How to Cook with Fresh Herbs 🌿

Herbs are fun and easy to grow. When harvested, they make even the simplest meal seem like a gourmet delight. Using herbs in your cooking can easily change the flavors of your recipes in many different ways, depending on which herbs you add. 

Fresh herbs are great in breads, stews, soups, or vegetables. 

Each time you add a different herb, you completely change the taste.

If you are a beginner, start slowly. Add just a little at a time, adjusting as you go along until you have it just right. In most instances, an individual herb is associated with a particular food item. 

Basil pairs well with tomatoes, oregano with sauces, rosemary with lamb, and chives with butter or cream cheese. 

Of course, none of them are limited to these items, but you will see them paired most often with that particular food. Use your imagination and experiment!

Herb vinegars can be made for salad dressings, marinades, or soups. Herb oils are very useful in cooking whenever a recipe calls for them.

Fresh herbs as garnishes dress up any dish, making it look truly spectacular. Lay individual sprigs of rosemary over broiled lamb chops. Chop fresh parsley and sprinkle it over the top of your potato salad. The combinations are endless and the outcomes delicious.

Fresh herbs will keep in the refrigerator for several days, but then you must freeze them. 

They can be frozen by laying them on a paper towel and putting them in a plastic bag. 

Once frozen, only use them in cooking, not as garnishes. 

Another method is to wash them, put them in an ice cube tray, cover them with water, and then freeze them. When needed for soups, stews, or sauces, just drop a cube in.

Popular herbs to grow include basil, oregano, lemon balm, parsley, and mint. Mint is great, but be careful as it can overrun your garden. 

To prevent this, bury an empty coffee can and plant the mint in it. The can prevents the mint from “creeping” all through your garden.

Herb butters are a delightful addition to many dishes. Take half a cup of softened butter and mix in about four tablespoons of a fresh herb. 

Lay out a piece of saran wrap, place the butter in the middle, and roll the saran wrap to form a “log” out of the butter. 

Put it in the refrigerator and anytime you need a pat of butter, just cut it off the “log.” Herb butter works well on potatoes, bread, steaks, noodles, or in any kind of sauce.

A fresh herb in any salad dressing really makes it sparkle. Use any herb or a combination, be creative.

For an instant natural face mask, blend a big handful of basil on high. Once pulverized, add half an avocado and a large teaspoon of lemon juice, mixing until smooth. 

Wash your face, pat it dry, and gently rub the avocado mixture on. Leave it on as long as you like, then use warm water to wash it off.

These are just a few ways to use fresh herbs from your garden. There are many more possibilities.