Italian Oregano

Spearmint is the most commonly used type in the family of mint. They refer to it as mint in recipes like the Vietnamese summer rolls or in the cocktail drinks like mojito. There are other varieties like peppermint, pineapple mint and chocolate mint. I just like to have them in the garden to use as…

Fennel is a perennial herb which belongs to the umbelliferae family which includes dill, celery, cilantro and parsley. Umbelliferae refers to how the flowers are formed. Used in ancient times as a treatment for arthritis and nausea, and as a sedative. It is also one of the three main herbs in making the alcoholic drink…

Flat Leaf Parsley is more commonly known as Italian Parsley. It is also one of my favorite herb that I use in cooking pasta just like the Sweet Basil. They are very good to use together especially in making pesto and also in almost all pastas and most Italian food recipes. I make sure I…

Laurel or Bay Leaf is an important spice I use in my recipes. I have to buy a small seedling from a nursery for this one because obviously it won’t have seeds and I know it would take a long time for me to even try to grow it from cuttings. I just have to…

Galangal – Alpinia galanga – is a rhizome in the family of ginger. We call it “langkawas” in the Philippines from the Indonesian or Malay word “lengkuas”. It is used mainly for Asian or Thai cooking but it has some medicinal properties too. It is considered an stimulant by homeopathic practitioners. It is also a…

Kinchay is an herb like celery but it is mainly the leaves that are being utilized. It is equivalent to lovage. I use it in stir-fries, chop suey, fried rice and noodles especially pancit bihon. Kinchay would also go together with green onions as a garnish for rice soup we call arroz caldo. The Kinchay…