Chervil curled - Anthriscus cerefolium crispum
400 Seeds
Sow March - July
Hardy annual.
Height 30-60cm (1-2ft), spread 30cm (12in).
Prefers a moist, humus soil in semi-shade.
Sow seed direct outside in March to July into shallow seed drills. Alternatively make sowings at two to three week intervals indoors on a light windowsill all year round. Sow seeds thinly 0.5cm (¼in) deep, in small pots of moist compost at a temperature of 15-20°C.
Direct sown seedlings can be thinned to 30cm (12in) apart and harvested from May as required . Indoor crops can be harvested all year round.
The lacy, fern-like and light green leaves have a pale magenta blush in late summer. The stems are slender, hollow are slightly ridged and branching. The tiny white flowers grow in clusters, which appear from late summer or in late spring from over wintered seedlings.
Chervil - Curled
From the family Apiaceae.
Native to Southern Europe and Western Asia, Chervil was once called myrrhis for its volatile oil, which has an aroma similar to the resinous substance of myrrh. One of the traditional fines herbes in French cuisine; Chervil is valued for its light parsley-like flavour with a hint of myrrh. The Roman scholar Pliny described the benefits of chervil and during the Middle Ages it was used to treat various ailments and is thought to have blook-cleansing and restorative properties.