Cris
Essential Herbs and How to Grow Them
We all need a little spice in our lives. I love to cook, but without certain herbs and spices, things re a little bland. There are definitely some must have herbs to keep on hand, and I prefer the organic ones you grow at home. What are the essential herbs and how do you grow them?
Herbs are actually really easy to grow if you have a green thumb like I do. I tend to grow so much that I need to be able to save them for later use. This way I have lots on hand for those cold winter days when you just can’t pick fresh ones.
I have grown them indoors in pots, but the result is just not the same as far as quantity goes. There is certainly something much more exciting looking at that glorious spread of basil in the garden rather than that one little pot in the window.
Here I am going to break down my must have herbs, and how I successfully grow and preserve them every year. I of course have some I use much more than others, so I do grow more of those.
Essential Cooking Herbs
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Oregano
Who doesn’t use Oregano in their meal planning? This one is definitely on the top of my list for its savory flavor. I use it in pizza sauce, spaghetti sauce, on roasted vegetables, with chicken, and in soups. It is really very versatile as an herb and a little goes a long way.
Oregano is easy to grow either in the garden, or in a pot. Being in the mint family it likes to self-sow and spread out, so it makes a great winter sower. You can propagate more plants by dividing the root system in the fall. Oregano grows well in USDA Hardiness zones 4 to 10 but could use some protection in the winter in the northern areas.
This herb can be used fresh, but its flavor is often much stronger when it is dried. You can put it in a dehydrator to dry it out, but I like to hang it in bunches or use a hanging basket like this one for drying all my herbs. You can either crush the leaves or leave them whole in a jar for later use.
I think when drying them in a gentle breeze in the sun they are best protected from flying insects in a net. This goes for all fresh herbs; it takes some space to hang up so many bundles of herb branches for drying.
Basil
Again, in the mint family, this one will come back year after year. It makes a lovely bush that smells wonderful! You can grind it up with some olive oil to make pesto or toss some fresh leaves in a salad.
Basil has many health benefits as well, like cleansing the kidneys, aiding heart health, decreasing stress hormones and has great anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial properties. It’s no wonder that as a staple herb of Mediterranean cuisine this overall diet is actually good for you.
To preserve your fresh basil, you can wash and dry the stems and tie them in bunches and hang them up out of the wind. Alternatively, you can wash and dry the leaves and dry in a hanging rack. I like to preserve my own pesto by preparing it and then freezing it in ice cubes. This gives single serving size portions of homemade pesto to last through the winter.
Thyme
Thyme is one of those pungent spices that I’m not super fond of. When I find in it a recipe, I usually cut the measurement in half to suit my taste. It is an essential ingredient in many dishes, so you can’t just skip it.
Again, the best way to dry this one for long term storage is to tie the stems together and hang them up. Post drying, you remove the leaves and store them in a jar to use whenever you need it. Do be prepared for it to take a couple of weeks for this one to dry thoroughly.
Coriander
I grew cilantro one year, and it was lovely to have such fresh ingredients for tacos. Then we went camping and it turned to coriander and went to seed. I didn’t think much of it until the next season when there were all of these cute little green sprouts all over the garden. I plucked some and got a whiff, and then I laughed and laughed!
After letting these escaped sprouts go for a season, I got to have plenty of fresh cilantro, but I did not let them drop their seeds this time. When the flowers opened I let the bees do their work, then put a mesh bag around them. This way I was able to let the seeds develop and collect them to dry and grind for coriander.
This plant grows very well in zones 2 – 11 and will self-seed if you let it get away from you. I love the smell of it, so I don’t mind a few strays. Once the flower heads turn brown, you can snip them off and transfer them to your drying rack to finish drying. You can also hang them in their bags to collect seeds as they fall off. Store them whole and grind when you need or grind them now to save that step later.
Mustard
Have you ever made mustard at home? It is so easy and tastes so much better than the store- bought yellow bottle. What makes it even better is knowing you organically grew the mustard seeds that you made into mustard.
This plant is one that you grow to harvest the seeds from. So, you plant them and give them water and sunshine and wait for the flowers to come. Watch as the flowers mature for pods to form. When these pods turn brown and for the leaves to start to yellow, harvest the pods before they burst open.
I do like using small mesh bags to catch seeds as I’m not always watching all of the plants super close every day. I just tie a little bag around the flowers when they are starting to get close, then collect the bags full of seeds and pods later. Do a little sifting, and there you go, nothing but seeds left. Store dried mustard seeds in a jar until ready to make fresh mustard.
Bay Leaves
Bay Laurel trees are the best, they can grow indoors in a pot or outside in the ground in zones 7-10. This is a frost sensitive plant that should be brought in during winter storms. As this one is a tree, it will certainly last for many years.
To harvest, simply pluck a few leaves off and set them out to dry. You don’t want to use them fresh as they are really bitter when fresh. I always toss some into my sauces to give that added richness of favor.
Pluck some leaves, but don’t strip the entire plant of all of its leaves. Wash and dry them and then into the drying rack or dehydrator with them. Store in a sealed plastic bag or jar for up to a year.
Garlic
Garlic is planted in the fall and left to overwinter. In spring there will be green shoots popping up and eventually blooming. Cut off the flower heads so the plant spends more energy developing the bulb.
In about July, the tips of the leaves will start to yellow and fall over. At about this point, you should dig up your bulbs and place them in a dark place to dry. Don’t yank them by the stalk, or you could encourage them to rot by allowing bacteria and fungus into the bulb.
Tie a few of the bulbs together and hang them up to cure. It will take about six weeks for the bulbs to fully cure, but then you don’t have to go buy any when you need it. Once they are fully dry, you can trim the roots off and cut the stems for easier storage. Alternatively, you can mince the garlic and use a dehydrator to make dried minced garlic that you can store in a jar or grind into garlic powder.
Paprika
Deviled eggs are just not the same without that lovely red sprinkle on top. Did you know you can grow and preserve this spice at home? Like many other peppers, this one grows easily and loves to be warm. Make sure you get either the Hungarian or Spanish varieties for growing, as these are the best ones.
Give these plants plenty of water and allow them to grow until you see bright red peppers hanging off of them. Harvest them and dry them by cutting them into strips and removing the seeds. When the strips are dry, grind them into a powder and store it in a jar to add to all those great recipes. For an added kick, spread some of your powdered paprika on a sheet and place it in the smoker to make smoked paprika.
Red Pepper Flakes
Red Pepper flakes give any recipe a kick of spice. The trick here is to pick the right pepper for the job. There are a ton of red peppers you could use for this spice. You can use red bell peppers for a sweeter crushed pepper or cayenne for a spicier variety (this is the most common commercially produced pepper).
You pick which pepper you would like to grow and dry and let them grow. Even Jalapenos will turn red if left on the stalk long enough. Harvest your peppers when they are bright red and set then to dry. You can spread them in a dehydrator or hang them by their stems in the sun to dry. I prefer to use the oven or the dehydrator (this is the one I use) for these as it will take a couple weeks for them to dry completely.
Once dry you simply put in your spice grinder and give it a few pulses to break them up into flakes. Don’t overdo it and end up with powder, that is actually made from different chilies with no seeds. Store them in a tight container and toss into soups and spicy dishes all year long.
Peppercorns
Yes, you can grow fresh pepper corns. Same as mustard, just harvest and dry the seeds to save for later. This plant is cold sensitive, so make sure you can bring it in during the winter. As a slow growing perennial, this one will take a few years to give seeds.
Harvesting the actual seeds is a bit tricky to get it just right. If you want black peppercorns, you pick the fruits just as they start to turn red. For white peppercorns, you let them turn all the way red before picking them. Either way, let them dry for a couple days and remove the husk to expose the seeds.
You can store whole peppercorns for quite a while in a sealed jar. To use them either grind them in your spice grinder to course or fine to use right away. I like to grind them as I use them with a pepper mill at the table. Plus roasting the seeds whole and adding to soups gives a much better flavor than just sprinkling in store bought ground pepper.
Other Herbs and Spices
Let’s not forget about the other varieties of spices and herbs that you typically use fresh. Many of these I like to put into teas and herbal tinctures as well. These are:
- Mint
- Lemon Balm
- Chives
- Parsley
- Cilantro
- Ginger
- Lemon grass