Herbs

Herbs make all the difference in food. The term “herb” usually refers to the aromatic leafy parts of a plant whereas spices are products of pungent seeds, roots and bark. Some reasons for growing a garden are for freshness of crop, easy availability of crop, preserving of harvest for later use because of price and flavor. Herbs fit into each of these categories. They are great fresh, they are easy to grow and they are easy to preserve.

If you have never grown any herbs, make this the year to start. The taste of fresh tomatoes seasoned with fresh basil and tossed with olive oil and vinegar is tough to beat. Select a few herbs that you may use often such as basil, parsley, rosemary or oregano. Start with plants and find a nice sunny location either in the flower or vegetable garden or, if space is limited, put them in pots on the porch or patio. If potting them, be sure to use at least a 5 or 6″ pot and use good potting soil such as Pro Mix. Fertilize the herbs at the time of planting with Espoma Garden-tone Organic Fertilizer. Thereafter, just keep them watered and fertilized like you would any other flower or vegetable plant.

You may also want to try an herb that you do not use very often, but would if it was readily available, such as fennel, shallots, cilantro, thyme or dill. Here again, start with plants. It is much easier!

Must Grow Herbs…

…all easy and all useful!

Herb	Suggestions on Use	Storage Methods
Basil Sweet	cooking, salads, soups, vegetables	hang to dry, ice cubes
Oregano Greek	Greek/Italian cooking, used dry more than fresh	hang to dry, ice cubes
Parsley	sauces, dressings, savory dishes	hang to dry, ice cubes
Rosemary Upright	meat, soups, stews, cooking oil, vinegar	hang to dry, ice cubes
Thyme Lemon Variegated	mushrooms, zucchini, French cooking	hang to dry, ice cubes

Other Herbs

… try them in your garden

Herb	Suggestions on Use	Storage Methods
Basil Cinnamon	cooking, salads, soups, vegetables	hang to dry, ice cubes
Basil Lemon	cooking, salads, soups, vegetables	hang to dry, ice cubes
Bay Laurel	meats, sauces	hang to dry, ice cubes
Caraway Leaves	salads, soups	hang to dry, ice cubes
Caraway Roots	cook as a vegetable
Caraway Seeds	cooking, soups, vegetables
Catnip	tea, dried for stuffing cat toys	hang to dry
Chamomile Lutea	tea	hang to dry
Chamomile Roman	tea, (ground cover)	hang to dry
Chives	potatoes, salads, soups, sauces, eggs	ice cubes
Chives Garlic	potatoes, salads, soups, sauces, eggs	ice cubes
Cilantro	salsa, pickling	hang to dry, ice cubes
Dill – Super Dukat	cooking, fish, potatoes, pickling, eggs	hang to dry, ice cubes
Dill – Fernleaf	cooking, fish, potatoes, pickling, eggs	hang to dry, ice cubes
Eucalyptus Cinera	potpourris, decorating	hang to dry
Fennel (anise flavor)	fish, vegetables, tea	hang to dry
Lavender French	potpourri, scented articles	hang to dry
Leek	cooking, salads, soups, vegetables	ice cubes
Marjoram Sweet (Italian oregano)	Greek/Italian cooking, used dry more than fresh	hang to dry
Mint Orange	concentrated waters and spirits	hang to dry
Santolina Gray	potpourri, decoration	hang to dry
Summery Savory	cooking, salads, soups, vegetables	hang to dry, ice cubes
Tarragon French	cooking, mustards, salad dressing, chicken, eggs	hang to dry, ice cubes

HERBS

…all easy and all useful!

… try them in your garden

Kiski Garden Center, 991 S Leechburg Hill Rd, Leechburg, PA 15656

724-845-8201