By Lynn Underwood
Minneapolis-St. Paul Star Tribune"Smell this," said Theresa Mieseler as she bent over a flat of herbs at Shady Acres Herb Farm in Chaska, Minn. She pinched a sprig of lemon basil between her fingers, and the unmistakable scent of lemon filled the air.
Herbs have long been used to add savory flavors to food. Some herbs are brewed to make soothing teas; others are grown as showstoppers in the garden. Fresh or dried, they make excellent additions to bouquets or permanent arrangements. And many people still use herbs for medicinal cures that have been passed down through the generations.
But it's their fresh, crisp aroma that enticed Mieseler and her husband, Jim, to devote 27 years to growing herbs.
Of course, growing herbs is nothing new. They have been under cultivation for hundreds of years. However, Mieseler said herbs have experienced something of a revival during the past decade.
"People are thinking of herbs in new ways - for cooking, growing, healthier eating and in the landscape for colors and textures," she said.
In fact, herbs are so popular that they're widely available fresh at supermarkets. However, don't let that dissuade you from growing your own basil for your favorite pasta sauce or harvesting sage to season chicken. All you need for these easy-care plants is sun and a pot or a small plot of land.
Gisela Meyer, president of the Minnesota Herb Society, grows dozens of herbs in her Winthrop gardens. Meyer grew up in Germany, where cultivating herbs was part of everyday life, and insists on having homegrown herbs all year long.
"Without herbs, my life would have no flavor and no zest," she said.
On the Web:
The Herb Society of America: www.herbsociety.org.
(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service.)
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