6.24.2009

Martha's Herbs

Whether you pronounce the word Martha's way (with a firm and definite 'h' sound) or the British way (silent 'h' all the way) there is no denying the importance of herbs to any edible garden. This is why the New York Botanical Garden is presenting a summer-long exhibition called 'The Edible Garden' at its facilities in the Bronx, including a highlight called "Martha Stewart's Culinary Herb Garden." This will be a collection of the finest culinary herbs, personally selected by Martha Stewart. The living spice rack will include 50 different types of herbs from around the world, including French tarragon and sorrel, English thyme, Italian parsley, Mexican cilantro and Greek oregano. The show begins on June 27th and runs until September 13th. I'm still waiting for confirmation, but there is speculation that Martha will be giving a lecture at the event later this summer. The special exhibit will also feature sections on growing tropical fruits and children's vegetable gardens.
This is a plan of the Nancy Ryan Luce Garden, which Martha was asked to redesign for her herb exhibit. To explore the garden further, visit http://www.marthastewart.com/garden.

2 comments:

ellen said...

I always thought the British way WAS with a firm "h" sound ... see this wikipedia entry: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herb

I think Martha might be adopting the British way -- which I have to agree with -- as Eddie Izzard says, "You say 'erbs', and we say 'herbs', because there's a f*&%ing 'H' in it!" ;o)

Anonymous said...

As a Brit I can tell you that even most "aitch-droppers" retain the "h" for herb(s).