceased that they wouldn't be forgotten, and how brides placed rosemary sprigs in their bouquets to let their families know they'd be remembered after marriage.
Clearly, Nardo is a passionate and knowledgeable presenter, but the lecture circuit has dried up because of COVID-19. Online herb talks are not quite the same.
"You can't smell an herb on Zoom," says Nardo. "I always bring samples of the herbs that I'm talking about for people to see, smell and taste. The sweet, sugar taste of the stevia plant is always a favorite."
The silver lining of the pandemic is that herb gardening is trending and growing in popularity now that people have more time to focus on their homes and gardens than before.
Like others, Nardo finds her time in the garden as an opportunity to relax, unwind and escape the problems of the day, if only for a bit. Keeping up the 30 or so plants in the garden takes about six to eight hours a week, and even more time during planting and harvesting.
Nardo's goal is to have something blooming from May through September and to attract honeybees, the great pollinators, to The Garlands' gardens. Currently, the stars of the garden are the garlic chive white blossoms, African blue basil, lavender and golden lemon thyme.
With the harvest, Nardo dries some herbs and makes flavored vinegars and butters so she and her lucky family and friends can enjoy her garden's freshness all year long.
"I make a pesto butter with basil, flat leaf parsley, garlic and basil vinegar that's great served on pasta, bread, veggies, meat and fish," says Nardo.
The description is enough to inspire anyone to get growing.
For beginners, Nardo suggests starting with easy-to-grow perennials such as chives, garlic and tarragon. More adventurous growers can try their hand at the herb loveage, which can grow up to six feet tall. It has a celery-like flavor and was used in Colonial times as a dried herb to flavor winter soups and stews.
Another lesser-known herb, borage, produces beautiful, blue, edible flowers that can be sprinkled on desserts or in cocktails. Borage, with a kind of cucumber flavor and nitrates, is known as "Medieval Gatorade," because it was served to jousters to revive and refresh them during tournaments.
There is also a chocolate mint herb that smells and tastes like Frango mints. Apparently, it features dark, chocolaty brown runners that look lovely in a hanging basket to boot.
If Nardo's stories and recipe have piqued your interest in herbs, you might want to try planting a herb garden of your own.