8 Kitchen Herbs to Grow in Your Spring Garden
As the days get longer and the sunlight strengthens, some start looking for fresh ideas in the kitchen as well as the garden. Why not refresh both with the rich flavors of these delicious herbs, which are best planted in the springtime. You’ll be reaping flavor for the rest of the year.
Coriander is well-known in many countries and is most commonly used for cooking. The dried seeds of the Coriander plant are ground and used to season dishes, while the leaves and stems can be eaten cooked or raw. In the United States, the leaves and stems of this plant are called cilantro.
Basil is a species of mint plant native to Asia and Africa. It is a popular houseplant, and thrives when it receives plenty of regular sun and water. This plant is also easy to transfer from one soil environment to another. The edible Basil leaves can be eaten fresh or dried with pizza, salads, soups, teas, and many other dishes.
Salvia officinalis, colloquially known as Common sage, is an evergreen woody shrub that grows in dry and stony places. It has a long history of cultivation for culinary purposes as well as for its distinctive scent, which is now incorporated into candles, potpourri, and beauty products, often combined with lemon. Common sage’s lovely purple flowers adorn many gardens and flower beds all over the world.
Dill grows upright with fine, delicate leaves. The main use of dill is in cooking, and its culinary applications vary widely. Whether dried or as a fresh garnish, Dill has a long history as a flavoring herb. It has even been found in 3400-year-old Egyptian tombs. In North America, it may be most well-known as the distinctive flavoring in dill pickles.
Lemon balm (Melissa officinalis) is an herbaceous perennial famous for its essential oils and mild scent. Its oils and extracts are widely used in perfume and beauty products, as well as household cleaning products. Lemon balm can be cultivated as an ornamental plant that also attracts honeybees. It has been grown and cultivated by humans since at least the 16th century.
Common borage is often used to make soup, sauces, pasta filling, and a flavoring for pickles in Germany, Spain, Greece, and Italy. It is also occasionally used as a drink garnish and is an ingredient in some gins. Common borage flowers can also be made into blue or pink dyes.
While best known for culinary purposes, Garden thyme has historically seen use in embalming rituals and as incense. In the kitchen, it most often ends up as a flavoring herb or brewed in tea. Garden thyme was gifted to warriors in the Middle Ages because it was supposed to spur courage and energy.
Parsley (Petroselinum crispum) is one of the world’s most popular herbs and is used extensively in the cuisines of the USA, Europe, and The Middle East. It is a nutritious ingredient that adds flavor to the famous parsley sauce and texture and aroma to soups and stews. It is also used raw as a garnish. In the garden, Parsley attracts swallowtail butterflies and bees to its flowers, and birds feed on its seeds.