There is something about stepping out to the patio mid-cook to cut a handful of fresh kitchen herbs that makes dinner feel a little more magical. The smell hits you before you even get back inside. That is the part I look forward to every spring, and the part that reminds me why I bother growing them every year.
I have a solid collection of dried herbs, and I use them all the time. They have their own place in this kitchen, and I am not ever giving them up. Dried thyme in a slow braise. Dried oregano on homemade pizza. Dried mint and chamomile for tea. There are so so many uses for dried herbs.
But fresh kitchen herbs are just a completely different experience. Potent in a way that dried simply is not, and just oh so fragrant. When I pull a sprig of rosemary off the plant and strip it over a pan of chicken, the smell that comes off it is something I cannot replicate from dried rosemary in a jar. It is just not the same!
Rosemary is the one I grow for the kitchen always. I use it in so many dishes.
Outside the kitchen, you can make a simple hair rinse with it. A few sprigs steeped in hot water, then cooled to room temperature and poured over the scalp after washing. Rosemary is known to stimulate scalp circulation and support hair growth over time.
Thyme is the herb that goes on almost everything. Especially steak and chicken dishes.
It is also the first thing I put in an herbal blend when a sore throat is looming. Fresh thyme steeped in hot water with mint, a little honey, sometimes lemon. Thyme has real antimicrobial properties and a long history of use for respiratory complaints. It seems to help.
Chives are a fan favorite here. The last step on almost everything, eggs especially.
They are part of the allium family, the same as garlic and onion, which carry some of the same antimicrobial and digestive support.
Dill is an absolute must-have. It is delicate, so it is usually garnished at the end. Cucumber salad, soft-boiled eggs, ranch, salmon.
It also has a long history as a digestive herb, used to ease bloating and settle the stomach after meals. A plant that tastes delicious and helps you digest what you just ate is magical!
Parsley took me a while to truly appreciate. I bought it at the grocery store for years, used a bit, watched the rest go yellow in the drawer. Growing it changed our relationship. Fresh flat-leaf parsley is bright and lifts whatever plate it lands on!
It is also one of the more nutrient-dense herbs in the garden. High in vitamin C, vitamin K, and iron, and used traditionally to support kidney function. Win-Win!
All five of these fresh kitchen herbs will be in containers on my patio in the coming weeks. None of them takes much space. None of them really ask much of you, either. What they give back is the thing I cannot really explain until you have walked out mid-cook, cut something fresh, and brought it back inside with the smell still on your hands 🙂
Start with the herb you reach for most in the kitchen. Try planting one this week and tag me if you do!! – @wildgroundliving
