The Family Kitchen Gardener (1856)/Tarragon
TARRAGON.
Arlemésia Dracúnculus.—L’Estragon, Fr.—Dragun, Ger.
Tarragon is a perennial plant, a native of Siberia and Tartary, where it is covered during the Winter months with snow. The French are particularly fond of it in salads. The leaves and young tops are used as ingredients in pickles, and a simple infusion of them in vinegar makes an excellent fish sauce; the leaves are also eaten with beef-steaks, having a fragrant smell and an aromatic taste.
Culture.—It is propagated by parting the roots in Spring and planting them in a light, rich soil, one foot apart, but free from dung that is not thoroughly decomposed. Six plants will supply a family. Cover them in severe Winters with rough litter, or a few branches and leaves. If they are planted in moist soil, heavy and continued frosts will destroy their roots; they delight in a warm, dry situation.