Herbs are our cooking sidekicks. They elevate a plain, unexceptional dish into flavor-filled cuisine. Throughout history and across cultures, herbs have been used for medicinal, spiritual, and culinary purposes. These potent plants fill our gardens and kitchens with their strong, fresh smells and earthy, minty, spicy flavors. Many herbs are easy to grow in a backyard garden or even in a pot on the windowsill.

Sage Common sage is a beautiful plant with its broad, fuzzy leaves and purplish flowers. Sage has been used as a remedy for virtually every type of ailment, but it’s also well-known for its culinary uses. Its savory, peppery flavor makes it an excellent addition to pastas, stuffing, and herb-encrusted fish dishes.

Parsley While parsley is often used as a garnish, its crisp, lemony flavor validates it as a worthy ingredient. Chop vibrant green parsley for homemade salsa, tabbouleh, and seasonal salads. Flat-leaf parsley is more flavorful and less bitter than curly-leaf, but both are equally praiseworthy herbs. It’s also highly nutritious.

Marjoram A perennial herb, marjoram grows best outside in the warm summer but can be brought indoors during the cold winter. It has sweet flavors of citrus and pine and adds a nice, mellow flavor to salad dressings, sauces, and summer vegetables.

Thyme This Mediterranean herb has long, sprawling stems and tiny leaves. Sprigs of thyme are a common addition to soups, stocks, and grilled main courses. Various cultivars carry flavors of lemon, citrus, and caraway seeds.

Basil This aromatic classic is perfect for an herb garden beginner because it is a prolific, resilient grower and loves the sun. Sweet basil and lemon basil are flavorful and fragrant. They taste great on pizza, in hummus, or incorporated into pasta dishes. Sweet basil blended with oil, Parmesan, and pine nuts, makes a delicious seasonal pesto, and purple basil will add a  brilliant burgundy color to your cooking.

Oregano A hardy herb, oregano is mildly bitter with hints of clove and balsam. Oregano’s delicious, spicy taste accents a great variety of cuisine, including eggs, cheeses, meats, and pastas. Use sparingly because of its bold flavor. Along with dried marjoram and thyme, it will make a lovely herb mix for the winter months.