Mixes well with bell peppers, eggplant, tomatoes, zucchini, chicken, beef, fish and tofu. Can also be used for herbed butters and vinegars, pesto, soups, stews, stir fries, curries, and tomato dishes.
Mixes well with potatoes, asparagus, onions, leeks, chicken fish, shellfish, and eggs. Primarily used as a garnish, this French staple shines in dips, soups, sauces, risottos, and rice.
Perhaps the most divisive of all herbs, the leaves of the coriander plant are used extensively in Mexican and Asian cuisine. Pairs well with avocados, tomatoes, bell peppers, chicken, shellfish, lamb, pork, lentils, and tofu. Cilantro is commonly used in salsas, guacamole, chutneys, soups, curries, and salads.
The fern-like dill is an important ingredient for pickling, borscht, and gravlax and pairs beautifully with cabbage, potatoes, cucumbers, carrots, green beans, and tomatoes. Dill also makes a wonderful addition to omelets, potato salads, fish and shellfish, sauces, salad dressings, and sour cream or yogurt dips.
Part of the mint family, lavender is often combined with other herbs in Herbes de Provence. Use it to season grilled meats, fish, tomatoes, vegetable dishes, and a variety desserts including chocolate.
Lemongrass is common in Asian cooking and praised for its fresh and lemony zing. It pairs well with bell peppers, tomatoes, poultry, beef, pork, fish, and seafood. Lemongrass is equally delicious when incorporated into soups, rice, curries, marinades, sauces, and teas.
Prized for its robust flavor, cilantro blends well with roasted meats and spicy foods, as well as bell peppers, artichokes, eggplant, mushrooms, tomatoes, potatoes, and zucchini. It is commonly used in tomato sauces, as a pizza topping, or in salad dressings.
Oregano’s milder and more nuanced cousin, Marjoram, is popular in Italian, Greek and German dishes. It pairs well with garlic and parsley, carrots, mushrooms, peas, spinach, zucchini, tomatoes as well as chicken and beef. Marjoram is a great addition to stuffings, salad dressings, soups, risottos, brown butter sauces and works wonders with tropical fruits like papayas and mangos.
Mint is a perfect complement to carrots, eggplants, watermelon, mushrooms, tomatoes, potatoes, zucchinis, beans, and meats, like lamb or poultry. It is also found in sweets like fruit salads, jellies, sorbets, and chocolates. And makes a great addition to curries, cream sauces, soups, marinades, cocktails, and teas.
An integral part of French Bouquet garni, Parsley is used in salads, rices dishes, and mixed with ground meats. It also pairs well with mushrooms, peas, potatoes, tomatoes, cucumbers, and zucchinis.
This mediterranean herb is commonly used to complement meat dishes, like lamb, poultry, or fish. It can also be added to breads, tomato sauces, soups and stews, roasted vegetables, and hummus.
Sage is considered an essential herb in Italian and Middle Eastern cooking, and plays an important part in many holiday dishes. It pairs well with brussel sprouts, eggplant, peas, winter squash, pork, beef, and turkey. It is commonly used in stuffings, salad dressings, soups, risottos, brown butter sauces, and roasted vegetable dishes.
Savory is often used to season meats, including sausages, and is a perfect complement to soups and stews.
Tarragon is frequently used to flavor pickles, mustards, and relishes; and makes a great addition to omelets, gazpachos, and salad dressings. It pairs well with artichokes, carrots, leeks, mushrooms, potatoes, spinach, chicken, beef, lamb, and fish.
The essential herb is used to season a variety of dishes, from soup stocks and sauces to beans and rice dishes. It pairs well with carrots, peas, potatoes, winter squash, and tomatoes; as well as chicken pork, lamb, duck, and fish. Thyme can also be included in the occasional cocktail. Most dishes stand to benefit from its delicate flavor.
While herbs fresh from the garden or the farmer’s market can add finesse to any dish, we are reluctant to cast them aside for the warmer months. While there are many ways to dry fresh herbs, we recommend these methods for air and heat drying. Freezing herbs can also be a great solution. Herbs can be stored for 6 to 12 months.
Herbs should be harvested in the early morning hours, once the morning dew has dried, before the heat of the day sets in, around noon. Choose a sunny day, when the essential oils in the plants are at their best, to ensure you have the best quality product for drying. Pick mature plants before they bloom, if possible.
Wash them in cold water to remove dirt, and pat dry with a clean kitchen cloth. Remove leaves from the stems by pinching the stem and dragging index finger alongside it. Most of the leaves should fall off easily. It is important to process your herbs immediately afterwards, avoid leaving them lying around for hours.
This technique takes a little more time, but it prevents burning the herbs. Individual leaves can be dried on sheets or towels in a shaded and warm environment. Once they have dried, store them in airtight containers. To retain the herbs’ flavor and potency, crush or crumble them just before using. Label jars with the name of the herb and the date. Store jars in a cool, dark place away from heat, humidity, and temperature fluctuations.
Set the oven to 125° F / 50°C. Place the patted-dry leaves onto a cooling rack placed inside a baking sheet in the oven, this will prevent the herbs from burning as the pan heats up. Leave the oven door slightly open to allow the moisture to evaporate. Keep a close eye on the heating process to prevent herbs from turning gray or brown, which will impact the flavor. Cooking time will vary according to the moisture content and the type of herbs and generally takes 1 to 2 hours. It is best to dry only one variety at at time to ensure that results are consistent.
Freezing herb is quick and easy. We suggest chopping them up into small pieces, and portioning them into an ice cube tray, about one tablespoon per cube. Add just enough water to cover the herbs, about ¾ full, and place them in the freezer. Top off the tray with water the following day to prevent freezer burn. Once they have solidified, remove the frozen herb cubes from the tray and place them into a Ziploc bag. Herbs can also be frozen in a quality extra virgin olive oil. Freeze overnight, and seal into plastic bags. Perfect for adding to any dish with an oil or savory base.
Mixes well with bell peppers, eggplant, tomatoes, zucchini, chicken, beef, fish and tofu. Can also be used for herbed butters and vinegars, pesto, soups, stews, stir fries, curries, and tomato dishes.
Mixes well with potatoes, asparagus, onions, leeks, chicken fish, shellfish, and eggs. Primarily used as a garnish, this French staple shines in dips, soups, sauces, risottos, and rice.
Perhaps the most divisive of all herbs, the leaves of the coriander plant are used extensively in Mexican and Asian cuisine. Pairs well with avocados, tomatoes, bell peppers, chicken, shellfish, lamb, pork, lentils, and tofu. Cilantro is commonly used in salsas, guacamole, chutneys, soups, curries, and salads.
The fern-like dill is an important ingredient for pickling, borscht, and gravlax and pairs beautifully with cabbage, potatoes, cucumbers, carrots, green beans, and tomatoes. Dill also makes a wonderful addition to omelets, potato salads, fish and shellfish, sauces, salad dressings, and sour cream or yogurt dips.
Part of the mint family, lavender is often combined with other herbs in Herbes de Provence. Use it to season grilled meats, fish, tomatoes, vegetable dishes, and a variety desserts including chocolate.
Lemongrass is common in Asian cooking and praised for its fresh and lemony zing. It pairs well with bell peppers, tomatoes, poultry, beef, pork, fish, and seafood. Lemongrass is equally delicious when incorporated into soups, rice, curries, marinades, sauces, and teas.
Prized for its robust flavor, cilantro blends well with roasted meats and spicy foods, as well as bell peppers, artichokes, eggplant, mushrooms, tomatoes, potatoes, and zucchini. It is commonly used in tomato sauces, as a pizza topping, or in salad dressings.
Oregano’s milder and more nuanced cousin, Marjoram, is popular in Italian, Greek and German dishes. It pairs well with garlic and parsley, carrots, mushrooms, peas, spinach, zucchini, tomatoes as well as chicken and beef. Marjoram is a great addition to stuffings, salad dressings, soups, risottos, brown butter sauces and works wonders with tropical fruits like papayas and mangos.
Mint is a perfect complement to carrots, eggplants, watermelon, mushrooms, tomatoes, potatoes, zucchinis, beans, and meats, like lamb or poultry. It is also found in sweets like fruit salads, jellies, sorbets, and chocolates. And makes a great addition to curries, cream sauces, soups, marinades, cocktails, and teas.
An integral part of French Bouquet garni, Parsley is used in salads, rices dishes, and mixed with ground meats. It also pairs well with mushrooms, peas, potatoes, tomatoes, cucumbers, and zucchinis.
This mediterranean herb is commonly used to complement meat dishes, like lamb, poultry, or fish. It can also be added to breads, tomato sauces, soups and stews, roasted vegetables, and hummus.
Sage is considered an essential herb in Italian and Middle Eastern cooking, and plays an important part in many holiday dishes. It pairs well with brussel sprouts, eggplant, peas, winter squash, pork, beef, and turkey. It is commonly used in stuffings, salad dressings, soups, risottos, brown butter sauces, and roasted vegetable dishes.
Savory is often used to season meats, including sausages, and is a perfect complement to soups and stews.
Tarragon is frequently used to flavor pickles, mustards, and relishes; and makes a great addition to omelets, gazpachos, and salad dressings. It pairs well with artichokes, carrots, leeks, mushrooms, potatoes, spinach, chicken, beef, lamb, and fish.
The essential herb is used to season a variety of dishes, from soup stocks and sauces to beans and rice dishes. It pairs well with carrots, peas, potatoes, winter squash, and tomatoes; as well as chicken pork, lamb, duck, and fish. Thyme can also be included in the occasional cocktail. Most dishes stand to benefit from its delicate flavor.
While herbs fresh from the garden or the farmer’s market can add finesse to any dish, we are reluctant to cast them aside for the warmer months. While there are many ways to dry fresh herbs, we recommend these methods for air and heat drying. Freezing herbs can also be a great solution. Herbs can be stored for 6 to 12 months.
Herbs should be harvested in the early morning hours, once the morning dew has dried, before the heat of the day sets in, around noon. Choose a sunny day, when the essential oils in the plants are at their best, to ensure you have the best quality product for drying. Pick mature plants before they bloom, if possible.
Wash them in cold water to remove dirt, and pat dry with a clean kitchen cloth. Remove leaves from the stems by pinching the stem and dragging index finger alongside it. Most of the leaves should fall off easily. It is important to process your herbs immediately afterwards, avoid leaving them lying around for hours.
This technique takes a little more time, but it prevents burning the herbs. Individual leaves can be dried on sheets or towels in a shaded and warm environment. Once they have dried, store them in airtight containers. To retain the herbs’ flavor and potency, crush or crumble them just before using. Label jars with the name of the herb and the date. Store jars in a cool, dark place away from heat, humidity, and temperature fluctuations.
Set the oven to 125° F / 50°C. Place the patted-dry leaves onto a cooling rack placed inside a baking sheet in the oven, this will prevent the herbs from burning as the pan heats up. Leave the oven door slightly open to allow the moisture to evaporate. Keep a close eye on the heating process to prevent herbs from turning gray or brown, which will impact the flavor. Cooking time will vary according to the moisture content and the type of herbs and generally takes 1 to 2 hours. It is best to dry only one variety at at time to ensure that results are consistent.
Freezing herb is quick and easy. We suggest chopping them up into small pieces, and portioning them into an ice cube tray, about one tablespoon per cube. Add just enough water to cover the herbs, about ¾ full, and place them in the freezer. Top off the tray with water the following day to prevent freezer burn. Once they have solidified, remove the frozen herb cubes from the tray and place them into a Ziploc bag. Herbs can also be frozen in a quality extra virgin olive oil. Freeze overnight, and seal into plastic bags. Perfect for adding to any dish with an oil or savory base.
