How Do You Use Your Herbs?

[Peanut]

It has just occurred to me that despite the fact that I grow loads of herbs, I very rarely use them!

What a waste!

I grow French tarragon, lemon verbena, rosemary, parsley, chives and garlic chives, sage, bay leaves, oregano and marjoram (does anyone actually know the difference looks or taste wise!)
Basil and lemon basil, thyme and lemon thyme, dill and chervil.

Can you give me ideas of when, how, where, you use your herbs please. I need some inspiration and ideas.

I mean, what herbs would you use on a salad? I have never added herbs to my salads!

I really am quite rubbish and need to start using and enjoying them
I think the only herbs I use would be parsley in dumplings, sage in stuffing, thyme and bay leaves in a stew, rosemary on lamb, basil on tomatoes, just really basic things.

Also, do you know of any good books which tell you how, when and where to use herbs in the kitchen?

Thanks all

[Andraste]

Great thread I'm sure you'll have lots of great ideas from the cooks when they spot it

To kick off, I'd use both chives & basil in a salad. Dill would work too especially with cucs.

I regularly add basil & oregano to readymade tomato based sauces.

Definitely both chives in a potato salad.

All the lemon herbs say fish dishes to me.

I'll be adding bay leaves when I attempt pickled cucs as a wise grape advised the tanin keeps them crispy.

[greenishfing]

You can never have enough Basil. It goes so well with tomatoes, and if there is some to spare, I make pesto. You can make it in seconds in a food processor or with a stick blender. I then freeze it in large ice cube trays.

Tarragon I add to anything with chicken and/or mushrooms in it.

I add thyme to roasting vegetables and pate.

Sage I add to pork dishes or dumplings or stuffing.

Bay leaves I add to stews and casseroles.

I make mint jelly, sage jelly, and rosemary jelly with the addition of cooking apples and sugar.

Chives get chopped into soups, salads, omelette, etc.

[Bren In Pots]

I add a few basil leaves to my mixed lettuce leaves.

[Peanut]

Thank you Andraste greenishfing and Bren In Pots some fab ideas I shall defintitely try to remember.

And I am ashamed to say that I have never made pesto!! I have just purchased some little silicon ice cube and muffin trays especially for freezing little blocks of herbs in oil or flavoured herb butters.

I really need to pull my finger out and use more of the herbs that I grow.

[greenishfing]

Another thought. Lots of people who cook from scratch are really appreciative of homegrown herbs as presents. Either fresh so that they can use them or dry them, or dried and jarred. I used to keep the extended family going with Bay leaves, dried and packed tightly into jam jars.

[Peanut]

That's a really good idea greenishfing

[mothhawk]

I recently dug up my big clump of chives as not only were they in the "wrong" place, but I realized I never use them. I saved one tiny sprig to regrow just for the flowers, the rest got composted.

I only grow bog standard herbs, thyme (I had lemon thyme for a while but it didn't survive, while the common thyme seeds itself in every crack and cranny), rosemary, sage, oregano, mint, and basil.

I put sprigs of sage and rosemary in the pan if I'm doing roast meat or roast veg, to go crispy, they are both delicious to eat like that. Sometimes thyme too. I'll use all four in stuffings either separately or mixed, and add to casseroles and soups. I use bay leaf in casseroles, soups and pickles, but don't grow it. I keep promising myself a bay tree.

Basil, anything with tomatoes in, plus pesto. I use sunflower or pumpkin seeds instead of expensive pine nuts, there's not much difference. Cashews work too.

The mint I grow is black peppermint, the absolute best for tea, which is what I use it for. I will also pick a leaf or two of something to chew while in the garden.

[Peanut]

That's interesting mothhawk I am always put off making pesto because of the high price of pine nuts. I always have lots of seeds and other nuts in the house so will look at making some with something else. I like the sound of black peppermint for tea. I got one that was supposed to be good for tea but didn't really rate it.

[Nicos]

Another thought. Lots of people who cook from scratch are really appreciative of homegrown herbs as presents. Either fresh so that they can use them or dry them, or dried and jarred. I used to keep the extended family going with Bay leaves, dried and packed tightly into jam jars.

They also make wonderful dried Xmas pressies too

***Miss Miss….she said the X /C word…

[greenishfing]

That's interesting mothhawk I am always put off making pesto because of the high price of pine nuts. I always have lots of seeds and other nuts in the house so will look at making some with something else. I like the sound of black peppermint for tea. I got one that was supposed to be good for tea but didn't really rate it.

Walnuts also work.

[Vince G]

Stuffing a chicken with as many fresh herbs as you can get up the cavity plus garlic cloves is a lovely thing.

Homemade sage & onion is good: fry chopped onions, set aside. Fry breadcrumbs in a lot fo butter, add a lot of chopped sage, mix in the onions then make balls or put it in a dish to bake in the oven.

Coriander leaves to garnish a curry bring a little fresh flavour.

Always put chives in my cheesy mash, or ramsons that grow down the bottom of the garden.

Thyme and lemon balm go in foil parcels of baked fish, fennel fronds too when available.

French tarragon has to be the best flavoured herb out there though. I find it difficult to keep going over winter though, despite bringing it indoors. Did a nice chicken dish the other day. Cooked some chicken thighs in a pyrex dish with a lid in the oven, in stock, basically just a chicken oxo and boiling water. Fried onions and mushrooms in a pan, added the chicken thighs and stock to the pan. Take it off the heat, add a load of single cream stir it in with a handful of chopped tarragon and warmed it through again, gently so the cream doesn't split. Would've added a splash of a dark sherry if I hadn't recently finished it. Served with first earlies, broadies and first baby carrots whole. Dee-lish!

Chopped parsley or corainder go in my couscous.

Rosemary gets tucked into slits in a leg of lamb.

Grow lots of basil in the polytunnel. This goes in the pasta sauce I freeze in takeaway tins made from my own italian plum tomatoes and garlic. Also make lots of pesto, I freeze this in bun cases which is a portion for one, 6 to a takeaway tin.

Would like to experiment with others but don't know what half of them taste like! The website of Victoriana Nurseries always intrigues me as te offer all sorts of weird and wonderful things that they class as herbs, a lot with purported medicinal properties, something else that also intrigues me

[Peanut]

Vince G Thanks some really fab recipe suggestions, I will definitely do.
I overwinter lots of stuff but have found most do best kept outside under fleece (not chillies, they come in.)
I have a large 50cm pot with 2 lemon verbena, a little bay plant and 2 French tarragon plants, they were all new last year from the culinary herb company. My garden is south facing. To keep them over winter I moved the pot up against the east facing wall of the house and covered the whole thing with 2 layers of 20gsm fleece. To my delight everything survived and is now thriving and in desperate need of harvesting.

[Nicos]

Most will freeze.
Either as they are or in icecubes.

I was surprised when I came to live here to see cartons of herbs in the freezer section of the supermarkets.
I’d never have thought of doing that.

We tend to freeze the flat leaves parsley in plastic bags…once it’s been tumbled around a bit during a rummaging session it does turn to a powdery mess, but it’s fine used in cooking.
I tend to freeze basil in icecube trays with a little water.

[Peanut]

Most will freeze.
Either as they are or in icecubes.

I was surprised when I came to live here to see cartons of herbs in the freezer section of the supermarkets.
I’d never have thought of doing that.

We tend to freeze the flat leaves parsley in plastic bags…once it’s been tumbled around a bit during a rummaging session it does turn to a powdery mess, but it’s fine used in cooking.
I tend to freeze basil in icecube trays with a little water.

I've just bought a selection of silicon ice cube, muffin trays and other odd shaped silicon bits with the idea of freezing some herbs in water, oil and as flavoured butters.

My problem, with every aspect of my life, to be fair, is actually getting round to do it, loads of thoughts and ideas, just making the time to do it is my downfall.