I have learned my lesson. After months of keeping finicky plants alive only to find out no one in my family likes it, our plants now have to pass a multi-use test! Herbs, on the other hand, are just plain lovely to have around, although I like them to be multi-talented, too. Here are my top seven (in alphabetical order), and why I grow them.
BASIL : Honestly, I love this one just for the scent! But then there's pesto. If I did nothing else but make pesto, we still could grow more basil. We also use it fresh in pasta and in marinara sauce. Beware, it needs constant picking. 
CHIVES : Let's start with, the bees love chives. The flowers are lovely and are constantly visited by pollinators. As far as culinary uses, we put it in Lime Chive Butter (great on corn), as well as in mashed potatoes, breakfast casserole, and when I roast whole chicken.
DILL : We need it for pickles, and it can be difficult to buy a handful of dill stalks. I also put it in potato salad. I love the smell, too; it's very aromatic if you brush by, and it just smells like summer.
PARSLEY : Easy to grow, very hardy, still growing around here well into the cold season. Our corn chowder, and mac n cheese, just would not be the same without it. And we feed it to our lizard!
ROSEMARY : Well, rosemary is really only a two-trick pony but considering it does not take up much space, it is worth the money. It goes in a chicken dish everyone loves and mmmmmm focaccia. 
SAGE : I've told you about my sage before. Like many of these little green darlings, it's just so nice in the garden. Last year, I neglected to cut it back early and had some beautiful blooms, but this year it's already got a crew cut. But to round out my description here, we put it mostly in scallop potatoes. YUM. 
THYME : We have lemon thyme and common culinary thyme. This year, I pulled up the common thyme plant, which is in the way of my new garden path. I chopped it into several pieces, and planted it in a few new places. It's a great ground cover, aromatic, and we put it in things like mac n cheese and roasted chicken. The lemon thyme smells wonderful to crush in your hands.We also have grown oregano - I'm still pulling that out every year, and mint - which I like in my tea but it only gets to visit in pots.
So tell me, what is your must-have herb or garden item?
It's very fun to see your list of must haves! I grow sage, parsley, chives, rosemary, basil and tarragon. Well, I used to have tarragon, but I'm thinking someone pulled it thinking it was a weed, so will have to plant it again. In reality, I only use the chives (ALLL the time -- my very favorite) and parsley (which is hard to grow here for some reason, so I struggle with it -- rabbits maybe?) the others are so rarely used I often wonder if I should get rid of them. But, as you said, they just look pretty in the garden!
ReplyDeleteSounds yummy! Lots of fresh herbs in your meals, plus so fun to watch them growing! Our rabbits and deer love all things green, but I may try to grow some myself - may have to do it inside! Thanks for sharing - happy gardening!!
ReplyDeleteLove your photos and your choices. I always have basil, rosemary, and lavender. I also make pesto every year and freeze it in ice cube size amounts. The rosemary adds so much to potatoes, especially roasted with other veggies. And chicken of course. Lavender can be used in ice tea, but mostly just love the beauty of the plant and of course the awesome fragrance. Cant wait for the snow to finally stop and get out there and plant. Cheryl
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