We talked about Mexican oregano back in the spring, and after much searching, I found a mail order nursery that carried it, and ordered.
Well, after all that work, I found trays and trays of it for sale at Lowe's today, and their's was larger and cheaper than what I bought. The leaves are smaller, but I don't know if that's because they're in such small pots or if I have a slightly different variety. They do smell slightly different, but that could also be the difference in handing and growing conditions. The Lowe's Mexican Oregano has a softer, less sharp taste to it.
Anyway, I've tried mine in a few dishes, and it does add an interesting flavor. Hopefully they'll come back even bigger next year so I can experiment more. I didn't want to pick them down to the nub before they were well established. I bought one of the Lowe's plants, too, so I can compare the two.
And, well, I didn't want to stand in the store tasting their plants. They already think I'm a bit odd for being excited about finding monarch butterfly caterpillars on the milkweed they were selling. Heh, I asked the cashier if she was going to charge me extra for the caterpillars, and she squealed and jumped back from the cash register when I pointed them out to her.
Penelope