Herbs, which do you have?

[CrystalWriter]

How do you store them? I put them in a vase of water on the counter or windowsill and change the water every day or so. They last about a week.

I tend to replant them, as I've read that supermarket herbs are always too tightly planted together, so they compete for water & sunlight. Doing things that way, they might last three/four weeks. From what I've heard that's much longer than usually

 

[GotGarlic]

I tend to replant them, as I've read that supermarket herbs are always too tightly planted together, so they compete for water & sunlight. Doing things that way, they might last three/four weeks. From what I've heard that's much longer than usually

I thought you said they die very quickly

Do they have roots on them when you buy them?

 

[Mad Cook]

I was wondering, which fresh herbs do people regularly have on hand. As I was thinking of growing a selection, in the run up to x-mas. Especially now I have found compound butter

What's "compound butter", please?

Herbs? Mine grow in big pots on the south side of the house. 2 or 3 types of mint, oregano, marjoram, fennel, dill, chives, chervil, flat leaf and curly parsley, French tarragon, rosemary, sage, lemon balm, bergamot and a bay tree. Basil has to live in a pot on my kitchen window sill as it flatly refuses to grow outside. I've tried coriander/cilantro outside and inside but don't seem to have much luck with it.

I grow geraniums (pelargoniums) outside in the summer and have been known to use the leaves for flavouring cakes (I line the baking tin/pan with clean leaves and it gives the cooked cake a geranium flavour - a very old-fashioned trick.) Good in strawberry jam and for flavouring the custard for home made ice cream. I try to grow scented leaved geraniums as well but Im not successful at over-wintering it and I didn't see any in the garden centre this year.
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I also have a selection of these dried in a spice drawer in the kitchen for use in winter (or, let's be honest, when it's raining cats and dogs and I don't want to go out and get wet just for a few fresh herbs.

 

[Mad Cook]

You will be shocked at the difference in flavor between fresh and dried herbs. There's just no comparison, particularly with soft herbs like parsley and basil.

It's worth keeping fresh min and dried mint for the kitchen as they are virtually two different herbs. In the middle east dried mint is often preferred for cooking purposes. Fresh mint is for mint tea (and very refreshing it is too on a hot August day's "doing" the antiquities in Egypt)

 

[Mad Cook]

Basil, chives, mint, cilantro, and parsley. Next year, I'll probably add rosemary to the mix.

I used to grow a lot of different herbs, but for the past couple years I've just cut back to the ones I use most. For example, I used to grow lemon thyme and it would always end up going to waste. Same with oregano. I've found I don't care for the flavor of fresh oregano and the dried stuff is dirt cheap.

Interesting you should say that. I was watching Ina Garten a few weeks ago and she said exactly the same thing about oregano fresh and dried. I just thought she was being faddy but it seems she may have something

 

[Dawgluver]

Mad Cook, compound butter is just softened butter mixed with herbs, then usually rolled up in a tube of wax paper and chilled. It's nice with a pat on a steak or potato.

I grow chives, several different kinds of mint, oregano, several types of thyme that the oregano overgrows, sage that the oregano overgrows, rosemary that I dig up and baby during the winter, lemon balm, basil, dill.

 

[taxlady]

My oregano went crazy. I made oregano pesto. That was really good. You could probably make pesto out of most herbs that have grown more than you can otherwise use.

 

[Whiskadoodle]

I prefer fresh tarragon, rosemary, parsley, and basil and thyme. Probably some more. Chives, I grow, green onion tops work just as well all seasons. I grow oregano, sage, and thyme, and dry these. I prefer dried oregano, I think the flavor intensifies, and if you keep the leaves whole, you can strip off the stems and crush and release the oils at time of use.

There are a couple things I used fresh oregano on this summer, which were quite good. Some grilled meats, a fresh made pizza and in tzatziki sauce. None of the foods were themselves unusual, the flavor of the oregano was noteworthy.

You can bet your bottom dollar, as soon as the first frost hits, I will discover something that wants Fresh Mint, not dried. Count on it.

I make tons of basil pesto. If I want fresh basil in the winter, I just lob off some from it's freezer bag, stir into a sauce, and it's as good as garden fresh.


Buying rosemary is always expensive. And try as I may, it does not overwinter indoors at my house. I have tried freezing extra branches, doesn't work so well, at least for me. Otherwise, one can pretty much just place whatever herbs in a freezer bag and pull out as needed and incorporate in a cooked dish or sauce.