Top 12 Herbs and How To Use Them

Here’s a list of the top 12 herbs and the different foods and recipes to use them with.

1) Basil

Use tender young basil leaves for freezing, drying or to use in pesto or vinegars. Older leaves have less oil content and become tougher, so try to avoid working with these leaves. Basil works well with many other herbs in recipes and can be used for carrots, tomatoes, pasta sauce, in marinades, as a garnish, soups, stews, and salads (green, tuna, potato and tomato).

 

2) Bay Leaf

Bay leaf can be grown outdoors or indoor in containers. To release the aroma of the bay leaf, you need to rub the leaves between your fingers. When used for cooking, keep the bay leaf whole and remove from the dish before serving. Bay Leaf goes well in pasta sauces, soups and stews to give a deep, rich flavour.

 

3) Chives

You can eat both the stems and the flower heads. Chives are best started when taken from an existing plant, by using a spade or shovel (depending on the size of the plant) to cut straight down through the clump and into the roots. Replant the cutting into a well-drained soil and keep in full sun. Chives do well in gardens or containers and will actually grow back well after cutting, especially if you cut near soil level. An important note is to cut the flowers before they turn to seed, especially garlic chives, otherwise chives are know to spread quite rapidly and aggressively. Chives are excellent to use in soups and stews, as they have an onion or garlic flavour to them.

 

4) Lavender

Yes, lavender can be used in foods! Lavender can be baked in cookies, chicken and used in teas. Lavender also attracts hummingbirds, butterflies and bees and can be used a mosquito repellent when the crushed leaves are rubbed on your skin.

 

5) Marjoram

In folk medicine, marjoram is used to treat colds and coughs. Marjoram is popular in Italian, Greek and French recipes and is often used along with oregano, as they come from the same plant genus Origanum. Marjoram has a mild, sweet flavour that goes well with carrots, mushrooms, cauliflower, spinach, squash, peas, asparagus, stews, salad dressings, omelettes, poultry and seafood.

 

6) Oregano

In folk medicine, oregano is used to treat colds and coughs. Oregano is popular in Italian, Greek and French recipes and is often used along with marjoram, as they come from the same plant genus Origanum. Oregano leaves can be used fresh, dried or frozen in salads, soups, pasta sauces, casseroles, stew, stuffing, omelettes and pizza. It also goes well with dishes that have olives and tomatoes.

 

7) Parsley

Curley parsley is often used as a garnish, while the flat leaved Italian parsley is prized for its superior flavour when cooked. Parsley goes well in soups, stews, tomato based pasta sauces, fish and any recipes that use potatoes.

 

8) Peppermint

Peppermint has a slight spicy taste to it and is often used in tea. Peppermint can also be dried for potpourri sachets, which are popular at Christmas time.

 

9) Rosemary

Rosemary is an attractive evergreen shrub with pine needle-like leaves, but looses most of its flavour when harvested. Rosemary is also used in potpourri and in historical times rosemary sprigs were placed underneath pillows to ward off evil spirits and bad dreams. Rosemary can be used for fish, poultry, lamb or beef, as well as in teas, soups and stews. Rosemary tea is found to calm nerves. To make the tea, take one teaspoon of dried, crushed rosemary leaves and steep for 10 minutes in a cup of boiled water.

 

10) Sage

This aromatic and slightly bitter herb is noted for its use in stuffing for poultry, rabbit, pork, and baked fish. It also can be used in sausage or meat loaves and can also be used to make tea.

 

11) Spearmint

Spearmint has a sweet smell to it and is one of the more popular mint herbs. Spearmint leaves are used in teas and to flavour cold drinks and make mint sauce.

 

12) Thyme

Thyme is a versatile plant that is ornamental as well as practical. Grown in a garden, thyme is a short plant that likes to spread out. It does well at the edges of a garden, as well as cascading down a wall, where it can show off its blooms between April and November, depending on the variety. The aroma of thyme is released by rubbing the leaves together with your fingers. Thyme goes well with carrots, onions, peas, potato or leek soup, chicken broth, clam chowder, in marinades for meats or fish and in sauces.

 

 

Return To Herb Articles