JANESVILLE—When Jim Rude sees the first spindle of chives in spring, he might think of garlic chive and asparagus soup with chive blossoms.
Or when he picks his first bunch of fresh cilantro, he might think of cilantro and vegetable spring rolls.
The Janesville man grows 30 different herbs and 15 kinds of edible flowers in his yard, including nasturtium and calendulas.
They include familiar tastes such as parsley and basil, with several varieties of each. Rude also embraces lesser-known herbs, including burnet, with its delicate cucumber taste, and lemon balm verbena, with its incredible array of culinary uses.
Imagine a walk in his summer garden.
Exotic smells, subtle hues and delicate shapes of growing herbs weave an edible tapestry that inspires Rude in the kitchen.
“One of my favorite things is going out in spring and summer, picking fresh herbs and putting them in different dishes,” Rude said. “They show up in almost everything I make in summer.”
Rude's first cookbook reflects his longtime passion for herbs.
“Herbs for Flavor, Health and Natural Beauty” features a bounty of herb recipes and seasoned photography by Jena Carlin.
“Herbs have always been an important part of my cooking,” Rude said. “Anyone who tastes my cooking knows it is more art than a recipe. You may taste it once, and you may never get it again.”
He graduated from Blackhawk Technical College's culinary program in 1991 and went to work as a chef at the Abby and Geneva National in the Lake Geneva area. He also created dishes at the Janesville Country Club.
Later, Rude discovered food styling, the process of preparing food for photography and filming. He enjoyed it so much that he pursued it full time and used homegrown herbs in photos seen around the world.
Rude's clients have included big names in the food industry, including Sara Lee, Kraft and Taste of Home Magazine.
In addition to food styling, Rude works with Carlin on an award-winning blog, Little Rusted Ladle, where they share images, recipes and home décor from food, flowers, herbs and other nature products.
“What drives our articles is the seasons of food and the beauty of food,” Rude said. “Herbs are so naturally graceful and elegant.”
His appreciation for food and fresh herbs began in boyhood.
Rude's parents, James and Phyllis, planted a variety of flowers, vegetables and fruits at their Janesville home.
Phyllis raised the herbs and often had young Jim smell and taste them, while she patiently explained the virtues of each, including health benefits.
Phyllis not only shared her love of herbs with her son. She was a founder of the Janesville Area Herb Society, which teaches people about the many uses of herbs.
At first, Rude had no interest in gardening because his father expected him to pull weeds.
Later, he got the bug.
Rude created his first herb garden while working as a chef.
“My mom never used the herbs fresh,” Rude explained. “She always dried them and made jellies, jams and vinegars. When I went to culinary school, I thought of their potential fresh in salads and different dishes.”
He discovered that growing herbs is easy.
“Some prefer more sun than others, but they are not nearly as difficult as vegetables to grow because they do not produce fruit,” Rude said. “I think herbs are the perfect way to start if someone wants to get into gardening and enhance their cooking.”
Rude enjoys planting annual herbs in an outdoor living wall, which is basically a three-sided raised bed turned upright. The structure contains plywood on one side and chicken wire and landscaping fabric on the other to keep the dirt contained.
In turn, the bed is fastened to posts that are cemented into the ground to keep the wind from toppling it.
“If you put herbs vertically on a wall, they can act as a privacy barrier and also add a lot of texture and interest in what otherwise would be a boring privacy structure,” Rude said. “It ends up being a beautiful showcase that people notice right away when they go into your backyard.”
He plants perennial herbs in the ground, where their roots can run deep and they are not restricted by containers.
Rude is driven in the garden and the kitchen by a simple philosophy about food:
“Nothing creates memories better than good food,” he writes in his book. “When you create food that your friends and family love, you give them a little piece of yourself, something that they will always remember.”
