Thyme
The Basics
Thyme is a resilient herb that retains its flavor well even after drying or freezing. It is one of the traditional herbs de Provence, an herb blend from the south of France (along with marjoram, oregano, sage, savory, and rosemary).
Cooking Tips
Some favorite pairings for thyme are mushrooms, onions, cheeses, citrus, winter squash, and tomatoes.
Its warm aromatic flavor makes a wonderful tea just by itself as well, just boil some sprigs, either fresh or dried, in water for a few minutes and then sip away. Sweeten with honey if you like.
Most culinary herbs also have medicinal value, and thyme is no exception. It has been used for boosting the immune system, as a digestive aid and more.
Savory
The Basics
Summer savory and winter savory are closely related to rosemary and thyme. Savory is relatively unfamiliar, but once you begin using it, it’s hard to go back! It has a peppery flavor that adds dimensions to savory dishes, with winter savory having a more concentrated flavor than summer savory.
Cooking Tips
Both excel in an herb rub for meats and fish, in a Dijon vinaigrette, stuffing, eggs, beans, and flavored vinegar. Add sprigs when cooking beans to enrich the broth, and then more fresh chopped to the finished beans.
Savory has also be used medicinally in a tea to aid indigestion and sore throat, or the leaves can be rubbed on bug bites to bring relief from itchiness.
Sage
The Basics
Sageis most common in Italian and Middle Eastern recipes. Sage also has a long and varied history of medicinal uses, including its use as an herbal tea. Sage is a perennial shrub commonly grown in herb and flower gardens, with lovely blue and purple flowers.
Cooking Tips
More typically associated with hearty, autumn harvest-type meals, sage pairs very well with winter squash, beans, onions, cheese, garlic, pork, and poultry.
Try it cooked in butter or olive oil with garlic as a topping for pasta, especially good on potato gnocchi!
Storage Tips
Store fresh leaves in a plastic bag in the fridge for 3-5 days. To freeze sage, wash, dry, and place in a bag in the freezer. To dry sage, wash the leaves and hang in a cool, dry place.
Rosemary
The Basics
This wonderfully aromatic herb comes from a perennial shrub that’s the staple of any herb garden. Hailing from the Mediterranean, rosemary is used heavily in Italian and other regional cuisines.
Cooking Tips
Rosemary goes beautifully with meats and fish, in soups and stews, and with roasted vegetables.
When dried, its flavor will mellow. Try it with potatoes, or put sprigs under the skin of a roasted chicken.
We sell our rosemary by the bunch, which you can easily rinse and hang in a dark place to dry for the winter.
Parsley
The Basics
We grow two types of parsley. Italian flat leaf parsley has a slightly stronger flavor and flat leaves, a favorite of chefs. Curly parsley is perhaps the more well known variety with big poofy leaves that keep a nice loft when chopped. Both are great for any recipe that requires parsley. Fresh herbs can make your sandwiches more delicious too, so don’t be afraid to add a few leaves of parsley.
Storage Tips
Keep in the refrigerator in a plastic bag. For longer keeping, put stems in a cup of water and cover with a plastic bag.
Oregano
The Basics
Oregano is a member of the mint family, and shares some similar flavor characteristics with mints and other relatives like basil, lavender, marjoram, and sage. The taste profile of oregano includes sweet and bitter notes with a deep warming aromatic flavor. Oregano also has numerous health benefits, specifically for its antibacterial and antioxidant properties, so love it up and use it often!
Cooking Tips
Oregano pairs well with beans, eggplant, and tomatoes. Try it in salad dressings or marinades with lemon and garlic, in any type of tomato sauce, or as a flavoring for beans.
Mint
Mint comes in many variations with layers of flavor that add to the bright cooling flavor of mint. You can make simple infused water with mint to enjoy in the summer by crushing leaves in your hand and adding them to cold water. Or a warm tea in the fall by steeping sprigs in boiling water. Mint is a common herb in Middle Eastern cuisine – try making a yogurt sauce with cucumber and mint to go along with spicy foods. It pairs well with carrots, peas, watermelon, hot peppers, and cucumbers.
Dill
The Basics
Dill has such a refreshing flavor in the summer time. Dill is a member of the Apiaceae family, which is related to spices like caraway, cumin, and coriander, as well as veggies like carrots, parsnips, fennel, and celery.
Cooking Tips
Its delicate leafy fronds make an appealing splash of green with potatoes or in dressings, and of course a with a classic dill pickle.
Cilantro
The Basics
Fresh cilantro, which we grow during most of the year, is a treat! Its flavorful green leaves have an aromatic citrus taste that is a classic component of many salsas. You’ll also see cilantro in many Asian and Indian dishes.
Cooking Tips
Cilantro is best while very fresh– when buying, be sure that it is very aromatic. Be sure to use the stems, because they hold the most flavor. Cilantro does not keep its flavor when dried, so this is an herb to freeze if you have extra and want to preserve the taste.
Chives
Chives are related to onions and scallions, and can be used in a similar way to green onions. Snip a few inches worth into salad dressings, spreads, compound butters, and add a bright flavor to rich and creamy dishes. The bright purple chive blossoms have a very strong spicy flavor, and make pretty garnish for soups and salads (break them up into bits for a less intense flavor, or cook them whole). We also grow Garlic Chives, which have a flat leaf and notes of garlic flavor.
In the spring, chives come up as one of the first fresh flavors of the onion family. We often use them in pestos at that time of year, as well as adding them chopped to salads. They are classically added as a topping to baked potatoes and deviled eggs.
