Snapdragons are a treasure for a children's garden+++Jams and preserves: a taste of summer for the winter+++Fruit flies: a summer plague+++Homemade thirst-quenchers for summer+++
Lose weight ...... without a diet? Be good to
yourself. more...
Latest Articles:Articles - A Healthy Diet:
Using chervil in food preparation
In spring, people like to cook with fresh herbs. One of the first herbs to grow each year is chervil, which tastes like a mild mixture of parsley, fennel and aniseed. This popular herb gives a special touch to soups and salads, risotto, fish, poultry and egg dishes. How about carrots and chervil pasta? Or a chervil cream soup? Chervil blends well with other herbs – chopped up with burnet, chives, parsley, borage, sorrel and watercress, chervil is part of the German speciality "Frankfurt green sauce" that is served with hard-boiled eggs and potatoes.
Beneficial substances, cooking with chervil
As long ago as Roman times, this herb was used as a spice and as medicine. The plant is rich in essential oils, vitamin C, calcium and iron. It works as a blood purifier and helps with tiredness, upset stomach and loss of appetite.
Chervil (Anthriscus cerefolium) is an annual. A member of the carrot family it is native to southern Europe. The feathery leaves are slightly reminiscent of parsley and are very tender, so don’t chop chervil until just before use. To keep the fine aroma, add the chopped chervil at the end of cooking or sprinkle it over the finished dish. In terms of taste it is definitely a case of the fresher the better. Chervil will keep for a few days in the salad compartment in the fridge, if you wrap it the in a damp cloth.
Cultivation and harvesting
Chervil can easily be grown in gardens, on your balcony or in a pot in the kitchen. The plant prefers a nutrient-rich, moderately moist soil and grows quickly. It is ready to pick eight weeks after planting.
Source: Heike Kreutz, www.aid.de
