Price range: £1.85 through £14.00
Delicate fern-like leaves which look similar to parsley and can be used in the same way.
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Chervil Fine Curled
Anthriscus cerefolium
Approx. 500 seeds per gram
Chervil is a delicate herb in form and flavour. The foliage is light and lacy while the flavour is like aniseed. As the name suggests fine curled has a very feathery and curly leaf. Chervil belongs to the Apiaceae/Umbelliferae family like parsley with tiny white flowers in clusters. Best grown as an annual, it grows to a height of 30cm or so making it suitable for pots and containers. It is much loved in France where it is a key component of Fines herbes. As a companion plant it is said to help radishes and keep aphids away from lettuces.
How to grow:
Chervil can be started early in pots or seed trays from February at a temperature of 13°C but it is delicate to transplant so is best planted directly into the growing site. Chervil prefers semi shade and a moist soil. Sprinkle the seed into well prepared ground from April until September and rake in. Keep well watered if dry and thin the seedlings to a final spacing of up to 25cm. Plants will run to seed quickly if conditions are dry.
Pests and diseases:
Chervil does not suffer from many pests or diseases but keep it watered in dry conditions to encourage leaf growth and delay flowering.
How to use:
Harvest fresh leaves as required taking the outer leaves first and leaving the rest of the plant to grow on. Use it in salads and soups, cooking for only a short time
to maintain the flavour. Chop finely with equal amounts of parsley, tarragon and chives to make fines herbes, it is a mild flavoured mix with a light subtleness suiting fish and chicken, omelette and scrambled eggs. Chervil can be dried or chopped and mixed with a little water and frozen in ice cube trays.