Basil called it quits in my garden early this year, courtesy of too much rain and not enough sunshine. But there are plenty of other herbs that will carry on through winter, flavouring whatever is going on in the kitchen.
Hardiest of all is rosemary. All of the various cultivars are edible, whether tall and upright or low and spreading; or whether they flower white or pink instead of blue. But some are tastier than others. The cultivars each produce a unique oil. The varieties with oils higher in camphor have a fragrance similar to pine and a bitter flavour. These tend to be the prostrate varieties. The upright varieties tend to be sweeter, and more “rosemary-scented”, such as the popular “Tuscan Blue”. The two renowned for especially fragrant oils are “Herb Cottage” and “Gorizia”. The latter has exceptionally long needles; one for the collectors.
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