How To Use More Fresh Herbs In Your Kitchen

Fresh herbs, ahhhh!

They are just are so luxurious with their beautiful scent, fresh appearance, and unbeatable taste!

Do you ever just put your nose into them to get the full herby experience?? I totally do!

Basil, dill, parsley, cilantro, sage, thyme…. Mmmmm!

The list that can be grown in Maine is long and wonderful! (We even have lemongrass in our CSA member PYO gardens this year!)

But, what to do with them all?? It seems like abundance is a theme with fresh herbs, because even one small bundle goes a long way with flavor.

And you don’t want to waste anything, right? So how to use them all without overwhelming the taste of the fresh veggies?

Here are some great ideas for doing exactly that, just in time for the bounty of gardens and CSA shares to be hitting your fridges!

How to use more fresh herbs in your kitchen

• Make pesto
  Yes, you can make pesto out of more than just basil!  Check out this link to my tutorial on how to make pesto from fresh herbs.
   
• Freeze them for later use
  I LOVE this new method that I have started using the past few years.  It keeps them so fresh and so easy to use all year long.  And now I don't waste ANYTHING!
   
• Put them into your homemade salad dressings
  Fresh herbs are what makes homemade salad dressings better than store bought.  Try it!  Here's my tutorial on how to make your own salad dressing.
   
• Garnish soups
  Think basil to garnish tomato soup.  Think dill to garnish cucumber soup.  Think parsley to garnish a hearty winter soup.  Think cilantro in Carrot Cilantro Soup.  The possibilities are endless!
   
• Garnish salads
  Parsley is classic in tabouleh, dill is great over cucumber salad, basil goes great with tomato salad, cilantro with "avocado salad" aka guacamole, and so much more!
   
• Use them in your own salsas, dips, quick pickles, or other condiments to “spice” up your meals.
   
• Hang them to dry or dehydrate them for later use
  This is particularly well suited to the "drier" kinds of herbs like sage and thyme.  In our kitchen I can simply hang a fresh bundle from a beam and then they'll be dry in a few days!  So easy!  The fleshier ones like cilantro, parsley, basil, etc. are better suited to being dried in a dehydrator.
   
• Use them in homemade sauces
  This includes ideas like tomato sauce (I just made a quick simple one with onions, tomatoes, oregano, thyme, garlic).  And family favorite recipes for addicting yogurt sauces like Indian Raita and Greek Tszatsiki both found in the list of recipes for cucumbers.  

Here are direct links to our online vegetable recipe gallery pages that will help inspire you with specific ideas for some of the many herbs you may have in your CSA or your garden.  This is a CSA member favorite resource to consult all season long for ideas.  Check it out! 

• Dill
• Cilantro
• Parsley
• Sage
• Garlic scapes
• Basil
• Chives
• Horseradish

Fresh herb season is upon us and will be here for a short time. 

How do you make the most out of your fresh herbs??  Did I miss something?  Reply and let me know!