Botanica Atlanta - Landscape Design, Construction & Maintenance

Summer is officially here and that means it is time to fire up the grill!

No one wants to cook inside when the temperatures are high and the pool is beckoning, so casual, simple cooking is the answer.  Using a few herbs to season those summer meals adds flavor and considerably less sodium than commercial rubs.

The Mediterranean herbs are well suited to using on the grill, and are easy to grow in the garden too.  Rosemary, thyme and chives all thrive in hot weather and they require very little water too.  Even better they do not need fertilizer.  In fact if you are over zealous with fertilizers the plants will grow tall and put out lots of leaves at the expense of flavor.

For using on the grill you want to put your patch of herbs nearby.  Either that or have a few of your favorite herbs in pots near to where you cook. Fresh picked herbs will be far superior to the supermarket choices that have traveled many miles and were picked a week or so ago.

For outdoor cooking, Rosemary is at the top of my list.  This versatile herb is evergreen and grows into a substantial bush over a few years.  New growth is added to the woody stems each year giving lots of material that holds up well over a direct flame.  The stiff stems have become popular as ready made skewers for kabobs, but the smaller leaves are also great for flavor.

To make a tasty kabob, take several long, woody stems, and strip the leaves from the lower part.  Sharpen the exposed end so that you can thread small tomatoes, onions and peppers on the stick.  Pick vegetables that will cook at the same rate, just as you would if you were using a metallic skewer.  Small cubes of meat can also be used, but pre-punch the hole in steaks or firm meats so that the rosemary stem can be passed through without breaking.

Lemon thyme is another great herb for using with grilled meats.  Pick a variety that is upright rather than sprawling so that the leaves don?t drag and root in the dirt. Thymes, like rosemary are semi woody herbs but the stems of thyme are not sufficiently strong to pierce vegetables.  The small stems though can be laid onto, or into meat selections. The lighter, savory flavor goes particularly well with chicken or fish.

Make a slit in a boneless piece of chicken and put lemon thyme stems inside.  As the meat cooks, the lemony thyme flavor will be imparted to the flesh.  Filling the cavity of fresh fish with a mixture of lemon thyme, regular thyme or a little mint will not overwhelm the delicate flavor of the dish.

Chives and cilantro can be kept handy too so that you can snip them into salads and baked potatoes.

So with just a few herbs, you can add taste and variety to your summer grilling experience.