enchanted green: my herb garden

Oregano

Want Some Wild Oregano Oil?

July 2005

Oregano (known botanically as Origanum vulgare) gets its name from the Greek words “oros” (mountain) and “ganos” (joy). It also is referred to as wild marjoram in many parts of Europe as it is a close relative of the sweet marjoram herb. Oregano not only was it a symbol of happiness (it was a tradition for Greek and Roman brides and grooms to be crowned with a laurel of oregano.) but it also made the hillsides on which it grew look beautiful. Well, the original oregano plant I put in my yard took over half of my entire vegetable garden what with all the rain we had this past winter. So I had lot of pulling to do at the start of this season, but this is one of the things you have to deal with when growing oregano. Oregano is such a great smelling herb, that this year I decided to add Mexican oregano and ornamental oregano to my herb garden. (I added Greek oregano late last year).

I love cooking with fresh oregano, and have added some new recipes with oregano in the sidebar of this page. Oregano has been cultivated in France since the Middle Ages, and is one of the ingredients often found in Herbes de Provence. It is an important herb in Mediterranean cooking, Greek and Italian food often make use this herb to add distinctive flavor. I had so much of it this year I made some dried oregano with my cuttings, just to see if I could really, not that I intend to use it. Fresh oregano is superior in flavor to dried oregano, and given that my plant lives all year round here in Southern California there is no use for dried oregano for me anymore. If you have to use dried oregano, crush it in the palm of your hand before adding to the marinade to release its essential oils and revive flavor. And if you are cooking with oregano, either in its fresh or dried form, be sure to add it toward the end of the cooking process since heat can easily cause a loss of its delicate flavor.

Mediterranean Diet Cookbook: A Delicious Alternative for Lifelong Health

Chances are excellent that you could cook out of The Mediterranean Diet Cookbook for the rest of your life and never feel the slightest tinge of boredom. How does Moroccan Carrot Salad with Orange and Lemon Juice sound? Or Catalan Soup of White Beans and Clams? Or Lebanese Fish Baked in a Tomato-Cilantro Sauce? Mediterranean cooking is low in salt, fat, and starch, relying on fresh fruits, vegetables, fish, and poultry. Simplicity is the key to the Mediterranean diet--simple ingredients and stress-free preparation and cooking. This is more than a cookbook--it is a blueprint for healthier living.

More Recommended Cookbooks

June 2004

Still growing. But that's not surprising because this plant has always done right by me. So, for this year, I'll share a fun little story from my past.

I had this friend who mischeviously pushed me in the pool at camp (fully clothed) on a cold day! (I was 15, he was 18- were both counselors and he was the Water Safety Instructor for Pete's sake, so no one to run to for help there!)

We played softball against other counselors from other day camps on weekends, then after we'd all go this pizza place and hang out after the game. So while he was up to bat, I snuck away from the game, getting his car keys from his girlfriend, and secreted myself in his car to "prep" his cigarettes. Using some tweezers I had brought from home, I pulled the tobacco out (very carefully) and replaced it with-you guessed it--the magic herb, oregano.

At the pizza place later that night, he went to light up and was having trouble getting the cigarette lit, but kept trying. Finally it took, and as the VERY marijuana-like smell wafted across Maggio's, the wait staff started to stop and sniff, everyone at our table burst out laughing. We were all in on the joke except for him, and finally we just had to tell him! He could not believe he had been smoking oregano the whole time!

Of course what I didn't realize was the best part would come the next night. When his Dad borrowed his car, and yes, found the bag of oregano that I had accidentally (I swear!) left in his car! Now this guy had been known to smoke a joint (or two) in his day. And I think had even been caught by the 'rents before. But this time he was telling the truth.

"Dad, I swear. It's oregano!" Followed by the whole desperate story to keep his Dad from...well, you can guess the rest.

Needless to say, it took a whole heap o' convincing. And probably a taste test. And when I found out about it the next day, I started laughing all over again. But you know, I spent the rest of the summer very dry, and that's what I'll remember most of all.

: )

2002

Call it the Oregano Bush that Ate New York. This thing is a monster that grows all year round and stays unbelievably healthy no matter what happens to it. I am sure the dog has peed on at least one of the corners but with all the water and sun it gets, it seems not to care in the least. By the start of this summer (the second year I had it in my garden), it had taken over almost half of the vegetable bed it's placed in! So, clearly something had to be done. As luck would have it, right as I came to this conclusion, my neighbor's house was being featured as part of the Venice Garden Walk Tour (benefiting a charity). So, I cut back baskets worth and left fresh cuttings for participants to take home. Even delivered some to a few of my neighbors who seemed cool but I hadn't met yet in the two years I've lived here. And had a great day doing it.

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