The Best Garden Is An Herb Garden

I was cooking dinner for my family the other day and just before serving it, I knew the dish needed something. I ran to the garden to snip a handful of perfectly fresh herbs to sprinkle on top and complete the meal. One of my favorite aspects of my garden is growing herbs that are available anytime I need them. Even if you don’t have space for a garden full of vegetables, everyone can grow a few herbs to make meals taste better.

Herbs add savor and flair. They brighten the flavor of a dish, and can make it go from ordinary to extraordinary. A Greek salad, for example, is good. But one tossed with fresh picked parsley and dill is great. Butternut squash soup is a delicious fall meal; however, adding fresh-picked sage leaves fried to a crisp takes the dish to a whole new level.

Herbs fancify your dinner. A sprinkling of colorful, fresh herbs look good on the plate, making everyday food appear as if it came from a fancy restaurant. They always make your dish more impressive.

Fresh-grown herbs are convenient and can change how you cook. When planted right outside your door, or even in pots on a windowsill inside the kitchen, you are likely to use them. The odds are certainly better they will become part of your routine, encouraging you to cook more and expand your repertoire. All it takes is a quick snip and you’re done.

Growing herbs is cheaper than buying them in a supermarket. I can’t stand having to spend a couple of bucks on a bunch of herbs when all I need is a chopped tablespoon or two. And then the unused remainder rot in the refrigerator before I use them again. When you grow herbs, you will always have them when you need them.

Planting your own is always fresher than store-bought. Supermarket herbs are typically picked days or weeks before you purchase them and in some cases, may have travelled the world. As they age, they lose their flavor. Those from your garden will be picked just before using; as fresh as you can get.

There is no comparison between fresh herbs and dried. While there is a place for dried herbs in every pantry and many recipes, fresh herbs are more vibrant and flavorful. They brighten a dish in a way that dried cannot (Besides, if you grow fresh, you can always dry your own.)

Herbs take little space and effort to grow. Most require minimal care, other than watering. They often survive in harsh conditions, and don’t need fertilizer, pruning, or other special attention and most have few pests. Many herbs can be grown in pots, so they take up hardly any room and can thrive where there is no access to a garden.

I grow numerous herbs in my garden, ready for use whenever I need them. Perennial herbs (those that return year after year) are grown in a dedicated bed where they will not be disturbed. These include chives, oregano, thyme, and sage. Annual herbs (those that live only one year) get interspersed among the other plants; basil gets planted among the tomatoes, for example, and Thai basil among the peppers. There are a few, like parsley, that are biennial, coming up a second year to flower and produce seeds. Several – parsley, dill, basil, and cilantro, in particular – get used so much that I plant them in abundance. Some herbs, like mint, I keep in dedicated pots so they do not take over as an invasive species, while others like tarragon, lemongrass, and rosemary each get their own pot because they are perennials that might not survive the winter and I can bring them inside when the weather gets cold.

Because they are so versatile and easy to grow, the best garden is an herb garden. It’s a great place for a novice to begin and, as your garden expands, more can easily be added.

Here is a list of herbs I grow and some of the recipes in which I use them.

Parsley – (biennial) – chimichuri, Greek salad, mussels with white wine, garlic, and parsley, baba ganoush, roast chicken, herbed vegetable dip, mushrooms in olive oil

Dill – (annual) – Greek salad, matzo balls, chicken soup, butter simmered carrots, pickles

Cilantro – (annual) – avocado soup, larb, larb dumplings, summer rolls, banh mi, green chicken, chipotle salsa, roasted tomatillo salsa, pico de gallo, guacamole

Basil – (annual) – pesto, tomato salad with olives and fresh mozzarella, sugar snap pea and corn salad, herbed vegetable dip, roasted red peppers, pineapple with basil

Thai basil – (annual) – Thai-style stir fry, green curry, larb, larb dumplings, summer rolls, Vietnamese-inspired salad

Chives – (perennial) – herbed vegetable dip, lobster rolls

Oregano – (perennial, can take over if not kept controlled) – chimichurri

Thyme – (perennial) – mushrooms in olive oil, roast chicken, mushroom and leek galette, beef barley soup, split pea soup

Sage – (perennial) – butternut squash soup, roast chicken, cannellini beans with garlic and sage, quinoa with mushrooms, butternut squash, and fried shallots, seared duck breast with fig and balsamic reduction, butternut squash stuffed mushrooms

Rosemary – (perennial) – onion, olive, and rosemary focaccia, roast chicken, roasted potatoes, seared brussels sprouts

Mint – (perennial, can take over if not kept controlled) – larb, larb dumplings, summer rolls, Vietnamese-inspired salad, mint tea

Tarragon – (perennial) – lobster rolls, cucumber gazpacho with lemon yogurt, salad dressing

Lemongrass – (perennial) – Thai-style stir fry, larb, larb dumplings, Thai green curry

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