Have you ever wondered exactly what’s in that little container of poultry seasoning that you dutifully sprinkle onto the chicken, turkey or duck you are cooking? I have to confess I never thought about it until a year ago when I had a mallard already in the slow cooker and nothing came out when I shook the spice jar.
I live a long way from a grocery store so I looked at the label and discovered that poultry seasoning is just a simple mix of herbs and spices, most of which are growing in my yard or dried in my spice cabinet. I searched the internet to find out how much of each ingredient to use and learned that that there are a LOT of different recipes for poultry seasoning.
Being practical, I copied several of them and then went outside to see what I could harvest. Almost all the recipes I found include rosemary, thyme, sage and marjoram. A few add parsley, black pepper, onion powder, celery seed or cloves.
The first four ingredients above are easily grown in the home garden or can be tucked into a flower bed.
Thyme and sage are hardy perennials that can overwinter outdoors. Both need to be planted in full sun in well-drained soil. There are many varieties of both of these herbs, but the best for cooking are the common varieties, Thymus vulgaris and Sage officinalis. Thyme is semi-evergreen even under snow and can be used fresh all winter. Sage will die back in winter but return in spring. Thyme has tiny lavender pink flowers in early summer and sage has beautiful purple 3/4-inch orchid-like early summer blooms.
Rosemary is best grown in a pot because it needs to come indoors over the winter, although it is hardy enough to stay outside until the snow falls. It should be repotted every spring because it will become root-bound. Rosemary has a piney smell and its taste has been described as piney, mint-like yet sweeter, with a slight ginger finale. A nice surprise is that it produces lavender flowers in mid-winter.
Marjoram is usually grown as an annual in Wisconsin although you can try cutting the plant back, potting it up and bringing it indoors over winter to replant outdoors in spring. Sweet marjoram is the variety used for cooking. This tender little plant tastes like a mild oregano with a hint of balsam. It grows best in full sun in well-drained soil. After the plant is established, water sparingly. These plants are delicate at first, and could easily be lost in weeds, so ensure that weeds don’t overtake them.
To use any of these fresh herbs, use a scissors to snip stem tips in the amount you need. All four of these herbs are best started by buying plants at the nursery rather than by seed. All are easily dried for use all year.
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