Five Easy Herbs
Fresh herbs! They are the magic ingredient that can transform a dish from ordinary to special. Why don't we use them more? I think part of the reason is cost. A small bunch of herbs costs as much as a whole head of lettuce, so we hesitate. We think about how we threw out that spoiled bunch of parsley after using only a few sprigs and we back off. The solution is to grow your own, either in the garden or on a sunny windowsill. I'll offer tips on growing and using five of the most popular herbs, along with recipes from Calorie Count members.
The one thing all herbs have in common is their love of sunshine. They need 6 hours of direct sun to thrive. All of them will grow in ordinary soil, with no need of special fertilizers. In fact, over-fertilizing herbs will harm them. Some herbs are grown as annuals and some return each year.
Chive, a member of the onion family, is a perennial plant. Easily grown from seed or from small plants, it forms clumps that send up pretty pink or purple flowers. They require cutting back to the ground in winter, and occassional dividing when the clumps become too large. They are also easily grown in pots. A pot of chives on the sunny windowsill provides plenty to snip and add to baked potatoes and creamy dishes.
Basil, famous in Mediterannean cooking, is grown as an annual. It's also easy to grow from seed, but invest in a few pots for quicker results. All basil requires is plenty of sun and frequent snipping. The more you cut the more you get, as each cut stem produces two more. It's a good idea to plant a succession of basil, because once it flowers, the leaves turn bitter. To prolong the life of the plant, cut off any flower buds as soon as they appear.
Thyme is a perennial and can be used as an ornamental edge in the garden. There are many varieties of thyme, such as lemon thyme and the varigated leaf varieties, but ordinary, culinary thyme is most popular. Thyme is slow to start from seed, so I recommend buying a few plants. Once established, they will return and get larger each year.
Dill is fast growing from seed. You'll want to plant a succession to have fresh dill leaves all summer. It doesn't do as well in pots as other herbs because of it's tall growth and heavy flower and seed heads. You will want to save those seeds for flavoring many dishes, including pickles.
Parsley, unlike the other herbs we've mentioned, is a biennial. That means it flowers the second year after planting. The first year you will have a continuous crop, and the more you cut the more will grow. The clumps will winter over. Here in Pennsylvania, I've been able to cut parsley right up to the first killing frost, and sometimes after. In the spring, you'll get a short crop of fresh leaves until the plant blooms and the leaves turn tough and bitter. That gives you enough time to plant for the next season.
All these herbs add flavor and aroma to our cooking. Calorie Count members have contributed amazing recipes. Here are some of the best:
- Parsley and Red Pepper Dip - Fresh tasting, high in protein and low in calories, this dip is perfect with crudite or toasted pita triangles.
- Roasted Tomato and Basil Soup - Concentrated, rich flavor of roasted cherry tomatoes and lots of basil makes this a soup for fresh from the garden ingredients.
- Cucumber Dill and Yogurt Salad - A fresh new take on old-fashioned cucumbers in sour cream. Yogurt keeps it low fat without losing any of the creamy tart flavor.
Comments
There is an amazing salad recipe called "fatoosh" at allrecipes.com. It uses parsely and mint...both fresh, in the best salad i have ever made.
How about rosemary???? Couldn't cook without it. I don't think herbs are expensive in that they add soooo much flavor and depth to low fat cooking-I could not do without them. Parsley, of course, but cilantro also always seems to be available for under $1 a bunch. Cut the stems like you would fresh flowers and keep in a jar of clean water in the frige-they'll last a long time. The lemon/rosemay chicken is a staple here as is beef daube with rosemary, bay, thyme, yummy. I also have expanded my borders to include chicken vindaloo(weight watchers recipe) and it was great. The herb bouquet for poultry is amazing! Basil in Tuscan tomato soup or in pesto-I have thoroughly converted to loving fresh herbs!!
Here are the recipes that were featured in the newsletter
Crispy Garlic-Thyme Chicken BreastsCrispy Garlic-Thyme Chicken Breasts - Delicious, juicy chicken, rich with the flavors of garlic and fresh thyme... continue reading
Light Basil Pesto
Classic Pesto Sauce with less oil and more basil. The pine nuts are left out for a lower calorie count, but they could be added if desired... continue reading
Chive Ricotta Pasta with Zucchini
The addition of lightly cooked ribbons of zucchini added to the whole wheat pasta, makes for a very generous serving size... continue reading
karenana, I love rosemary too, but have always found it hard to grow. Most years I just buy a plant and discard it at the end of summer. In some parts of the country, such as Southern California, it can be grown as a perennial shrub.
This is truly useful! I love fresh herbs, and love having flowrs & plants around the house & on the balcony. Thanks for sharing!
Parsley, dill and no doubt other herbs, too, keep best in the fridge when they are in a tightly closed jar. I used to keep them in a jar of water in the fridge, until a cook told me this new trick. I wash them first, shake off all the excess water, and they keep fresh at least twice as long this way.
I just discovered lavender...the cooking kind, not the blooming one. Put that, on some chicken breast, add bell pepper, and carrots (or any other veggie), bake it in the oven....TASTY! And it grows like crazy and smells good!
I love rosemary and find it quite easy to grow here in the NW...Oregon Valley. My huge shrub is probably 5 years old and about 5 ft. tall. It did get some damage this last winter from the heavy snow and ice we had for a long time, but it is now blooming its pretty purple. I use rosemary on roast beef, chicken, soups and also vinegars. When planting put it in the coner of the yard where it will get some protection from the wind. If you get a lot of snow put a frame around it in the fall and then cover with plastic and then keep the snow and ice off of it.
Original Post by: delight2uI love rosemary and find it quite easy to grow here in the NW...Oregon Valley. My huge shrub is probably 5 years old and about 5 ft. tall. It did get some damage this last winter from the heavy snow and ice we had for a long time, but it is now blooming its pretty purple. I use rosemary on roast beef, chicken, soups and also vinegars. When planting put it in the coner of the yard where it will get some protection from the wind. If you get a lot of snow put a frame around it in the fall and then cover with plastic and then keep the snow and ice off of it.
I envy you your rosemary! Here in Pennsylvania, it dies in the winter. I've never had luck bringing the plant indoors. I was partly successful one year, but it didn't make it through the next summer when I put it out again. There was also heavy needle drop all winter, making it a very messy plant indeed.
But I can get a nice inexpensive plant or two from a local nursery each year.
Original Post by: poetnwYes! Fresh herbs. Mint and its cousin oregano grow like weeds. I make a tasty pesto that uses mint, oregano and spinach and parsley instead of basil. I put in ground sunflower seeds cause its a reasonablly priced nut/seed. Quite tasty and uses early season home raised herbs. Oregano is also tasty when used for tea. Thinking of herbs as more than just a condiment really can tame the food bill.
I would love your pesto recipe. It sounds delicious. devo88@sbcglobal.net
i have chive and basil on my balcony, and i don't think they get 6 hours of direct sunshine every day, but they still grow well. i add them to pretty much everything i eat, fresh herbs make everything taste so much better!
Have to agree! My garden is about half devoted to herbs; oregano, thyme, basil, rosemary, sage. Love being able to pop out to my plants and pump up my dressings, my meats, etc.
Best of all is watching my youngest becoming a foodie, learning to cook, taste, and experiment. He gets the biggest kick every time he pulls off something new!
-CD
My parents are Iranian and that dill yogurt dish is something we all eat! My mom uses it as a dip during parties, but I its maybe the most perfect hot summer day snack! Thanks for sharing the nutrional info on it.
(PS Try it with chopped onions or onion powder instead of garlic, its amazing!)
Hello,
I've found these herbs on-line: straightfromfrance.com
It's a shop where you can buy French gourmet food for a good price, it's healthy, a lot of choice, amazing quality and deliver right to your door!!
Bye bye
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Yes! Fresh herbs. Mint and its cousin oregano grow like weeds. I make a tasty pesto that uses mint, oregano and spinach and parsley instead of basil. I put in ground sunflower seeds cause its a reasonablly priced nut/seed. Quite tasty and uses early season home raised herbs. Oregano is also tasty when used for tea. Thinking of herbs as more than just a condiment really can tame the food bill.