The best herb ever!

[Snadger]

Has to be herb Bergamot! So easy to grow and the bonniest flowers you could imagine that last for ages. A few leaves dropped into a cup of hot stong milky tea give it a lovely Earl Grey tang!

[RedThorn]

and (sorry) coriander leaves just taste like mud.

hence why I said the seeds and not the leaves
Find the fresh leaves burn my tongue and no not that nice chilli burn either, more like drinking pure acid type burn(don't ask how I know! )

[Florence Fennel]

I'm not a fan of coriander, but I do like home made carrot and coriander soup. However, my daughter who adores coriander recently made a batch of coriander and carrot soup for me and I've a sneaking suspicion she forgot to put any carrot in it. Nuff said.

[Glutton4...]

You lot are mad - Coriander (or Cilantro if you's a furrener) is soooooo yummy, I pick off the leaves and munch 'em just coz they're there, so does Mr. G, I'll have to plant about an acre of it I reckon!

[Two_Sheds]

What kind of a herb is a banana?

tis true, google it. OK, I did: Did You Know a Banana Is an Herb?

[glasgowdan]

The main use for corainder is surely curries...anything else won't maximise the herb.

My favourites are:

1. French Tarragon. I eat it as a side garnish on many dishes with sliced radish and other herbs and it's wonderful.

2. Parsley because I cook so many stews and dishes that use it, but I need a LOT of it

3. Rosemary, because it looks so pretty, adds such an exquisite touch to many roast dishes, gives you a warm feeling when you brush past it and catch a whiff and is a nice structural plant to have in the garden.

I have big plans for herbs this year and can't wait!

[grannysmith]

I'm also a basil girl. I bought some last year to keep on the kitchen windowsill and it tasted SO much better than dried in recipes. I use it all the time now, and fresh tastes completely different from the dried version.

[Rabidbun]

I like most of the herbs I've tried, favourites though have to be:

1. Parsley (goes in most things from cornish pasties to vodka and chilli pasta)
2. Coriander (thai curries mostly, also salsas)
3. Oregano (pizzas to pastas)

Going to go and make a list of plants to get this year now!

[cupcake]

Basil Mrs Burns Lemon is my all time favourite, but French Tarragon comes a close second. All the thymes and rosemary (all of which succumbed to our cold winter!)

[wellie]

Excellent thread if I might say so?
And I think it's lovely to grow fresh herbs (whether you get around to drying them for later kitchen use is up to us, obviously), but I am hugely in love with the rather tender Sweet Marjoram and French Tarragon. I am also in love with Lovage, French Sorrel, simply every single one of the Thymes, Rosemary, Sage, both Curly AND Flat-Leaf Parsley..... ALL of the Basils, and I love the idea of fresh Coriander leaves, but am never quite successful enough at growing it without it running to seed (show me a person that is, eh?!) I'm also trying my hand at Lemongrass, for a giggle.
It's lovely that you've started this thread, thank you, because you've kind of got me 'all fired up' again for the season ahead.

[Janek]

I was born in Oz of 75%/25% Polish/Ukrainian descent. Although we cook a range of multi-cultural dishes, we mostly cook Polish so that means our favourite herbs are flat leaf parsley, bay leaves, garlic and onions. Our 'signature dish' is Polish Goulash which we reckon leaves any Hungarian Goulash for dead! I have the recipe stored on my computer so if any of you want to give it a go let me know. True to Keith Floyd's tradition, we put half a bottle of red wine into the goulash and drink the other half while enjoying it! The sauce alone is to die for! And the meat is to die for too, just melts in your mouth! And with our GFC the cheapest cuts of meat are the ones you use for casseroles and goulashes. A great way to save money, and the end result is a great-tasting dish! It's not just a winter dish either. We enjoy it all year round!

[sarraceniac]

Hi Janek. I'm sure i'm not the only one that would like to see the recipe. Does it use loads of paprika?

[Janek]

G'Day Sarracenia!

It is one of those recipes that you can vary however you want with the various ingredients. Best to PM me with your e-mail address so I can send the recipe to you (a Microsoft Word/Open Office file) as an attachment to preserve the formatting. As it's still winter in your neck of the woods you must try the recipe soon. It is to die for, and you will cook it again and again! I have asked God to bless my mother for coming up with such a wonderfully tasty recipe. She's 87 years old and very frail with osteoporosis (she has shrunk six inches in height!), having had so many falls and broken so many bones. But we Poles aren't quitters!

[kirsty b]

Can't pick just one! Rosemary - lovely in slow-cooked casseroles, Thyme, sprinkled on roast potatoes, parsley, coriander and sage.

[sarraceniac]

Thanks for the recipe Janek. Certainly looks delish (and with enough chili devilish ). Have you ever tried it with fresh mushrooms? I know the recipe advises dried but I think I'll try fresh oysters. The mycelium on the ones I am growing is very healthy on the grey, the pink and the golden bags of straw, so I should have some fruit soon. And my Wood blewitt box is looking great.