Tarragon
Artemisia dracunculus
I
’m not a great fan of the Crusades, but they Japanese rice wine vinegar, seal, and keep in a
did do one great service: in the midst of their cool dry place. Please don’t try this with oil, as
pillaging, the crusaders discovered and brought there is a rare but possible risk of Clostridium
back to the West the herb tarragon, without botulinum with any raw plant kept in oil.
which many of the great French classic dishes There are two varieties of tarragon: French
would not be possible. and Russian. Although the original comes
The French have an incredible buttery sauce, from Siberia and the Middle East, the Russian
béarnaise, that owes its anise-type fl avor to should be avoided as a culinary herb because it
French tarragon. It was this sauce that helped lacks the essential estragole that provides the
me see how the same herb could elevate fi sh licorice fl avor.
and poultry and many vegetables, like aspara- Tarragon isn’t grown from seeds, only cuttings
gus, broccoli, carrots, peas, and tomatoes, to an and starts. It annoyingly wilts in warm to hot
entirely new level. weather, so zones 9 and above should be avoided.
A great way to use the herb is to create a It’s also more comfortable in moist but not wet
tasty vinegar for use in salad dressings: Wash soil that is never less than pH 5. As with the other
and dry the herb and place in a clean (steril herbs, cut back in the late fall, mulch deeply, and
ized) jar about one quarter full. Top it off with divide every third year to keep it vigorous.
282 • GROWING AT THE SPEED OF LIFE
