Everyone has favorites, right? One of my family favorites is my cousin Nathan. Besides the fact that he’s kind and fun and talented, he was also trained as a chef at L’Ecole La Varenne in Paris, France. (This makes for delicious family gatherings, by the way.)

Which is why, when the marjoram takes over an entire jumbo-sized pot in my container garden, I immediately go running to the expert: Nathan.

Before the marjoram got so out of control, I was tossing bits into omelets and marinara sauces, even hiding some in pesto when I clear-cut my basil forest. However, as you can see from the above picture, it has moved beyond the time in which recreational trimming was acceptable.

Time to get serious.

Last night, I sent Nathan an e-mail pleading for assistance before the monster herb took over the patio and started strangling the backyard geckos in their sleep. Because he has serious sous-chef skills, he immediately fired off a fantastic brainstorming list. Some of the highlights:

• zucchini & yellow squash casserole
• eggplant
• mushroom risotto with marjoram?
• deviled eggs?
• what about adding it to focaccia instead of rosemary???
• salad with radicchio & lamb’s leaf or arugula . . . . make a classic french dijon vinaigrette (substitute marjoram for the classic thyme & use a delicate extra virgin olive oil & your favorite vinegar)

And then he lamented that, since I set him on this task, he’d probably end up dreaming about marjoram. Indeed he must have, because this morning, I got this:

Marjoram - I bet it could be infused into a lemon or orange tart for
dessert. I’ve only done this with lavender; but in principle, it should
work.

So, readers, I admit that Nathan’s list has me intrigued. What do you think? How should I tame the burly marjoram plant? Vote below, and I’ll get on it. Photos and recipe results to be posted here in a couple days.

If I never post again, you can assume the marjoram got me. It looks so innocent, doesn’t it?