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FOUR MOST VERSATILE FRESH HERBS
Courtesy of Chef Jeff Calley, © 2012
There’s nothing quite like cooking with fresh herbs. But, they’re expensive when you buy the little packets of them in the grocery store these days. You’re paying for the packaging more than the herbs. So, if you have a small garden or some planter boxes you can devote to growing these four essential herbs, you will always have an abundance of flavors to use in creative dishes.
Flat leaf parsley
Fresh thyme
Fresh tarragon
Oregano
Flat leaf parsley - a bushy, broad leaf plant, 8” to a foot tall; used in soups, stews, sauces, roasted and sauteed vegetables
Fresh thyme - a low growing, spindly plant with slightly woody stems; used in salads, meats, poultry, fish, herbed vegetables
Fresh tarragon - a grassy-like herb with wide blades, used in sauces, egg dishes, fish
Oregano - another low growing, small leaf plant in multiple varieties, with fragrant leaves smaller than a penny; used in tomato sauces, asian dishes, soups and meat rubs. Italian Oregano has also been recently discovered to contain 20 times as much antioxidant properties than blueberries!
Other easy to grow herbs:
Rosemary grows like a bush with spindly limbs. And it grows really well in almost every climate.
Chives grow like weeds under the right conditions.
Bay trees grow like unruly shrubs, offering more Bay leaf than you could every possible use. It’s attractive too.
Fresh Basil, a relative of mint, grows fairly easily in most climates, with good water and drainage in the soil. It also grows well in a glass of water.
Cilantro is best grown in the ground, in loose soil with good drainage.
You can also have mint herbs to freshen your breath. This is a great idea in the kitchen.
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