Plant a garden full of flavor
Gardeners who use herbs for cooking occasionally can tuck their favorite herbs in annual plantings and perennial borders. Chefs who grow herbs for daily use will want to grow herbs in their own beds. Planted near the kitchen, herbs will be accessible for daily clippings.
Most herbs prefer full sun, but parsley and mints will grow in light shade. Plant them in average, well-drained soil. Clay soil should be amended with compost before planting. Herbs rarely, if ever, require fertilizer.
Harvest herbs when flavors are at their peak, just after the dew has dried in the morning. Rinse and then place herbs between layers of damp paper towels, put them into plastic storage bags, and store them in the vegetable drawer of the refrigerator.
When using fresh herbs in recipes, bruise them to release their essential oils before adding them to the recipe. In dishes that require a long time to cook, add herbs the last 20 to 30 minutes.
Basil is an annual herb with the most delicious fragrance. Capture its best flavor by harvesting tender young leaves before the plant begins to flower. Use basil leaves in pesto, tomato relish and soups. Add leaves to green salads or use them instead of lettuce in tacos. I put a few sprigs of basil in a glass of cold water on a hot summer day.
A perennial herb, chives grow up to a foot tall and flower in June. Use its grasslike foliage to flavor salads, soups, potato dishes, and anything else that could use a mild onion taste. The flowers are also edible and are pretty tossed in a salad. Everyone loves new potatoes with butter and a dash of chopped chives.
Cilantro needs a space to call its own in the garden where foliage can be used in cooking and then the plant can go to seed (coriander). The lacy leaves of cilantro grow quickly in cool weather. Flattened umbrella-like white flowers top tall flower stems when the weather warms. Plant seeds every couple of weeks for a steady supply of fresh, young leaves. Salsa made with freshly picked tomatoes, peppers, onions and cilantro is healthy and delicious.
Parsley is not just for garnishing. Whether it's a curly or flat-leaved type, it is full of vitamins. Add some leaves to salads, soups and sauces. Don't forget to plant some extra plants for the butterflies in your garden. Parsley is a host plant for many types of caterpillars.
Rosemary is a tender perennial that can be overwintered indoors as a houseplant in a sunny window. The flavor of its pungent gray needlelike foliage complements meats, soups and stews, potatoes and other vegetables, and even drinks and desserts.
Another perennial herb, sage, grows up to a foot tall and its fuzzy foliage is often used with eggs, chicken, pasta and bread. What would Thanksgiving stuffing be without sage?
Often utilized as a ground cover, thyme leaves can be used to flavor soups, stews, salads, tomatoes, chicken and lamb. Thyme is pretty planted between flagstones, and its scent is released when it is stepped on. My favorite, lemon thyme, has a lovely citrus fragrance.
Plant some herbs this spring and harvest fresh herbs from the garden whenever a recipe or your taste buds call for them.
• Diana Stoll is a horticulturist, garden writer and the garden center manager at The Planter's Palette in Winfield. She blogs regularly gardenwithdiana.com.