Flavor in a pot

As lifestyles get global, cultures blend into one another and the wel-coming Filipino palate will not be the last to open up to the assortment the world has to offer.

For instance, Pinoy-style spaghetti (pasta with sauce made sometimes entirely from banana ketchup with ground meat) is omnipresent no more, as taste buds have evolved to embrace spaghetti as it was intended to be–a little bit sour and bland for the local palate, but intriguing enough to gain an increasing following. The shift from "sweet" to "sour" spaghetti must have been cushioned somehow with the help of the delightful and once little-known herb called basil.

Basil is one of various culinary herbs that are finding their way into corners of the globe where their use is considered relatively new. While we have been using tanglad (lemon-grass), pandan and bay leaves for a long time, newfangled herbs from overseas are showing up one by one in the Filipino kitchen.

An herb is a plant or plant part valued for its medicinal, savory or aromatic qualities. Culinary varieties are sought for the flavor and dimension they bring to food, and are usually available for sale in fresh or dried form from commercial growers and in some supermarkets. While fresh basil and parsley may come at affordable prices, others like oregano, mint and rosemary can be quite expensive. Those who are unwilling to put up with the extra cost, however, can just grow the plants at home.

Dr. Constancio de Guzman, a professor at the UP-Los Baños Department of Horticulture, suggests growing herbs at home by container gardening. The method is particularly suitable for those who live in urban areas or in apartment buildings where there is no garden space available. While it may not be enough to serve a large family, it can add excitement to a few special meals.

Container gardening is growing plants in pots, boxes or other small containers. Dr. de Guzman successfully grew basil, mint, oregano, rosemary and tarragon in used styrofoam fruit boxes. Any type of container may be used in container gardening, as long as it can drain through the bottom. Most herbs have shallow roots and can grow comfortably in about ten centimeters of soil.

Growing herbs in boxes or pots has much going for it. The herbs can be moved around to suit the plant’s sunlight needs, or to make your patio or veranda more appealing. Best of all, they can be harvested fresh anytime.

In general, herbs do not require a lot of main-tenance, but they do need at least six hours of sunlight a day. Some herbs need more sunlight than others. Sun-loving types include basil, rosemary and tarragon, while oregano and mint prefer partial shade.

Herbs need regular watering and well-drained soil. It is advisable to use loose loam-type soil instead of packed clayey types. Commercial soil may be used, as these are largely free of weed seeds or soil-borne plant diseases. Fertilizer (complete, urea or compost) may also be used as needed.

Dr. de Guzman says he did not see the need to use insecticides in the course of his study because there was low incidence of pests, which may be attributed to the very nature of container gardening where the number of plants is usually not large enough to attract pests. In addition, any pest that may find its way into the plant box can be conveniently removed by hand. Moreover, according to him, some herbs have actually been used to control micro-organisms.

Herbs such as mint and oregano are creeping types (a new plant starts when the leaf touches the soil), and may be maintained for about six months, after which the roots would have filled up the soil space. Non-creeping herbs such as basil may be kept for a longer period. Planting may be made anytime of the year but is best done during the cooler months, such as from November to January.

Herbs may also be used to make herbed or flavored vinegar or oil. Fresh leaves are bruised by pounding lightly, and then mixed with the liquid. The mixture is stored in a bottle and kept standing for weeks in a place where it gets sunlight.

Herbs also contain essential oils, which when extracted are used to add fragrance to candles and potpourri. These oils are believed to bring therapeutic benefits to humans, and are used in the now widely accepted practice of aromatherapy.

Aside from culinary herbs, Dr. de Guzman also studies the aromatic varieties as his work mainly involves essential oils. He embarked on this affair with herbs more than ten years ago, as a consequence of numerous inquiries on the subject. He is now planning to look into organic planting of herbs.

Dr. de Guzman is also involved in the Urban Agriculture Network of the Bureau of Agricultural Research under the Department of Agriculture.

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For further details about container gardening of herbs, the UPLB Department of Horticulture may be reached at (049) 536-2448. Seedlings of basil, mint, oregano and tarragon are also available at the department.