Herb of the Week – Dragon’s-Wort (Tarragon)

Ok, I was going to wait till Halloween season to use Tarragon (because seriously, it’s also called DRAGON’S-WORT!) but I realized I don’t have enough weekly herbs to make it that far into fall, and frankly, I’m a little disappointed in my tarragon overall, and I’m not sure it’s going to be around that much longer.

I can’t blame the Tarragon, it’s my fault. I didn’t do the research. I was watching a cooking show last year, and saw a recipe for Lemon Chicken Soup that called for tarragon. Maybe it was the garlic, maybe it was the lemons, but I HAD to try this soup, and instantly decided I needed to grow my own tarragon (I couldn’t just buy it from the store, like most normal people). I bought some seeds, and the tarragon popped out of the soil, no problem!

Of course, there was actually a problem. One I was not immediately aware of. Once it came out, the tarragon was not as fragrant and delicious smelling as I hoped it would be. I thought, ok, just needs to grow a little bigger. Then, it grew bigger… still not appetizing. Ok, it just needs to have a winter, and come back in the spring and it will be super fresh. Nope! This spring, it’s still kinda ‘eh’ & I finally looked it up to see what the problem was.

Apparently, I have the WRONG tarragon!  The really good tarragon (the kind you are supposed to use in cooking) is French Tarragon, and it’s very hard to get from seeds, and most often “real” tarragon you must get from cuttings or division of existing plants. Although you CAN eat the tarragon that I have (likely, Russian Tarragon), it’s definitely not something that I felt I wanted to do.

Here is my gross Tarragon that doesn’t look so healthy these days anyway. Maybe it feels my resentment.

Now, to get me some real tarragon (probably just from the grocery store this time) so I can finally make that soup, and see if it’s even worth all the effort! If it is, I’ll have to try to find some French Tarragon.

Happy Friday!

June 29, 2012 · Sheryl · No Comments
Posted in: Great Outdoors, Herbs

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