| Herbs
add flavor and diversity to your
cooking, but you need to select and store them right.
Examine fresh herbs as carefully as you would any produce, and select those that are free from spots, insect damage, or that look limp or dry. Fresh herbs bruise easily, so handle them gently, and use them as soon as possible to get the most flavor and aroma into your food. Some herbs will keep for several days stored in the refrigerator vegetable bin if they are washed, patted dry, wrapped in a damp paper tower, and then enclosed in a plastic bag with a few holes punched in it. Herb bunches can also be put in a glass or vase of water like flowers if kept out of direct sunlight. You can freeze herbs you plan to cook with, but they will be too limp to be used as a garnish. To freeze herbs, wash and pat them dry with a paper towel, and place recipe size quantities in freezer bags. Another way is to chop them up and make ice cubes that are half water and half herbs, and then store the cubes in freezer safe bags or containers to protect their flavor. Fresh herbs and frozen herbs before they are defrosted are used in the same proportions. Anise 
The entire anise plant, a member of the
parsley family, has a sweet, delicate licorice-like flavor similar
to Florence fennel which is frequently found mislabeled in the
grocery store as anise. If homegrown, the flowers and leaves can be
mixed into fruit salads or used as a garnish; the roots and stem can
be mixed into soups and stews. Anise is most commonly found and used
as seeds, either whole or ground, in potpourris, cookies, pastries,
breads, liqueurs, confections, teas, curries, to flavor seafood or
shellfish among many others.
Arugula 
Also known as roquette, this Mediterranean salad plant is a member
of the mustard family. Arugula has a peppery taste that compliments
such Mediterranean foods as olives, garlic, tomatoes, peppers and
olive oil.
Basil 
This is a commonly used herb that adds a clove like aroma and
pungent taste to tomatoes, squash, cabbage, beans, pasta, poultry or
seafood. Leaves vary in color from green to red-purple. Leaf size
also varies, ranging from small common basil leaves to the larger
leaves of lettuce leaf basil.
Bay Leaves 
With long, dull green leaves about ½ inch wide, this aromatic and
pungent herb is used to season soups, stews and sauces. It is a
traditional ingredient in split pea soup and spaghetti sauce. Greek
Bay and California Bay Laurel are the two types of bay leaves.
Chervil 
This herb has a sweet taste, similar to tarragon. Add near the end
of cooking to flavor stews, fish and steamed vegetables. Chervil can
be used in sauces calling for tarragon. Use in salads, salad
dressings, meat dished, savory sauces, egg dishes or as a chopped
garnish.
Chives 
A mild, onion flavored herb, chives will enhance the flavor of
almost any savory dish. Sprinkle liberally over fish, chicken, egg
dishes or a steaming baked potato. Chives enhance almost any
buttered vegetable such as carrots, beans, sweet corn, squash, peas,
cauliflower or mushrooms.
Cilantro 
Also known as coriander or Chinese or Mexican parsley, this herb has
an assertive, sage-citrus flavor that can be addictive for some
people. Use sparingly to season squash, eggplant, snow peas and
onion. It is used extensively is Southwest fare such as guacamole,
chili, salsa and cold seafood salad. Cilantro also is important in
Indian, Chinese and Thai cuisine’s.
Dill 
The anise-parsley-celery flavor of dill goes well with fish,
vegetables, soups and salads. It also compliments poached salmon and
potato salad. Crown dill, a stronger tasting item, is used for
making pickles while baby dill is primarily a seasoning. Dill plants
have feathery leaves. When purchased fresh, plants should be
selected on the basis of their resemblance to fresh salad greens.
Dill seed also is a popular seasoning item.
Fiddlehead Fern 
This in not a species of fern but a growth stage of any fern- when
the tip pokes up through the soil but has not begun to uncurl. Look
for jade green ferns and select small sprouts with no more than a ½
inch diameter. Serve steamed or lightly cooked as a side dish with
meat or fish.
Lemon Grass 
Also known as TI De Lemon, Sereh, Citronelle root and Takrai. Lemon
grass has long, woody stalks and white root ends. Texture is brittle
and dry with a lemony flavor. Wrap tightly with foil or plastic wrap
and store up to two weeks. Lemon grass is inedible unless peeled.
Peel about 1 inch from root end and pull back three to four leaf
layers until the tender white portion is exposed. Use in salad
dressings, chicken and fish dishes, marinades, beverages and
condiments.
Horseradish Root 
This can be blended with vinegar and used a s a condiment or added
ingredient in mustard. It is known for its hot, spicy taste.
Marjoram 
Sweet marjoram is a strong accenting herb used in egg dishes, soups,
vegetables or on lamb. Its taste is similar to oregano, only milder.
Like basil, marjoram is a member of the mint family.
Mint 
A sweet flavored, aromatic herb, mint is a classic garnish and
flavoring for summer drinks such as tea, lemonade and punch, or a
natural garnish for mint juleps, fruit platters and frozen desserts.
Mint is a fundamental ingredient in lamb dishes and many Middle
Eastern dishes. Like most herbs, mint can be tossed in green salads
or mixed into soft cheeses. It can be added to cooked carrots, green
beans, peas and beets.
Oregano 
Generally used to season Mexican, Italian, Greek and Spanish dishes,
oregano has a warn, aromatic scent and robust taste. It uses include
seasoning soups, stews, meat pies, pasta sauces and shellfish.
Parsley 
Most commonly seen as a garnish, parsley adds a mild, sweet flavor
to foods. It frequently is added to French, Italian and Greek
dishes. Parsley can be chopped and added to soups, vegetables, meats
and sandwich fillings. Two types of parsley are those with curly,
fringed leaves, and Italian parsley, which has flat leaves. Flat
leaf is preferred for cooking.
Rosemary 
Spicy, strong and fragrant, rosemary goes well in beef, pork, lamb
and veal dishes. Thread through chicken breasts and grill. It
enhances cauliflower, potatoes, eggplant and peas.
Sage 
A common seasoning in meat, poultry and cheese dishes, sage has gray
green leaves with a pebbly surface. Suggest cooks use sage
sparingly, as the musty taste can be overpowering.
Savory 
Nicknamed the bean herb, it is typically used in soups, on beans and
as a meat and poultry seasoning. This herb tastes slightly warm,
slightly sharp and can be used fresh or dried.
Sorrel 
With a sharp, lemony taste, sorrel resembles spinach but has pale
green arrowhead shaped leaves. Frequently used in soups and sauces,
sorrel also is used as a salad green or vegetable. The leaves can be
cooked whole like spinach.
Tarragon 
An accenting herb, tarragon is used in mustard, tartar and béarnaise
sauces, and tarragon vinegar. A member of the sunflower family,
tarragon has a sweet anise taste and should be used sparingly. One
species, French tarragon, is primarily cultivated in the United
States. Do not ice.
Thyme 
This herb is used as a spicy addition to Creole dishes and to season
meat or poultry stuffing. When preparing game birds or roasts, thyme
often is rubbed over the meat to season it.
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