Topic: Whats the most useful Herbs in the UK

[KevB]

If you could only plant say 6 -10 herbs what would they be ? and if you have the time WHY?

Thanks for the input.

Kev

[Duke Ellington]

Parsley
(flat leaf because I prefer it to the curly type) and I find it freezes well. I use it in so many recipes. You can also overwinter your plants with a little protection.

Rosemary
Its a shrub that lasts for years and is very resilient. Again I use for many recipes..eg. rosemary flat bread, roasties, roast lamb.

Coriander
I alway grow this one during the summer. I start it off in the greenhouse. I use it in my curries and spicy foods. I freeze it but I think freezing it loses some of its flavour.

Chives
Love it in salads. I grow garlic chives too. It seeds all over my herb bed though!

Dill
I love this one with fish and is easy to sow directly in the ground.

My all time favourite is my Bay Tree
I would be lost without bay leaves . I use them in stews curries etc.

Got to stop typing now because  this post is starting to jump all over the place when a posting gets too long!!!!!

Duke :)

[Trevor_D]

The annuals I always grow are: parsley (curled & flat) and basil.

And perennials: rosemary, thyme, oregano, marjoram, welsh onions, chives & bay.

I've never had any success with coriander - it always runs to seed.

The WHY bit for all the others - they're easy and I use lots of them!

[Jill]

Rosemary, sage, tarragon, chives, thyme, flat leaf parsley and basil.  Use all of them regularly in cooking.

[Borlotti]

MINT in new potatoes.  Can't have enough mint.

[manicscousers]

mint, basil, rosemary, sage, thyme and parsley  :)

[Trevor_D]

Oops - I forgot mint!! One of the most important, not just with new potatoes, but salads, and brilliant in pasta. It even goes with strawberries.

[chriscross1966]

Oregano, parsley, basil, mint, thyme, chives.

They're the ones I use lots of I guess... especially oregano and basil

chrisc

[Vinlander]

The ones that are easy but not readily available fresh in the shops - especially the ones that are least good dried...

In first place: Lovage - great in stews or salads - love that curried celery taste.

Second: Basil - available (a bit limp) but very expensive in the quantities I use.

Third: Vietnamese Coriander - grows like a weed and pickable 8 or 10 months of the year - so handy when you run out of real coriander or can't be bothered hiking to the shops.

Honourable Mention: Dill is worth the effort unless you can get it readily in the shops (ethnic ones or you live near the big West End food halls).

Cheers.

[jennym]

Wouldn't be without rosemary, thyme, sage, mint (all perennial) and then basil and parsley.

[antipodes]

Thyme, my fave, then mint, parsley, tarragon (the russian variety is mild but self seeds, bargain!!) rosemary and coriander which again self seeds. I tried in vain to do basil and now only do a pot on the windowsill. Sometimes i find it a bit too strong anyway.

[PurpleHeather]

I love my fresh herbs, they taste so much better than dried ones> Grown in tubs I can prolong the growing season in the green house with some.

Parsley, Mint, Chives, Thyme, Sage and Oregano.

Having a bay bush by the back door I get the fresh leaves as required. I probably put more in the recyle bin than I use since it grows fast. I just wish basil was easier to grow.

There are so many varieties of individual herbs. Mint for example, some smell right but don't work as well when used for cooking.

I like rosemary and lavender too.

[Sparkly]

I have a big herb bed at the plot, but admit I use it more for the insect-attracting flowers than the leaves! I do use quite a bit of parsley in many dishes; also bayleaves in stock. Rosemary and thyme are nice with roasted veg. I also like mint. I would say I use a very small proportion of what grows as they can provide alot of leaves! I would like to grow decent corriandor as we use more of that, but it never seems to work for me!

[asj]

Bay, rosemary and thyme, sage, parsley, chives.  Indispensable - mint, preferably Moroccan mint which I find is the very best.  Not always easy to find, but well worth the search!

[Sally A]

I love growing them, but haven't used half of them  :-[  The ones I use most in order of use is:-

1) Basil
2) Mint
3) Parsley
4) Oregano
5) Chives

I also grow, Lemon Balm, Sage, Rosemary, French Tarragon, Thyme, Borage, Lavender - but tend to use these more as decorative, and when I walk by, I'll have a feel and a sniff.

I did see black pepper seeds for sale, but didn't succumb - anyone tried them?

[artichoke]

Sow coriander in late summer. It is surprisingly hardy over the winter, and doesn't flower then. And the ones that flowered earlier in the year keep coming up and are very useful. I move them from their self sown sites into a group, or row, for the winter.

[cleo]

Has anyone mentioned  summer savory(the bean herb)?-no wonder it never sells.

[Digeroo]

I think I have about that number.  So its parsley, rosemary, thyme, bay, sage. I also have mint and chives but could manage without.  And I grow celery as a herb.

[kypfer]

I enjoy minty toothpaste and chewing gum, but not in my vegetables  :o

One perennial I don't see in the list is fennel, not the "Florence" (bulbing) type, but the tall feathery-leaved roadside "weed". Having aquired a taste for it with fish, I'll often incorporate it in all sorts of stuff, from chicken to salsa ... works for me  ;)

[Jeannine]

Mint for spuds.. sage for homemade sausages..ditto marjoram, oregano for spaghetti sauce, rosemary for lamb, dill for pickles and lavender for the smell!!

XX Jeannine