Herbs and a Simple Lunch

Chives

It’s a beautiful day and I’m so happy you are here to share it with me. We’re about to have lunch so grab a cup of your favorite beverage and join me as I gather some herbs from the garden and put together a simple but delicious lunch for us to enjoy.

There will be a special Blog tomorrow as I join with 19 bloggers to share our ideas for a summer tablescape with you. There will be lots of great ideas and presentations all about summer dining. Hope you’ll join me tomorrow for the Summer Tablescape Blog Hop. Now back to lunch.

Chives are a staple of any herb garden and I grow them in multiple areas of the garden. The potted chives above sit on the back deck near the kitchen so I can snip a few strands to add to whatever it is I’m cooking. Chives have a mild onion flavor and garlic chives add a touch of garlic to the taste. The ones I chose for today are the onion flavored chives.

French Tarragon

Another great kitchen herb is French tarragon. The flavor is subtle and slightly peppery. It adds a depth to food and is used with lots of fish and chicken dishes. The herb is easy to grow in a pot and in the ground and I do both. My in-ground plants have grown more prolifically than the potted ones but both are healthy and happy.

Sweet Marjoram

Sweet marjoram is a delightful addition to our lunch today. This pretty plant, with its lovely leaves, releases a beautiful fragrance when you run your hand through it. You don’t need much to flavor your dish, but a little adds another layer of flavor that brightens everything up. Its gentle aroma and taste make it a favorite in my kitchen.

Lemon Verbena

The final herb for today’s lunch is lemon verbena. This is the Queen of the lemon herbs and packs a lot of lemony flavor in each leaf. It is a warm climate herb and is a little tricky to keep alive over the winter. However, if you plant this herb against bricks or stone in a sunny spot and keep it watered, it should do well. This plant has returned year after year and I love using the leaves. Now let’s head inside to the kitchen and start preparing lunch.

Four Herbs

Here are the four herbs we harvested from the garden. They are all prepped and ready to include in our very simple lunch. Herbs tend to be insect resistant so no pesticides are needed. I don’t use pesticides on any of my plants but it’s always good to rinse the herbs and pat them dry before using in food. We’ll reserve the lemon verbena for the side dish I’m preparing.

Tonino Tuna

We’re having tuna sandwiches today, a simple repast, but delicious with the addition of herbs. I simply used my kitchen scissors to cut the herbs into small pieces and add them to the Tonino Tuna. You can see the flecks of herbs throughout the tuna. Tonina Tuna was suggested by the “Test kitchen” and has a really delicious flavor and a pink cast to the tuna.

Next I halved some cherry tomatoes and added them to the tuna.

I added enough mayonnaise to hold the tuna together for the sandwich. No salt or pepper is needed because the herbs flavor the entire dish. Using herbs is a great way to cut down on the salt in your diet without losing any flavor.

A pretty luncheon plate that sets off the colors in the tuna is a perfect choice for lunch. The tuna is served on medium-sized croissants. It looks so pretty with the herbs and tomato scattered through the tuna.

My raspberry bushes are starting to produce so while I was gathering the herbs I added a few ripe raspberries to my basket. They will be a perfect addition to the fruit salad being served with lunch.

The fruit salad is served in charming “tulip” bowls, where the white perfectly showcases the vibrant colors of the fruit. Strawberries and blueberries from the Farmer’s Market join the raspberries from my garden to create a delicious accompaniment to the meal. I’ve added a garnish of lemon verbena, with a bit snipped under the top layer of fruit for a delightful surprise burst of lemon flavor. The fruit is naturally sweet, so no sugar is needed.

Lunch is served at the kitchen bar. Round yellow placemats anchor the setting and pick up on the color in the croissants. Simple flatware accompanies the blue and white plates and a napkin with blue stripes is next to the plate. The fruit salad adds its lovely deep color to the setting and sparkling water accompanies the meal. I wanted to carry the color throughout the setting so added a cut strawberry to the water for a little extra flavor and for a bit of fun. You can see how the bright red color is distributed throughout the setting.

Some hydrangeas from the garden serve as a centerpiece adding a bit of garden magic to the lunch. After working in the garden all morning my hubby and I were happy to sit down to this simple meal after a morning of hard work.

Thanks for joining me for lunch. I hope you’ll sprinkle a few herbs into your next meal.