Growing Culinary Herbs

Growing culinary herbs has been a practical past time for thousands of years. Extensively used in cooking around the world, herbs can accommodate even the most discerning of tastes with a multitude of flavors and scents that will supplement your favorite recipe.

Here are some herbs for cooking that you might want to try growing:

Almost everyone has added parsley to their fish dishes. Parsley is also great in dishes made with cheese, chicken, and lamb. It should be used for much more than just a garnish on the side. It also gives great flavor to soups and salads.

Thyme comes from the leaves of a small, woody-stemmed plant. It is a versatile herb when it comes to cooking. Just a few uses are in sauces spread over beef, stews, grilled chicken and even tuna casserole.

Basil is likely the most frequently used additive used to prepare Italian food. It adds the perfect touch. There are a wide variety of uses for basil, ranging from pasta to pizza to soups. When fixing tomato paste, simply sprinkle a bit on to create a delicious dish.

Two related herbs with spice are tarragon and aniseed. Tarragon’s spicy narrow leaves work well on fish or add it to mayo for a tangy alternative. Anis’ taste resembles licorice (and is actually used in artificial licorice) and also provides a new twist to a traditional recipe.

Growing culinary herbs isn’t very difficult.  They require only the same things that any type of herb does - sunshine, water and soil.  In fact, they are rather hardy and quite resistant to disease.  It’s true, growing herbs for cooking is quite easy!

Another popular thing that you can grow in your garden is coriander. Coriander can be yielded from the plant which forms the base of cilantro. It is known for having a strong, citrus-like flavor and is regularly used on pork or in curry. The sweet zing coriander offers is popular in chutney as well. Another herb often found in chutney is dill. Dill has a slight tanginess that lends itself to pickling, topping salads, or even adding to olive oil.

There are a number of popular herbs in the mint family. Rosemary and sage are two such herbs that are regularly incorporated into dishes. Peppermint can often be used in dishes to create a zesty odor and taste. Finally, mint is regularly used with veal or potatoes, in soup, and to make jellies.

Anyone feeling a little adventurous might want to try the more uncommon herb, saffron. The unique pungency complementing its honey-like flavor produces results that are just a tad different from the more typical flavorings. Used for a traditional rice pudding by the Turks, it’s also great in fish and chicken dishes.

Using herbs for cooking can be great fun, and you’ll discover once you give them a try that they can help you turn a mundane dish into a culinary work of art. Growing culinary herbs will help you add just the right flavor to your recipes, whatever your cooking style.