Cooking With Fresh Herbs

Did you know that cooking with fresh herbs can transform ordinary meals into culinary works of art?

By growing cooking herbs, you will be able to add new and exciting flavors to your favorite recipes.

I have always loved cooking with basil and cooking with rosemary, but until I started growing fresh herbs in my garden, I usually just used whatever I had on my herb and spice rack.

The first time I ever used fresh herbs in my cooking was when I was trying to impress some friends with my culinary skills. I chose to cook this fancy meal that called for fresh basil. I must say that my friends were very impressed and raved for weeks about how good that meal was.

After that response I was hooked! From then on, anytime I was cooking for someone other than myself, I purchased fresh herbs to cook with. It wasn't until some years later that I actually started growing a culinary herb garden.

Growing a culinary garden has given me the opportunity and desire to be a little more creative with my cooking.

Before I started growing and cooking with fresh herbs, I had no idea of all their culinary uses.

Besides cooking with fresh herbs, you can make homemade herbal salad dressings, herbal vinegars, herb-flavored cooking oils, herbal teas, herbal jellies and honey, and even herbal breads.

For more great tips and recipes on how to cook everything from Authentic Mexican recipes to Chocolate dessert recipes, please click on this link.

Herb Salads

Salads have become a part of everyday meals and in some cases the meal itself.

Salads have evolved into more than just iceberg lettuce with a few sliced tomatoes and cucumbers. Good restaurants and even home cooks are serving up salads with several kinds of lettuce, and a wide variety of fresh herbs and flowers.

Homemade herbal salad dressings are also very popular and are very easy to make. Try making some for yourself and see what a difference they can make.

When possible, always try and use fresh herbs to ensure you get the fullest flavors for your salads and salad dressings.

Herb Vinegars And Herb Flavored Oils

Herbal vinegars can add a bright, fresh flavor to salads and sauces. They also make great healthy condiments for all sorts of foods.

There are many varieties of herbs and vinegars, so you may have to experiment a little until you find a combination that is right for you.

When you do find a combination that you like, make sure to write the recipe down and also make a few extra bottles for yourself. I have found that no two batches taste the same. It's almost like wine in that regard.

Homemade herbal vinegars made with fresh herbs from your garden make great gifts for family and friends. I like to make herbal baskets filled with homemade herbal breads, vinegars, jellies and butter. My family and friends love them and look forward to them every year.

Homemade herb-flavored oils are another great way to use your garden fresh herbs.

Herb-flavored oils are very much like herb-flavored vinegars in that they taste much better than oils into which you've mixed some dried herbs. The flavor is much more evident in every bite.

You can use herb flavored-oils in salads, vegetable dressings, marinades, and sauces.

Herbal Teas

Many of your favorite herbs will make excellent teas by themselves with no added ingredients. But it's also fun to create different herbal tea blends, since a combination of herbs has a more complex flavor than a single herb alone.

I've listed a few blends to help you get started. Once you've experimented a little, you can let your imagination run wild.

• - Anise, chamomile, and bee balm
• - Lavender flowers, and betony
• - Borage flowers with lemon verbena and lemon balm
• - Chamomile and spearmint or apple mint
• - Chamomile and valerian
• - Lemon verbena, lemongrass, and lemon thyme
• - Scented geranium, and chocolate mint
• - Scented geranium and lemongrass
• - Spearmint and peppermint

With such a wide selection of flavorful combinations, it's no wonder herb teas have become so popular.

Herbal Jelly And Honey

Before I started experimenting with herbs, I would never have thought about using them to make homemade herbal jelly and honey.

What could be nicer than spreading a sweet jelly filled with your favorite herbs an a morning biscuit? I know! How about spreading some homemade herbal honey on it.

Whatever you choose, growing and cooking with fresh herbs is the start to creating and enjoying these wonderful treats.

Baking With Herbs

Cooking with fresh herbs also includes baking. Herbal breads are easy to make and taste great.

Breads and herbs go together as well as bread and butter, with the added benefit of herbs being much healthier for you.

When you begin baking with fresh herbs, you'll discover how drastically they can reduce the amount of salt, butter, cheese, and even sugar needed for your recipes.

Some herbs such as angelica and sweet cicely can even help you cut down on the amount of sugar you use in you baking. Both of these herbs have a sweet flavor.

Cooking with fresh herbs can add so much flavor to your favorite foods, that you'll wonder what you ever did without them.