Meemaw Eats

Family, Food, and Fun

Ten Herbs for Every Cook’s Garden

by 4 Comments

TenHerbs As many of you know, in the winter months we live in a one bedroom condo in a wonderful old two story Art Deco building on the water in Florida, and since space is at a premium, I’m lucky to have a small space outside our back door where I planted an herb garden.

Whether we’re in Iowa in the summer or Florida in the winter, having fresh herbs for cooking up tasty meals is a necessity, so I really try to make the most of the limited space and plant all of the herbs I use in my cooking. 
 
Since Florida is in the tropics, many of the herbs can’t take the brutal summer sun. So every year when we return for the winter, I’m anxious to see which of my little plants have braved the heat and are waiting to end up in my recipes.  
 
This year, I was greeted by my hardy rosemary plant and my garlic chives. Garlic chives seem to grow anywhere, so I wasn’t surprised that they survived the summer heat! And my rosemary grows to HUGE heights here, so my wonderful year round neighbors keep cutting it back while we’re gone.  Otherwise it might be six feet tall when we return!   
 

To round out my little garden, we made a trip to the nearest big box store to check out their herb selection, but just like in previous years I ended up at Publix grocery store.  Their herb plants are four times larger and healthier looking than anywhere else, and they are almost the same price. (Love you Publix!)

I was on the hunt for these ten “must-have” herbs:
 

1. Basil – there is no prettier or tastier salad than a sliced, red-ripe tomato topped with fresh mozzarella and fresh basil leaves, then drizzled with a thick balsamic glaze. Mmmm! My mouth is watering just thinking of it. 

For an unexpected twist on basil, I love to use it in Mom’s Strawberry Shortcake. Try it; you’ll be surprised at how much flavor it adds to this sweet treat.
 
2. Rosemary – I use rosemary in many pork and chicken dishes, including one of my signature recipes: Drunken Chicken. And as long time readers know, Rosemary is one of my all-time favorite herbs ever; if I wore perfume, it would be Rosemary-scented. I even wrote an ode to it!
 
Meemaw + Rosemary = Love.
 
3. Garlic Chives – Garlic chives steal the show in many of my dishes, especially fresh salads and compound butters. I’ll leave you with three words on the subject. MEEMAW’s GARLIC BREAD.
 
Have I convinced you to plant this in your garden yet?
 
4. Oregano – Oh Oh Oregano. Most famous for livening up Italian dishes everywhere. And my family often requests Italian for dinner, so I use it to flavor all of those bellissimo plates I crank out of my kitchen. 
 
But oregano is not just a one hit wonder. I use it soups, dry rubs, and even salsa! Check out my Sweet Corn and Avocado Salsa recipe for proof!
 
5. Dill – A perfect compliment to fish and seafood, and in Florida that means whatever the “Catch Of The Day” might be.  On the short list? To recreate this scrumpcious Grilled Salmon with Dill Sauce dish from the Kalona Brewing Company. Excuse me while I add salmon to the week’s grocery list!
 
6. Flat Leaf Italian Parsley – Fresh parsley adds a touch of brightness to ANY dish.  I sprinkle chopped parsley onto many pasta dishes, salads, soups, butters, the list goes on….and on.
 
My biggest parsley haul ever produced some very tasty dishes, like Parsley Pesto Sauce. YUM! Want more parsley recipe ideas? See: pretty much every recipe on this blog. Seriously. 
 
7. Thyme -To me, the aroma of thyme brings back happy memories – memories of comfort and family togetherness. It’s the superstar ingredient of two of my favorite comfort foods ever – good ‘ol Chicken Pot Pie and delicious Beef Stew with Garlic Mashed Potatoes.  On a rainy day, there’s nothing better than curling up with a good book (or blog!) and smelling one of these delectable dishes cooking in the kitchen.
 
8. Onion Chives – Sometimes my grandkids can be a fickle bunch when it comes to eating their veggies. But a crowd favorite are these Chive Carrots made with fresh onion chives. I even used them in one of my classic clean-out-the-fridge slash make-it-up-as-you-go recipes: Blue Cheese and Bacon Nachos.
 
9. Sage – Thanksgiving lovers rejoice! This herb is most famous for turkey dinners everywhere on the holiday known for celebrating the pioneers’ first harvest in the New World. But I love this herb so much, I cook with it all year round. It’s especially tasty served up in sausage dishes, like these Sausage Stuffed Meatballs.
 
10. Mint – Last, but definitely not least. Mint is a must have for my Snowbird Happy Hour Mojitos! I just pick some out of the garden, “muddle” the leaves, and voila!  A fun night is had by all. (Sometimes……a little “too” fun, if you know what I mean. I’m looking at you, Toni.)
 

It’s also a surprise ingredient in Joyce’s Best Ever Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe. Mint and chocolate, what could be better?

 Tip: Plant mint in a pot instead of in the ground, since mint is a very invasive herb and will take over everything!

 So there you have it. Meemaw’s ten “must-have” herbs for every cook’s garden. To say I love cooking with herbs?

 An understatement. Trust me, every dinner will taste better when your meals are made with the freshest herbs, found right outside your door.

Which herbs are your favorites? Sound off in the comments! Happy Cooking!

Comments

    • Meemaw says

      Thanks for your question Jan. And the answer is…NOT YET! I am writing a blog post about grilling salmon, and I’ll be sure to add the recipe. And thanks again for asking!

      Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.