Hi,

This year I'm going to try growing a Mexican herb garden to complement
the tomatoes and tomatillos I use in preparing homemade Mexican dishes.
I've found sources for cilantro and epazote, but I have some questions
about Mexican Oregano (lippia graveolens):

1.) Have any of you grown it in the triangle area? If so, how well does it grow
in our area?

2.) Where can I find seed/plants? A local source is preferred.

Thanks!
--
Marshall

Remove "devnull" from my email address to reply

Marshall, I don't have an answer to your question, but this seems like a
good time to pose a question that I'd been meaning to post in
triangle.dining: in the local groceries (and in El Mandado supermarket,
detailed in my tri.dining post), I see oregano in bulk -- not bulk as in
measure-your-own, but much larger quantities than in the usual container.

My question: is Mexican oregano interchangeable with the usual dried stuff
(most of which ends up on pizza in my house, anyway)?

Anne Lurie
NE Raleigh







"Marshall Blythe" wrote in message
om...
Hi,

This year I'm going to try growing a Mexican herb garden to complement
the tomatoes and tomatillos I use in preparing homemade Mexican dishes.
I've found sources for cilantro and epazote, but I have some questions
about Mexican Oregano (lippia graveolens):

1.) Have any of you grown it in the triangle area? If so, how well does it
grow
in our area?

2.) Where can I find seed/plants? A local source is preferred.

Thanks!
--
Marshall

Remove "devnull" from my email address to reply

Marshall, according to the following site, growing Mexican Oregano might be
tough he

http://www.desert-tropicals.com/Plan...raveolens.html

But, hey, it's worth a try, right!

Anybody know of a bigger optimist than a gardener?

Anne Lurie
NE Raleigh



"Marshall Blythe" wrote in message
om...
Hi,

This year I'm going to try growing a Mexican herb garden to complement
the tomatoes and tomatillos I use in preparing homemade Mexican dishes.
I've found sources for cilantro and epazote, but I have some questions
about Mexican Oregano (lippia graveolens):

1.) Have any of you grown it in the triangle area? If so, how well does it
grow
in our area?

2.) Where can I find seed/plants? A local source is preferred.

Thanks!
--
Marshall

Remove "devnull" from my email address to reply

Richters (www.richters.com, look under oregano then other oreganos)
appears to carry Mexican oregano. From their description, it sounds like
the plant could be brought indoors and put next to a sunny window when
the weather gets cool.

On Sun, 5 Jan 2003, Marshall Blythe wrote:

This year I'm going to try growing a Mexican herb garden to complement
the tomatoes and tomatillos I use in preparing homemade Mexican dishes.
I've found sources for cilantro and epazote, but I have some questions
about Mexican Oregano (lippia graveolens):

1.) Have any of you grown it in the triangle area? If so, how well does it grow
in our area?

2.) Where can I find seed/plants? A local source is preferred.

Thanks!
--
Marshall

My question: is Mexican oregano interchangeable with the usual dried
stuff
(most of which ends up on pizza in my house, anyway)?

I've never actually tasted it- at least not to my knowledge. But from what I
have heard Mexican oregano is stronger and less sweet than its Mediterranean
counterpart. There's a good chance that my tongue - which has been
repeatedly bludgeoned by too many habaneros- would never tell the
difference.

Richters (www.richters.com, look under oregano then other oreganos)
appears to carry Mexican oregano. From their description, it sounds like
the plant could be brought indoors and put next to a sunny window when
the weather gets cool.

Hey thanks! I knew it was a perennial, but I was planning to treat it like
an annual. Maybe I can save some seeds for next year.

Have not seen Mexican oregano offered but it's cousin lemon verbena is
readily available as plants in the spring. Best propagated from
cuttings. I read an article which documented a pretty good success
overwintering the plant by cutting it back after the first frost and
burying it deeply in mulch over the winter.

Marshall Blythe wrote:

Hi,

This year I'm going to try growing a Mexican herb garden to complement
the tomatoes and tomatillos I use in preparing homemade Mexican dishes.
I've found sources for cilantro and epazote, but I have some questions
about Mexican Oregano (lippia graveolens):

1.) Have any of you grown it in the triangle area? If so, how well does it grow
in our area?

2.) Where can I find seed/plants? A local source is preferred.

Thanks!


Pat Brothers
The Powell House
Wake Forest NC
Zone 7b
and the Perennials lady at Atlantic Avenue Orchid and Garden Center

2.) Where can I find seed/plants? A local source is preferred.

I've bought fresh Mexican Oregano at Lowes a couple of years in a row. Lowe's
usually has an assortment of unusual herbs, sometimes in containers with other
herbs.

I use dried Mexican Oregano totally for my oregano. I buy mine from a
wholesaler (Southern Foods). I especially like to use it in vinaigrettes and
spicy tomato sauces. In the dried form, it is much leafier than Italian
Oregano and integrates better in sauces and vinaigrettes.

Holly

Thanks, Holly! Ever since I started seeing dried oregano in the Hispanic
section of local markets, I wondered whether it's the same as the "other"
oregano we buy in bulk. Actually, I was planning to buy some to experiment
just as soon as we run out of oregano (oh, c'mon, like none of you have ever
"over-bought" in the bulk section?)

Seriously, this dried oregano comes in [relatively] big packages, and it
seems really cheap (even to me, and I have never been known for my skills in
comparison shopping!)

Anne Lurie
NE Raleigh




I use dried Mexican Oregano totally for my oregano. I buy mine from a
wholesaler (Southern Foods). I especially like to use it in vinaigrettes
and
spicy tomato sauces. In the dried form, it is much leafier than Italian
Oregano and integrates better in sauces and vinaigrettes.

Holly

BONEUNIT wrote:
I've bought fresh Mexican Oregano at Lowes a couple of years in a row.
Lowe's usually has an assortment of unusual herbs, sometimes in containers
with other herbs.

Thanks for the tip. Lowes is the *last* place I would have expected to find
it, but stranger things have happened.

--
Marshall

Remove "devnull" from my email address to reply

I've got oregano in my herb garden though I really can't remember what
type. *sigh* I bought it a few years ago at a plant sale at Duke
Homestead. Up until we bought our house a year and a half ago, I had it
in a container and it was doing okay. Last spring, I moved it inot the
herb garden and it's doing really well. I've been quite surprised at
how well as it seems to have weathered the ice storm of December, is
still going strong and still has decent flavour for this time of year.

BTW, the herb garden is snugged up against the back of the house and has
almost constant sun.

Susan
s h simko at duke dot edu

I think they mean Lowes Foods, the grocery, not Lowes, the lumber etc.
store.

Marshall Blythe wrote:

BONEUNIT wrote:

I've bought fresh Mexican Oregano at Lowes a couple of years in a row.
Lowe's usually has an assortment of unusual herbs, sometimes in containers
with other herbs.


Thanks for the tip. Lowes is the *last* place I would have expected to find
it, but stranger things have happened.



Pat Brothers

I think they mean Lowes Foods, the grocery, not Lowes, the lumber etc.


NOoooooo... I meant Lowe's Home Improvement.

Holly

I've got oregano in my herb garden though I really can't remember what
type. *sigh*


Mexican Oregano looks alot different than regular oregano or greek oregano (i
can't tell the difference between these two by looking at them). The Mexican
oregano grows on long stems that are stiffer than regular oregano... more like
rosemary but much smaller and the leaves are smaller, darker and almost glossy.


Holly