Tarragon Herb

Tarragon herb adds sophistication both to your cooking and to your herb garden.

French tarragon is the variety generally considered best for the kitchen, but cannot be grown from seed citation needed.

It is normally purchased as a plant, and some care must be taken to ensure that true French tarragon is purchased.

French tarragon is also one of the first herbs to come up in the spring.

The leaf stems are beautiful in herb vinegars and the resulting flavor is a wonderful addition to all kinds of poultry dishes.

Description

Tarragon is a perennial that grows up to 2 feet tall in zones 4 to 8.

Flowers: Tiny, round, inconspicuous bloom at the stem tips in midsummer.

Leaves: The narrow, smooth-edged leaves are 1 to 4 inches long and grow in groups of three at the base of the plant; singly at the top. The plants will die back in the winter.

Flavor and fragrance: Tarragon has a sweet, aniselike flavor with a bit of a bite; its fragrance is similar.

How To Grow

When to plant: Buy young plants and transplant them to the garden in the spring or summer. Tarragon seeds are generally sterile. Take a nibble of a leaf before purchasing to make sure it has a fresh licorice flavor (see did you know).

Take the cuttings from year ols plants in the fall and overwinter them indoors until the following spring, or divide the plants in early spring after they are three years old.

Where to plant: Prefers full sun but will tolerate filtered shade.

Soil and fertility: Plant in well-drained fertile soil. Apply 1/2 inch of compost in the early spring each year.

Plant spacing: Allow about 2 square feet per plant.

Pests: Usually pest-free

Diseases: Susceptible to root rot in poorly drained soil; may develop downey mildew or powdery mildew in crowded conditions.

Harvesting

When to harvest: Pick tarragon leaves anytime. For best flavor gather them in the morning.

How to harvest: Snip off the branch tips. For drying, cut the whole branch. Make sure to cut back in June to stimulate new growth.

Drying: Use a dehydrator; tarragon loses quality unless its rapidly dried.

Freezing: Freezing captures the flavor better than drying. Freeze in oils, butter, or ice cubes.

Uses

Cooking: Use fresh tarragon in salads (sparingly - it's strong) and in sauces. You can also use it meat or poultry dishes. With the exception of recipes that are baked in liquid, such as chicken in white wine, add tarragon at the very end of the cooking time to avoid bringing out a bitter taste.

Vinegars: Tarragon gives an unusual licorice flavor.

Oils: You can flavor cooking oils with tarragon herb, but it's more commonly added to vinegars.