Indoor herb gardens add savoury touches to recipes, elicit fond memories

‘Welcome to our living aromatherapy space,” said Dave Hanson on my visit last week to Sage Garden Greenhouses.

Every customer who walks through the door of the greenhouses located at 3410 St. Mary’s Rd. is greeted by the different aromas of various exotic plants. “I just see every single day how people respond with joy, sometimes nostalgia, sometimes, with a sort of transporting feeling that takes them back to another place in time or reminds them of someone,” said Hanson.

“Many plants, herbs and flowers have this incredible sensory impact in terms of the aroma. Rosemary, for example, is very much associated with memory. It’s supposed to bring you calming energy and a greater capacity to learn. Giving the leaves a little scratch and sniff makes you feel energized — not hyper, as though you had too much coffee, but grounded and calmer. It’s very powerful and gentle at the same time.”

Brushing or crushing the fragrant leaves of an herb infuses the air with a specific essence depending on its place of origin. “I’ve been on a bit of a mission, you could say, to collect different cultivars of plants that are regional from around the world. Sometimes it’s a certain kind of rosemary that grows in a region of Italy or a type of jasmine from a region of India or a thyme that has much more aromatic quality than a standard variety. They’re not all the same — it has to do with the aromatic oils,” said Hanson.