How I use my herbs

The herb garden, June 2022

Thyme:  goes in stew and gravy, anything with tomato sauce such as pizza, meatballs, etc.  I usually pick a small handful of stems and tie a chive strand around it to make a bouquet garni--it's fished out before serving.

Chives: I like it in the occasional omelet, makes a nice addition to salads and/or salad dressing, or I'll pick a large handful and chop into thirds and treat it as a vegetable in a stir fry.

Rosemary and marjoram: mainly used in a bouquet garni with thyme when making tomato sauces.

Mint: I try to collect a large amount to make mint vinegar, an excellent condiment for lamb and a nice addition to salad dressings.  Any leaves left are dried for tea (good for an upset stomach or for calming before bed).

Chamomile: leaves and flowers dried for tea.

Lavender and rose: flowers/petals dried for winter fragrance.  I have been experimenting with soap-making, and these may be incorporated into a batch one day too.

Dill: large stems and fronds are steeped into vinegar for use in autumn vegetable pickling, seeds are collected and dried for the same (and some saved for next year's sowing).

Coriander/cilantro: my first year successfully growing it (slugs normally demolish it); we have been enjoying leaves in salads and as a garnish;  I hope to save seed for sowing and cooking.

Nasturtium: occasional flowers as a salad garnish (spicy!), leaves used fresh in stews and sometimes dried for winter use.

Basil: (another one the slugs love) I use it fresh on pizza, in salads and salad dressing, in omelets, and I try to freeze batches of pesto for winter use.