Cooking With Herbs, And A Whole Lot More

Visualize a typical herb. Images of rosemary, tarragon, basil and oregano usually spring to mind.

But Bridge Gardens manager Rick Bogusch, who will be giving a talk on herbs for the Horticultural Alliance of the Hamptons on Sunday, stretches the commonly-known definition a bit. An herb, to him, is any plant that has a use—from cooking and medicine to textile coloring and ornaments.

“I grow all of them, tons of herbs,” Mr. Bogusch laughed during an interview at his home, nestled in the 5-acre gardens in Bridgehampton. “At least 30 to 40 varieties of cooking herbs. I believe in experimentation.”

This philosophy developed at a young age, the garden manager explained. When he was a 13-year-old seventh-grader at Pittsfield South Junior High School in Massachusetts, Mr. Bogusch’s mother went back to work. So every day, he’d be the first one in the family to arrive home.

It was his mother’s idea that her son begin cooking dinner.

“They bought me some cookbooks and they were all about cooking with herbs and cooking with wine,” Mr. Bogusch recalled. “I thought that was great and started doing both.”

He dove right in. His first concoction was a chicken dish with wine, tarragon and parsley, he said. From there, Mr. Bogusch’s creations only got more and more elaborate. During his days living in a dormitory at Hamilton College in upstate New York, he would cook big dinners for his suite mates, he said. He was famous for his salads.

“They were huge and colorful and had everything but the kitchen sink in them,” he said. “And I made a good dressing from scratch that used a bunch of herbs.”

Given his experience in both the kitchen and the vegetable beds, it seems only fitting that Mr. Bogusch will give the talk “Growing and Cooking with Herbs in the Garden,” which will focus on cultivating a culinary bed; how to incorporate a wide variety of herbs in cooking; and creating vinegars, oils, butters and ornaments.

“Besides flavor, herbs are a way of making anything ordinary taste special and give it some distinction,” he said. “I think that’s what it is. Whether it’s plain ol’ chicken with a little salt and pepper, if you add tarragon or marjoram or oregano, that makes it special.”

Herb use has roots dating back to ancient Rome and Greece, Mr. Bogusch explained. And there is historical lore associated with certain plants, such as rosemary being paired with memory and remembrance, he said. But one age-old French planting custom is easily a stand-out.

The phrase “

semer le basilic

” means “to sow the basil,” Mr. Bogusch said. In France, it means, “to rant and rave,” he said.

“That’s because it was customary, when you sowed basil seed all around your house—because it brought you good luck—to yell and curse and scream,” he said. “And that’s the way your basil would thrive.”

When asked whether he practiced the French custom, Mr. Bogusch chuckled.

“No, I don’t do that,” he said. “But I may have to start.”

Generally, herbs are undemanding and simple to grow, he said. They need plenty of water, full sun and fertilizer. Mr. Bogusch likes an organic, low-nitrogen variety, which he annually adds to the herb bed.

“For anything that I eat, I don’t like to use chemical fertilizers,” he said. “Some people say, ‘Starve the plants and you get a much more intense flavor.’ I sort of do in between. Don’t overfertilize, but don’t underfertilize it, either. But if you have just a good basic soil, herbs are a piece of cake.”

When cooking, the safest route is to stick with one herb, or one flavor, per dish, Mr. Bogusch said. But the same philosophy doesn’t apply to a garden, where he said the more the merrier when it comes to plantings.

During the summer months, the Bridge Gardens herb beds and pots are flowering with all different kinds of basil, thyme, tarragon and rosemary. But Mr. Bogusch is also a big fan of the little-used parsley, he said.

“A lot of people grow parsley because it adds freshness, as well as color, to a dish,” he said. “Don’t push parsley aside and just think of it as a garnish. It’s a very flavorful herb and full of vitamins, like Vitamin C and Vitamin A, and riboflavin. It’s something you should eat more of.”

Some other unusual selections at Bridge are kaffir lime and lemongrass, which are often used in Thai and Vietnamese cooking. Mr. Bogusch said that he also cares for potted bay leaf and allspice trees.

He plucked a bay leaf from one tree, ripped the edge and deeply inhaled.

“There’s nothing better than fresh bay leaves,” he said. “Some people say they’re better dry but I like them fresh.”

He then did the same with an allspice leaf.

“There are a lot of dishes you can make with this,” he said, turning over the allspice leaf in his hand. “It’s native in Mexico, West Indies. It’s used a lot more there than it is here. You can’t get fresh allspice leaves, generally, in the store. You can use the leaves as a garnish to line the platter, but most of us know it for its berries you use in baking.”

Mint and chives are two herbs that should be potted, he admonished. Otherwise, they will seed themselves all over the garden and become too much of a good thing.

For the most part, Mr. Bogusch starts over with a new plant in his pots every year, but the herbs can be buried outside during the winter with mulch and leaves, or moved indoors, like he does with his rosemary, he said.

In the cold months, the garden manager said he doesn’t just enjoy his rosemary by looking at it on his windowsill. He uses it to flavor honey.

“People may think that’s really odd, but the Italians will often do that,” he said. “Serve it with bleu cheese and crusty bread, and it’s really quite delicious.”

To make it: heat the honey, put in a sprig of rosemary, let it steep and then pour it into a jar, Mr. Bogusch said. He also recommends orange balsam thyme in honey.

Herbal vinegars are made in a similar way. Gather the herbs, chop them up and put them in a big jar. Pour the vinegar on top and let it steep.

“Some people say heat the vinegar, some people say leave it in the sun and let the sun work,” he said. “I do it differently, depending on my mood. And I’m not really sure it makes that much difference.”

Store the mixture for at least a week, Mr. Bogusch said, adding that he usually lets it sit for two weeks and tests it. If it’s not strong enough, add more herbs and leave it again. When satisfied, strain the vinegar and put it into clean, sterilized bottles. Add a sprig of the herb, more for looks than anything, he said, and be sure to label the bottle.

“They’re not just for salad dressings,” he said. “They’re really good for that, but you can also use them in marinades or even in main or vegetable dishes. Also, herb butters are a great way of storing herbs and adding flavor to dishes, whether it’s a single herb or combination. You can make it, freeze it and have it all year. One of my favorite things is cilantro, cumin and red pepper butter on corn. It’s really tasty.”

Bridge Gardens’s beds are also full of medicinal herbs, like lemon balm, castor bean, hyssop and echinacea, and textile-dying herbs, including zinnias, marigolds, dahlias and indigo. They’re flowers, but still considered herbs, he said.

Edible flowers, such as nasturtium and chive plants, are perfect for plating a dish, Mr. Bogusch said.

Herbs like sage, bay leaves and oregano can be dried and made into wreaths.

At the end of the day, the variety and uses of herbs are practically infinite, Mr. Bogusch said. And everyone can benefit from growing them.

“Anybody, even if your space is limited, can grow herbs,” he said. “Experiment. That’s what I did. It’s a really good thing.”

The Horticultural Alliance of the Hamptons-sponsored illustrated talk, “Growing and Cooking with Herbs in the Garden” by Rick Bogusch, will be held on Sunday, February 12, at 2 p.m. in the main auditorium of the Bridgehampton Community House. Tickets are $10, or free for Horticultural Alliance of the Hamptons members. Refreshments will be served. For more information, call 537-2223 or visit hahgarden.com.