Do any of you use fresh herbs in your cooking?  Do you buy them or grow
them?  If you grow them, do you also dry them to save for future use and
if so, how do you go about drying them??  

Ideas, comments, suggestions welcome.

32 responses total.

 Try the Anarchist Cookbook.

I grow Italian parsley, sage, rosemary, French thyme, chive and 
marjoram in a small garden in our backyard.  The previous few
years I had also grown basil but it requires different soil 
and a lot more room than the others so I've gone back to buying
fresh basil as needed.  Too, the chive and oregano are true 
perennials, and while the others need to be replanted each year
at least they are frost hardy.  Basil is very picky about 
temperature dips and turns black with the first freeze.

Sometime late October, when growing has pretty much ground to
a halt, I pick everything, wash it and let it air-dry, then
freeze 'em in ziplock bags.  This will then last me until next
spring's crop is ready, usually late May.  The amazing thing
about an herb garden is how it thrives on neglect.  The less 
you futz with it the better it seems to do.  Just nip back 
anything that's preparing to flower and don't fertilize or
water much at all.  

I like fresh cilantro.  It gives things like sauces and salads a 
Mexican taste.

We've got an edge-of-sidewalk herb garden.  Mostly I've been running
out there and cutting off a hand full of chives from time to time,
but I also grab some oregano every so often.  We tried to grow garlic,
but I don't believe anything ever came of it.  There are a lot of
other herbs growing there but I don't know what they are or what they
are good for (my wife planted some because they make good teas and
infusions, etc.).

I use fresh herbs as often as I can.  Some times I grow them, sometimes
I pick them up at the co-op.  Fresh Basil and Cilantro maixed with
spinach makes a wonderful green salad bowl.  (I usually add whatever 
other greens looh good that day, too.)

I seldom dry them, just because I don't make the effort.  I'd like to
sometime though.

I'm growing basil and parsley on the porch.  The basil is trying
to take over; it's towering over jalapeno plants that are supposed
to be the big thing in the tub they share.  The parsley is chugging
away slowly but surely.  It looks wimpy but better than in other
years I've grown it.  I've never yet seen my parsley come back after
the winter the way it is supposed to; it would probably be less scrawny
if it had another year's growth.

Other'n that, i've got vast numbers of dried herbs, but not much
else that's fresh.

Looking forward to a big pesto meal soon.....

I've never tried it, but supposedly you can freeze basil.  Dunno, pesto
made from fresh basil is hard to beat.
My last garden had 8 basil plants and we had huge mounds of the stuff to
make endless pesto.

Have you ever boiled new potatoes in mounds of fresh dill?  Heaven.
It doesn't need butter or salt, just a fresh breeze and some sunshine.

Ahhhhhhhhh.

I grow quite a few herbs every summer.  I have tried a lot of mints, but had
the best success with spearmint.  I love a spearmint, pineapple mint, lemon
thyme tea with a Saskatoon or blue berry or two.  Very mellow.  I tried to grow
chamomile, but the aphids ate it all up.  Another nice beverage is ice tea or
lemonade with a couple of borage flowers floating on top.  The garlic chives I
have grown have had great flavour and tasted really good in oriental dishes. 
Mushroom fried rice for example.

do the plain old basil, thyme, and oregeno.  we also do lemon basil, so that
we can sniff it on our fingers as we are walking around the gardens, and to
feed the dog...:)

I discovered garlic chives last summer.  They're a lot easier to grow
than garlic itself and taste about the same for cooking.  I have a large 
herb garden in a raised bed and lots of hanging pots of herbs.    Have 
tried drying them in a dehydrator but have had just as much luck hanging them
upside down then stripping them and putting in mason jars or baggies.
My in-laws used to think I was a witch, there were always so many things 
hanging around upside down in our house. (Note:  They still think I'm a witch

I always wait too long to bring in the herbs I have grown and lose them to the
frost.  Garlic chives are quite interesting in salad.  If you like garlic, that
is.  I bought some mint at the supermarket.  It is so far from as good as the 
fresh mint grown in my back yard.  I wish it was summer all year around!

Blake, or koi I shuould say, I think we're neighbors. Could you teach me a
thing or 2 about gardening? I've heard you make excellent spicy tomato soup.

Hi Elayne.  Neighbors?  What would you like to know?  Has anyone tried herbal
vinegars?  What worked best?  Has anyone had success with herbal companion
planting?  I have heard that basil and tomatoes grow very well together.  I 
didn't notice any significant difference in growth last year, though.

i have a bunch of lemon mint growing in my yard and have
no idea what to do with it...
what is it good for?

Tea?

Ice tea! 

really? is it good?
i tasted a leaf, and i'm not sure i like the lemon/mint combination.

 Try it just for a little flavoring. Make your regular ice tea, with a few
leaves tossed in for good measure. As usual, everything is "to taste".

Lemon balm makes an excellent tea!  Sweeten with a little honey!

What are some cool ways to use herbs to flavor foods? ie, what herbs do
you use what  herbs you grow or buy and in what kinds of dishes do you
use them in?  In my quest to do  more cooking at home, I'm looking for
ways to come with better flavoring without  necessarily using stuff
that's high in fat and/or calories.

Basil for pesto
Basil with fresh tomatoes, some fresh mozarella and a bit of olive oil

Rosemary in this chicken dish I love, with garlic, olive oil and lemon

I have a recipe called "Primordial Chicken".  

Slather a chicken with olive oil.  Pat on lots of crushed garlic. 
Sprinkle with salt.  

Chop and sprinkle lots of fresh (basil, tarragon, sage, mint).  Bake in
350 degree oven for 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

Or use chicken parts, and grill.  

I like it because the flavor of the herb you choose is predominant, and
you begin to get a sense of what that herb can do in other dishes.  

Yes, I said mint.  Long story, but it works well.  

Sounds yummy.

I can do that! Sounds great as well as being easy to do.

Yesterday afternoon, I made a pot of a variation on the chili theme: I
browned up some  ground turkey [on sale], then added some black beans
and some vegetables [corn,  tomatoes, tomato sauce, and a blend of
green, red, and yellow peppers along with  onions].  And added various
herbs and spices.  I tasted it before dishing it up into a few 
containers [am freezing two]--and though it tastes fairly good, I don't
think I'm adding  enough of the spices.  Maybe I'm adding too little of
to many spices instead of a bit more  of a few?  Whenever I make up
something like this [chili, soup, whatever], I don't  measure; I just
shake in a bit of this, a bit of that, whatever sounds good at the time.
  [Yesterday, I added some italian seasoning, a bit of salt and pepper,
chili powder, cumin,  and a couple bay leaves. Maybe one or two others.]

Any suggestions? Or just keep experimenting [probably that's what I need
to do til I get it  right].

Denise, I don't see any good chili peppers in that.  Sav A Lot has about
7 or 8 different dried peppers that you might add for a heftier flavor. 

I like a touch of cocoa powder in chili.  But then I also add some heat, 
be it chili peppers, cayenne, red pepper flakes, or hot sauce.  The cocoa 
tends to balance out the fire.

I was just thinking of that [after posting] about having heard somewhere
about adding  cocoa powder to chili and such. I was wondering if I had
just imagined hearing about it or  if people really did. I also remember
hearing about adding cinnamon--which I often do.

I've never brought or added chili peppers to anything. How hot are they?
I  do like spicey  stuff as long as its not a HOT spicey flavor [I like
to be able to *taste* my food, which I  don't when I eat hot stuff].

Chili peppers come in a variety of hotness units.  

There is a scale, which I'll try to find and post.

Denise, I think you'd like Clacy's Fancy Hot Sauce.  It's got a little 
heat but there is flavor too.  Start with a little and move up.  The nice 
thing about hot sauce, as a seasoning in chili, is that it can be added to 
the bowl instead of the pot, so each meal can be a customized 
adventure. ;-)

Perhaps when I have more funds available to try new
spices/herbs/flaovorings, I'll give it  a try.  Over the past couple
months, I've already invested/spent a fair amount on the  above
mentioned items and with money being a bit tight, I need to have some
funds  available for the food items we can add these things to!   Or
find a bunch of bottles and  cans.  :-)  [not to be taken too seriously,
sindi!]

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