After putting up the gardening feature articles for the month of August, I managed to put up another two more this week to make up for what supposed to have been published two months ago in September!
I have always wanted to encourage the growing of temperate herb substitutes that can be planted in tropical Singapore. The first feature article is a new one which I wrote about growing of the Mexican Tarragon, a marigold relative that can be used in place of the French Tarragon. Due to our hot and humid climate in the lowlands, the French Tarragon is quite an impossible plant to grow in Singapore. The Mexican Tarragon is the answer for Singaporeans who want to harvest material that is similar to the French Tarragon for culinary uses.
When I wrote this article, I consulted Richard (userID – Herb Lover), one of the members from the Green Culture Singapore (GCS) discussion forum for some tips on how to grow the Mexican Tarragon. He was the one who introduced me to this plant. Richard picks and infuse leaves in hot water to make a tea which he drinks.
I have always thought this plant cannot be obtained in Singapore! Besides sharing with me on how to grow the plant, Richard also generously told me the two places in Singapore that one can purchase some plants to grow at home. The information on the two local sources where one can buy the Mexican Tarragon, as well as, some tips on how to grow it are all provided in the feature article below:
Growing the French Tarragon Alternative
The French Tarragon, also known as the “true” tarragon, is a culinary herb that has a spicy anise flavour. Because it is a cool-growing plant, Singaporeans who wish to grow a pot of the French Tarragon for culinary purposes will often be disappointed. Under our lowland tropical climate, the French Tarragon plant languishes under heat and humidity, making the attempt not rewarding at all. For those who hope to be able to pick fresh material for cooking, the Mexican Tarragon is one heat-tolerant alternative that can be grown in Singapore quite easily. Read this article written by Wilson to know more.
URL - http://www.greenculturesg.com/articles/sep08/sep08_mexicantarragon.pdf
The second article entitled “Celebrating the 4th Birthday for Green Culture Singapore” is one that had been posted on my garden blog in mid-September. I reasoned that that blog post should be turned into a GCS feature article so that members of the GCS discussion forum who are not familiar with my garden blog and/or have not attended our forum gatherings before, can also read and be aware of similar events.
Celebrating the 4th Birthday for Green Culture Singapore
Green Culture Singapore, a website and discussion forum which was started in 2004, celebrated her 4th birthday on 13 September 2008. The celebration was marked by a gathering similar to those organised in previous years which served to be a time for everyone who was present, to mingle around and catch up with fellow members. Read this article to find out what happened during the gathering.
URL – http://www.greenculturesg.com/articles/sep08/sep08_4thgcsgathering.pdf
