Top 10 Herbs for Growing and Eating

There is no more local food than that which you produce yourself in your own home.  If you really want to live the good life and go for self-sufficiency you will need a fair bit of space. Some people estimate around one acre of fertile land is enough to grow food for a family of 4 or 5 for a year.  But even if you only have a window box there are things you can do to save money and start producing tasty produce.

The most obvious starting point, both from a horticultural viewpoint and also in culinary terms, is of course herbs.  They are easy to grow, essential in any style of cookery and expensive to buy.  Also, fresh herbs taste so much better than the dried ones.

Since I tearfully waved goodbye to my parents’ house and set off to make my own way in the world, I have lived in at least ten different homes, and in most of them my legacy has been a well stocked herb garden.  In some cases bushy shrubs were interspersed with hardy perennials in the herbaceous borders.  On the other hand, in some of the more modest establishments that I have called home it amounted to little more than a crowded tub outside the back door.  But whatever the possibilities, I always start by getting some culinary herbs established as a top priority.

If you peruse the garden centres there is a seemingly limitless number of herbs available for planting.  Many are used in herbal remedies or simply to provide colour and fragrance to your garden, but for a basic guide to the most useful herbs for the kitchen, read on.

I always start with the magnificent seven easy to grow herbs that figure prominently in my own cooking.

The first three are shrubs or small trees, although they can be grown in pots they are likely to want to grow quite big and may need to be repotted from time to time.

Bay leaf

Bay  (Laurus nobilis) grows in any type of soil in full sun.  Pick the leaves as you need them. The taste is unique and quite delicate, sweeter than most herbs.  It’s a core ingredient in any bouquet garni and I use it in most braised dishes or whenever I make stock for soups or gravy, or other bouillons.

Rosemary

Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis) is another strong growing bush.  The leaves resemble pine needles and provide a pungent coniferous taste which should be used sparingly.  It is best used on strong meats like mutton or lamb but also goes well with poultry.  Add it to roast potatoes or other roast vegetables. It can also be added as a flavouring to homemade bread.

Purple Sage

 Sage (Salvia officinalis) is actually a large family of plants ranging from small trees to leafy perennials but most usually as a woody shrub.  It has many medicinal properties but its culinary use is mainly as a key ingredient in sage and onion stuffing, which in our house is an essential accompaniment to roast chicken or pork. The leaves can also be strewn over roasts or added to homemade bread.

After these space hogs come four smaller perennials.

Thyme and Marjoram are pretty flowering plants and if grown in their preferred thin, chalky soils will stay reasonably compact.

Thyme

Thyme (Thymus vulgaris) is one of the most widely used herbs in the world.  I add it to stocks, soups and casseroles of all kinds.  It goes particularly well with chicken, and it’s another key ingredient in bouquet garni.  I used to grow it between slabs in the garden path.  On a warm sunny day walking on the path would release the aroma to flood the garden with beautiful Mediterranean smells.

Marjoram

Sweet Marjoram (Origanum majorana) is a variety of Oregano more suited to British climates than its Mediterranean cousins.  Too much water makes the plants leggy but then again if you crop it as regularly as I do you can keep it in check.  Use it in any Italian cooking, especially tomato sauces, pizzas or whenever the recipe calls for mixed herbs.

Mint

Mint (Mentha) is the terror of the herb garden.  It grows strongly and spreads by way of underground runners sent out from the roots.  For this reason it is best planted in a small pot which you then bury in the herb bed.  This prevents the runners from spreading.  There are numerous types of mint; peppermint and spearmint are probably most popular.  For some people it is the taste of summer, an essential flavouring for new potatoes or fresh peas.  Personally I find it rude and overpowering when used that way.  However I do make mint sauce to accompany lamb dishes, and I add it to yoghurt to make cooling raitas whenever I cook curries.  I use the leaves as garnish on Summer Puddings or other fruit creations, and a few sprigs are crucial for making jugs of Pimms or homemade Mohitos on a hot summer evening.

The last of my magnificent seven is Chives.  Chives (Allium schoenoprasum) are strictly speaking not a herb at all, rather they are the smallest member of the onion family.  The bulbs grow quietly in any soil and propagate by division. They come up year after year and the subtly flavoured leaves make a perfect addition to salads, potatoes, omelettes and other eggs dishes.  The flowers are edible too and look pretty in the salad bowl.

All of these seven herbs are no-nonsense, low maintenance plants.  Position them in full sun and you can pretty well leave them to get on with the job of growing.  The essential oils protect them against most predators; it’s why many of them have reputed qualities as antiseptics or insect repellents.  You will only need to water them in the driest spells.  An annual feed will keep the lush green foliage coming instead of hard woody growth, and an occasional trim to keep the shape is all they will ever ask for.  The final three must-have herbs are altogether different.

Basil and Coriander are annuals.  They are best grown in containers so you can keep them out of rain and wind and away from pests.  Basil in particular is a magnet for snails and slugs and other leaf eating predators, and you won’t want to share these precious leaves with anything. To keep a supply coming all summer you will need to sow at regular intervals.   Both are prone to bolting so pinch out the tips after they reach a certain height.  Although with Coriander you will probably want to let it flower and set seed in the end.  This may then be harvested and stored for use as a spice.

Sweet Basil

Basil (Ocimum basilicum) is the herb of love and it’s easy to see why.  It is utterly seductive in Italian or Indian dishes.  An essential ingredient in most pasta recipes it is also delicious tossed straight in to a salad.

Coriander

Coriander (Coriandrum sativum) is used in huge quantities in Indian and Mexican cooking, where it is often called by its Spanish name, cilantro.  Nothing else comes close to the rich, sweet flavour of fresh coriander, and again it is a delightful addition to a summer salad. Coriander roots are more strongly flavoured than the leaves and feature in Asian cooking, particularly Thai recipes.

 Parsley (Petroselinum crispum) is not so demanding, but it is a biennial plant.  That means it completes its lifecycle in two years and then dies.  Many people simply grow it as an annual and sow fresh plants every year, but if you leave it alone in the herb garden it will self seed at the end of year two.  If you are not too worried about order in the garden, and for me the effect of herbs all jostling and tumbling over each other is part of the pleasure, then this is an easy way to keep a constant supply.  Parsley requires no extra protection or care.

The commonest form of parsley grown in Britain is the curly leaved variety mainly because of its decorative quality.  Italian, or Flat Leaved, Parsley tastes very similar, is reputedly more tolerant of both rain and heat, and probably has a somewhat classier image these days.

Whichever one you choose, parsley is maybe the most widely used herb of all.  Add it to fish, meat or chicken. Put it in rice dishes, on potatoes, or in pasta sauces.  It’s another key component of a bouquet garni and essential in bouillon and many stews and casseroles.  It is also widely used as a garnish.