Fresh Herbs - Worth Your Thyme!

I've come to the conclusion that herbs make everything better.

I started growing herbs on my apartment balcony about 12 years ago.  I have always been fascinated by them and love their smells, but it took me several years to really figure out how to incorporate these herbs into our meals.

If you are a beginner gardener, herbs are a great place to start.  Herbs are forgiving.  They are easy to maintain.  They like haircuts.  They are safe plants for children to play around.  Many herbs have healing qualities.  And they add so much flavor to your food!

Some herbs are annuals and need to be replanted/replaced after their "season". Some herbs die back over the winter but will return in the spring as long as you leave their roots alone (perennial). And some herbs will live all year, every year!  You can grow herbs in containers OR a flower bed. 

Freshly-harvested herbs will beat the flavor of fresh herbs purchased at the grocery or farmer's market every time!  I promise you will be surprised at how much better the basil and cilantro taste, in particular.  Going out to my herb garden during dinner prep and harvesting what I need that day is so fulfilling!  You'd be surprised how the plants actually seem to thrive if you harvest a little here and a little there.

My herb garden currently consists of rosemary, sage, thyme, oregano, cilantro, dill, Italian parsley, chives, winter savory, bay laurel, mint, lavender, lemon balm, and basil.  Some are just babies, and some are starting to bolt.  I started this garden at our new house only last fall, and look at it now!

I'm going to help you today by passing on some basic info on each plant, as well as giving several examples of how I use it in my kitchen.




Herb gardening is so easy, even a baby can do it!  :)

The herbs that live year-round - (plant with longevity in mind):

Rosemary - In Austin, this is used as a landscape plant frequently!  The culinary varieties grow to be average 3' x 3'.  You literally buy an organic transplant, dig a hole and put it in.  It will grow - no fertilizer, no special soil, nothing.
Uses: Take several sprigs and throw in the pot when you are braising lamb, roasting chicken, or chop a little finely and toss with your potatoes or other veg before roasting.  If you eat bread, rosemary bread is super yummy.

Bay Laurel - This is actually more of a shrub/small tree when it is fully grown here in Texas.  Typically you have to buy the dried leaves on the spice aisle and spend about $4 for 10 leaves, so growing your own and having the FRESH leaves on hand all the time is really great! 
Uses: Harvest several leaves and throw in the pot any time you're cooking beans, chili, peas, and soups (like gumbo or chicken soup)  



Oregano - Easiest herb to grow in Austin besides Rosemary.  Plant it; it won't die.  It grows into a big, short bushy plant about 4' x 2'.  You can give it massive haircuts whenever it is getting out of hand - IT WON'T DIE.
Uses: Throw sprigs into stock pots, soups, beans.  Use fresh leaves with parsley and make chimmichurri.  Chop leaves lightly and use in marinara sauce. 




Oregano, top right - Thyme, bottom left

 

Thyme - Pretty easy to grow but does tend to need more water than rosemary/oregano during drought (which is always in Austin, eh?)  So maybe once a week it needs a decent watering.  It is a short, sprawling plant and doesn't take up much room, like a 1'x1' area at most.
Uses: Good with chicken dishes of all kinds.  Throw in stock pot, soups, beans.  Salad dressings if you like it.  Definitely add to pasta sauce!


Chives - Small plant, a 1'x1' area is plenty big.  Easy, no maintenance except to pull out dead fronds in the spring if it dies back some in winter.
Uses: On scrambled eggs, salad dressings, Asian soups/fried rice - a great mild onion-y garnish for pretty much any dish.







Winter Savory - This is a new one for me; I've only had this plant one season, so I am not sure how big it will be.  So far, it grows slowly and has looked great all through the winter. 
Uses: Soups, stews, with braised beef or lamb, beans


Lavender - Depending on the variety, these plants can be small little clumps (1'x1') or big, huge garden centerpieces (4'x3').  Like rosemary, look for a culinary variety. 
Uses: Tea and lemonade,











Perennials (die back in winter but return in spring year after year):


Sage - This plant is hard to kill, but I admit, it does not always look pretty.  It gets pretty ugly during the winter, as it kind of half-dies into this really random-looking plant.  Don't feel sorry for it - just trim it back vigorously and watch it renew itself when the weather's warmer. 
Uses: Chicken and turkey stock and dishes, fried as garnish, muddle fresh leaves and serve with fresh grapefruit juice and vodka






Mint - Like sage, it goes through an ugly period.  Just remove the dead parts - trim it almost back to the ground if needed.  It comes back to life in late winter/early spring and will last until it gets too hot, then will go into dormancy and return for fall (until it gets too cold).  This plant spreads, so a container might just be the best place for it!
Uses: Chop and mix with honey and lemon on top of melon, add sprigs to your water, tea, or cocktails (like mojito)

 

 

Lemon Balm - Dies to ground in winter, grows HUGE during the growing season!  It has mint-like leaves and other properties. 
Uses: (Honestly I've never used this one - yet.  I will get brave when my plant returns this summer and try it in my salad.  Also read that it is good for making teas.)



Annuals (live one season then die):

Cilantro - AKA Coriander - Best to grow from seed.  Plant 1/3 the packet at a time, a month apart, either in fall or spring .  Fall plants will live over the winter before bolting (going to seed).  Spring plants are short-lived so it's best to sow them 3 weeks apart so you have a continual harvest.  Let them go to seed!  You can collect seeds and use them in your cooking OR let them fall to the ground and make new baby plants.
Uses: Cilantro pesto, creamy salad dressing, in guacamole, leaves sprinkled on any Mexican dish - tacos, nachos, etc., great in bean/corn/avocado salad
On left: Baby cilantro seedlings last October
                                                                                    Below: Same cilantro plant in February, bolting

 

 

Dill - Also best to grow from seed.  Plant in fall and watch them grow all winter.  In the spring they will grow big huge flower heads before going to seed - the big black swalowtail butterflies LOVE THEM.
Uses: Sprinkle on roasted salmon with some lemon, make salmon gravlax, sprinkle fronds in salads, use in fermenting/pickling projects.

 

Basil - I've grown from seed and done transplants,both with super success.  The trick with basil is to constantly pinch it back.  Every time you see your basil plant, take out the baby leaves from each "branch" - it will grow big and bushy!  Basil does great in a container or flower bed.  Needs consistent water in hot summer.
Uses:  Pesto!!!  Caprese salad.  Sprinkled on pizza or pasta or ratatoullie.  Crush it and use in cocktails.



Biennials (live for 2 years, then go to seed and die)

Italian parsley - The only biennial plant I think I've ever had any experience with!  I've had best luck with transplants on this one, though it is possible to start from seed.  My last garden I had let a plant I'd had for 2 years go to seed, but we moved before I could find out if I got any volunteers! 
Uses:  Chimichurri! (which is good spread on any kind of meat, and in salad, and in guac), chopped into any salad, tossed with garlic, EVOO, and pasta, ranch dressing, tuna bean parsley salad

That's all for now, folks - I hope you're inspired to go get dirty in your garden!  For me, it's one of the best ways to witness God's miraculous creation.

-Jill