Herbs

Who hasn’t heard of tarragon – aromatic culinary herb that is mostly used for baking sweets. The most common use of it in Slovenia is as a filling for potica, which is a traditional Slovenian pastry. Not a lot of people are aware of its healing properties and the use of it in tea mixtures or as a dietary supplement. It contains a lot of vitamins, potassium and other nutrients that have a proven positive effect on our health. There are two different varieties of tarragon: French and Russian (or Siberian). French variety is smaller, has tinnier leaves, seldom blossoms and is more aromatic than its Russian brother. Russian variety can grow up to 1,5m in height, has somewhat bigger leaves, blossoms annually and is hardier than the French variety.Continue Reading

You’ve probably heard of catnip (Nepeta cataria) which is loved by cats. During my research of (what I thought to be) an unknown mint variety that is growing in the edge of my garden since the beginning of time I found out that if was actually lemon catnip (Nepeta cataria ssp. citriodora) which is pretty common in Slovenian gardens and commonly mistaken for lemon balm. Unlike real catnip, her lemon sister doesn’t attract cats and has a pleasant citrus-minty smell. While catnip’s blossoms are purple-blue color, lemon catnip’s blossoms are white.Continue Reading