You can propagate French Tarragon with seed. It does produce seed, but very rarely, and they aren't always viable. If you've been ripped off with Russian Tarragon I'd scream loudly and jump on people's toes. Figuratively speaking, of course, but I'd definitely complain. It happens too often to be funny.

Thanks for the info! Yeah, you can tell right from the plant it ain't the one I wanted. Live and learn. I hope someone has a plant...can it be started from cuttings?

Appreciate the help.

No true tarragon seeds. Its only sold as a plant or cutting. I have two small plants right now. Its definately the real thing as its aroma and taste are quite definate. The last time I grew it, the stuff died over the winter (indoors) but sprouted new shoots the following spring. Oddly, it didn't last after the second year, even tough I took it indoors and protected it from the cold.

Hummmm...that makes me wonder if it is an annual..? Will have to do some research on it's care...but I LOVE TARRAGON!
Thanks for the info.

I've had my tarragon plant for about 10 years now. It lives in a large pot and goes in the greenhouse for the winter. The greenhouse is only heated enough to keep it above freezing. I also overwinter my pineapple sage, lemon grass, rosemary, lemon verbena, bay tree (25 years old!) and scented geraniums there. I water everything very sparingly - less than once a month - and it all goes dormant but comes back like gangbusters in the spring.

I live in zone 5 and French tarragon will die back, but bounces back quite nicely outdoors here. I have 9 plants in 3 different locations around the property and they always come back in the spring.

Lucky you. Mine here, died after the end of the second year. I had both outdoor and indoor plants too. It may be that I have a variety that isn't quite as hardy.

I found a great tuna sandwich recipe using French Tarragon. What other uses are there for the plant? Will it grow as hardy as Oregano goes?

I am in CA, coastal.

Yes, it should grow well. Beans are good with tarragon as are mushrooms. Also, you can make an infused vinegar using tarragon and make salad dressings. I have used white balsamic vinegar, and place tarragon stems and leaves in the bottle and let them flavor the vinegar.

If you have ever watched "Everybody Loves Raymond" TV show, Marie (Ray's TV mother) switched the herb label on the Tarragon, and when Debora tried making a tomato based sauce and meat balls, the taste of tarragon was NOT very good with meat and tomatoes..

Oh, ksrogers, I beg to differ! Tarragon is great with beef steaks! I usually do a Tarragon butter for it, and it's delicious!

Tarragon is traditionally used with egg and cheese dishes, omelettes and the like. Use it in sauces (especially creamy sauces), salads, soups, egg dishes, meats, with chicken, veal, vinegars and salad dressings, vegetable and fish dishes. Goes well with tomato and most vegetables. Nice with asparagus. Leaves can be pickled with gherkins.

The leaves do not dry well and are best used fresh. If overcooked, the taste becomes bitter. It's one of the 'fines herbes' which consists of parsley, chervil, chives and tarragon in equal quantities.

A few recipes to illustrate its versatility:

Beef Tarragon
1kg beef chuck or round, cut into 2cm pieces
1/2 cup flour
2 tablespoons butter
1 cup beef stock
1/2 cup Burgundy wine
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar
185g mushrooms, sliced
1 bunch shallots, chopped
2 tablespoons chopped tarragon
salt and pepper to taste

Toss beef with flour. In a large saucepan, heat butter over medium heat. Cook beef for 5-7 minutes, or until well browned. Add stock, wine, vinegar and sugar. Bring to the boil, reduce heat and simmer, covered for 2 hours. Add mushrooms, shallots and tarragon. Simmer 15 minutes, or until mushrooms are tender. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve over buttered noodles if desired.

Carrots with Tarragon
4 bunches baby carrots, peeled, timed, with 8cm stem left intact
1/4 cup water
3 tablespoons minced fresh tarragon or 3 teaspoons dried
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon honey

Combine carrots, water, half the tarragon, butter, vinegar and honey in a frypan. Bring to the boil. Reduce heat to medium; cover and simmer until carrots are almost tender, about 12 minutes. Uncover; cook until carrots are tender and liquid is reduced to glaze, about 6 minutes longer. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to platter. Sprinkle with remaining tarragon.

Potatoes with Tarragon
1 large onion, chopped
1 tablespoon oil
4 medium potatoes
1 bay leaf
3 tablespoons vinegar
salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon

Saute onion in oil until transparent. Peel and slice potatoes 5mm thick. Add to onions and saute for a minute or two, then add the bay leaf, to the pan, and add extra water if needed. Serve with pan drippings poured over. Rosemary may be used instead of tarragon if preferred.

Pork and Tarragon Pie
1 tablespoon margarine
1 onion, peeled and chopped
90g bacon, rinds removed, chopped
500g minced pork
1 chicken stock cube, crumbled and dissolved in 200ml hot water
salt and pepper
1 teaspoon dried tarragon
shortcrust pastry made with 185g flour
beaten egg or milk for glazing
tomato wedges and a sprig of parsley to garnish

Melt the margarine and fry the onion and bacon gently for 5 minutes until soft. Add the pork and cook gently for a further 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the stock, bring to the boil, cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Season well, add the tarragon and mix thoroughly. Leave to cool. Roll out two-thirds of the pastry and use to line a 20cm shallow, fluted flan tin or pie plate with a removable base. Fill with the pork mixture. Roll out the remaining pastry to make a lid. Damp the edges of the pie and cover with the lid. Press the edges well together and trim. Cut a slit in the centre and decorate the top with pastry leaves cut from the trimmings. Glaze with the egg or milk and bake in at 220C for 15 minutes. Reduce the heat to 180°C and continue to cook for 30-40 minutes until golden brown. Remove from the tin. Serve hot with baked jacket potatoes and a green vegetable or cold with a mixed salad, garnished with tomato wedges and sprig of parsley.

Tarragon Marinade for Vegetables
1/2 cup olive oil
3 tablespoons strained lemon juice
3 tablespoons cider vinegar
salt and pepper to taste
1 clove garlic, peeled and minced
2 tablespoons minced fresh tarragon, or 1 tablespoon dried

Combine all the ingredients and beat for 2 minutes, or process in a blender for 1 minute at low speed. Pour over warm vegetables and allow to marinate for several hours before serving.

Tarragon Omelette
6 eggs
1 tablespoon tarragon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoons pepper
2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons butter
1 tomato, diced
1/2 cup cheddar cheese
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese

Combine eggs, tarragon, salt, pepper, and water. Add butter to pan and pour in mixture. Lift eggs with spatula and tilt pan until eggs have set. Sprinkle half the omelette with tomato and cheeses; fold and serve. Garnish with extra cheese, diced tomatoes and parsley.

Bearniase sauce as well as hollendaise sauce both use tarragon. Its just that if your expecting a meat ball to taste like its italian, it would shock most people. Tarragon is one of those herbs that you need to get used to, like cilantro. Some people describe cilantro as being 'soapy'.

The last time I made an herb butter, I used thyme, garlic, and rosemary, then added some olive oil, and froze it in small blocks. I suppose I could have added some tarragon, but because I find tarragon only has a limited place in my cooking, I just dry it and replace it when I need more. I have two year old dried dill weed in a quart canning jar right now, and when its opened to use some, I reseal it and remove the air with a Food Saver machine, and the adapter that goes on a quart canning jar. It pulls the vacuum and seals on the metal lid. This year, because I have a LOT of dill sprouting up everywhere, I plan to replace all the dried I have left.

My tarragon is acting like a perennial here. It didn't produce much the first year it was planted, was ok last spring, and is doing great this year.

loyd

I used tarragon to make a mushroom sauce for steaks last weekend.
Not much of a recipe, just played it by ear:

Melt some butter in some good Olive oil.
Sweat 1/2 a med. onion
sprinkle a little salt and black pepper.
toss in the tarragon (enjoy *that* aroma)
toss in shrooms and saute until they give up most of their juice.
add some liquid, (red wine, red wine vinegar, soy sauce, worchestershire sauce, steak sauce, bbq sauce, stock, beer, what ever you like, even combine different liquids.
cook until liquid reduces to desired thickness.
Spread over cooked steaks (or chicken, etc...)

Cheers!

Tarragon IS a perennial, no wonder it behaves like one!

Oh my. I planted Tarragon Seeds last year. This post is making me wonder about it. Found the seed packet (thank goodness I saved it). It says Tarragon - Artemisia Redowski. Is this good?

While I am new to this, I am 99% sure that what you have is Russian tarragon, true tarragon's Latin name is Artemisia dracunculus.

Someone correct me if I am mistaken.

Cheers!

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