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                       All About Fresh Herbs
                                                     
    Cooking w/Fresh Herbs
Books on Herbs
Fresh vs. Dried Herbs 
Growing Herbs
The Herb Grower

Herb Home

Fresh Herbs have a multitude of uses, and cooking with fresh herbs is finely becoming
known to cooks everywhere.  However, for thousands of years, herbs have been used
in healing; with fixes for a cough to the healing of internal organs.  Witches [women 'healers' doctoring the local people] because of their use of herbs, and the local people unknowledgeable about the factors of this practice, feared it, and would blame these women for all the problems in life in general.  Innocent women both young and old, were put to death for being a cursed 'witch', when in fact most were nothing but simple healers, that learned their practice from their mothers and grandmothers before them.

Herbs are and always will be a part of health and well being, used in medicine, whether fresh, dried or chemically re-created, and a part of life that most people overall don't understand, nor care about.  The people that do understand about herbs are normally more health oriented, and use herbs for specific health or well being issues.

However, herbs are being discussed in the use of cooking, and the growing of herbs.   In this section we'll have included books on 'Fresh Herbs' in general, growing herbs and recipes with fresh herbs.
 Go to Growing Herbs, Substitutions & Freezing
                    

  How to Use & Grow Herbs to Create Wonderful Cuisine
 
Fresh Herbs vs. Dried Herbs
Always use 'Fresh Herbs' when possible, the taste difference in the foods that you prepare will have a startling wonderful new flavor.  Herbs are easy to grow in a relative small place in your yard or regular garden.  Herbs can even be grown indoors, as long as there is sufficient light.  If you're in colder climates, there are several of the basic 'Evergreen Herbs' that are quite hardy.  One consideration is this unique Aerogarden Herb grower to grow herbs year-round [shown at the right], find detailed info here

Visit our 'Cooking With Fresh Herbs' section to learn more details about some of the most used herbs, how to cook with them, and other information regarding the herbs.

 
Growing Herbs & How to Plan an Herb Garden
Growing herbs is very easy to do, and you need only a small space to do so.  Of course that depends upon how many kinds of herbs that you would like to grow.  Or you may like to do as I do, and scatter them throughout flowerbeds and planted areas.  I do have my kitchen potager [garden] not to far from the kitchen door, so that the herbs that I use most are easily accessible . 

When you prepare the area for your herb garden, you want to make sure that it gets about a half day of sun, is well drained, with good rich soil.  You can start sees in starter material early in the spring [check time zones] or buy 3 or 4 inch pots at your local nursery or home improvement store.  That is the fastest and easiest way to start herbs, for immediate usage. 

In fact herbs and certain flowers are used together to create organic gardening methods, and will give you information on that as well if you'd like to try your hand at that.  Here are some helpful books on growing herbs, designing your herb garden, cooking with herbs, and decorating with herbs, discounted the best online prices. 

Herb Books and Herb Cookbooks
Check out some of these great 'HERB' books on Cooking with Herbs, Growing Herbs,
Herbs in French Cuisine, How to Plan an Herb Garden, and Decorating with Herbs.
 
A Handful of Herbs is just what you need!




 
A Handful of Herbs by: Gardener Barbara Segall, food writer Louise Pickford, and stylist Rose Hammick pool their expertise to celebrate every aspect of herbs - from growing and cooking with herbs to using them to decorate your home. With special photography from Caroline Arber and William Lingwood, is elegant, authoritative text, and  an enchanting gift for all those with a passion for these wonderful plants.

 
 
  The Herb Garden - with renewed interest in herbs and their properties, its encouraged garden enthusiasts to seek practical information about herb gardens, the varieties of herbs available and how best to grow and cultivate them. A wealth of inspiring, beautiful photographs illustrates herbs in any situation. Precise, easy instructions to cultivate, propagate, harvest and herb usage, and help in designing a pleasing and functional garden

 





 
Decorating With Herbs - a must have!


 
Decorating With Herbs is fun and inspiring, and shows you how to use herbs in the home in fresh and creative ways. How to create projects from aromatic wreaths to scented sachets to pretty gift boxes embellished with herbs. Packed with novel ideas including herb-filled napkin rings and flowering herb pots. Beautifully illustrated, with how to info for harvesting, storing, drying plus easy-to-follow, step-by-step instructions and beautiful photos.

 
 
  The Edible French Garden highlights the vegetables used in French cuisine such as endive, shallots, and celery. Advice on growing and cooking with classic French vegetables will give you an insight to the French way of cooking.


 


 
 
 



 
Fresh Herb Cooking - fresh herbs creates images of the countryside and inspire perceptions of freshness, healthfulness, and simply elegant and natural. People love cooking with herbs, but most don't know how to use even the most common herbs to their fullest flavor. The 85 easy-to-prepare recipes (from the south of France, U.S., Italy plus  showcase myriad uses for a variety of herbs.  Some are the creations of top chefs, a must have!

 
 
  Gardening with Herbs - herbs have always been prized for their medicinal and culinary uses, so it is not surprising that they are a feature of nearly every country house garden. The gardeners of 'The National Trust' are, therefore, well-versed in tending these versatile plants. As well as offering scent, flavor, and health benefits, herbs are also valued for their ornamental qualities. For professional advice to help you succeed, this is the book to help you

 




 


 
Herbs - make this book from Better Homes and Gardens about Herbs your comprehensive guide to growing and using these versatile, rewarding plants. Explore the world of herbs and choose the ones best suited to your landscape needs. Discover the endless delights of herbs in and out of your garden

 
 
  The Successful Herb Gardener a modern, fresh look at cultivating herbs. These beautiful pages reveal everything about growing and caring for herbs, along with inspirational ideas for using them. It makes herb growing accessible to all, including urban dwellers who grow them in pots. A directory features more than 100 herbs, and other information covers planning and planting the herb garden.

 
 
                                        Listing of all Herb Books


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Substitutions for Herbs - Substitute With the Following
  Cumin   1/3 t. ground anise and 2/3 t. ground caraway seeds
  Fine Herbs   equal parts chives, parsley and tarragon
  Italian Seasoning   blend of oregano, thyme, marjoram, rosemary and sage
  Lemon Grass   fresh grated lemon peel
     
Spice Substitutes   Substitute With the Following
Allspice   ½ t. cinnamon, ¼ t. ground cloves and ground nutmeg
Pumpkin Pie Spice
 
  ½  t. cinnamon, ¼ t. ground cloves, ground nutmeg and ground ginger, t. ground cloves.
   
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Freezing Fresh Herbs
By freezing fresh herbs, it is a great way to have the fresh herb flavor for your cooking needs during the months that you cannot grow fresh herbs, or are limited to what you can grown indoors.  However, the frozen herb cannot be used for garnishment, because they are rather limpid after defrosting.  Not all herbs freeze well, and of course there is a time limit for frozen herbs.

Herbs that do freeze well include some of the basic and most used herbs.  They are: basil, chives, dill, fennel, lemongrass, lovage, oregano, sage, tarragon and thyme.  Cut and wash the herbs and let them dry, strip the leaves or fronds off, and freeze leaves in zip-lock freezer bags.  Or another nifty way to freeze herbs is to repeat the washing procedure, strip the leaves from the stem [do not dry them] and place in an ice cube tray and fill with water 1/2 way, then freeze.  Once the cubes are frozen, then place them in Freezer bags, and thaw as needed.

Basil can also be pureed in a food processor with a tiny amount of olive oil, then frozen in the ice cube trays as above, when frozen then place into freezer bags.
 

'Grow Fresh Herbs' all year long with this nifty 'Herb Grower'
 Indoor Herb Grower
 
 The AeroGarden™
        Exclusive!


What a nifty idea, and now you can grow herbs all year long with this unique herb grower.  View details

 



 AeroGarden Herb Grower

 



 

 
The new indoor herb garden grower, produces fresh  homegrown, garden-fresh herbs that liven the taste, smell and visual appeal of almost any meal. The revolutionary AeroGarden grows a variety of vegetables, flowers and herbs simply, easily and naturally—right on your kitchen counter without dirt, weeds or mess. 

NASA-tested aeroponic technology grows plants in water , nutrients and air (from seeds) —so simply and easily that anyone can succeed. Plug’n Grow Bio-dome Seed System™ pods are enclosed in mini greenhouses for ultra fast germination—often within 24 hours. Built-in plant lighting system lets you grow and harvest plants anywhere in your home, any time of year. Fully automated appliance removes all the guesswork—‘smart’ garden micro-processor automatically adjusts nutrient delivery, light cycles and water flow for specific plant types. Guaranteed harvest in 28 days.
  • Includes one free Gourmet Herb Seed Kit.
  • No gardening experience needed.
  • Some assembly required.
  • Available through the catalog, website and select stores.
Seed kits include everything needed for a full season’s growth and harvest, including pre-seeded grow pods and organic-based nutrients. Additional seed kits coming soon, including Salsa, Strawberries and Asian Herbs.

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   Evergreen Herbs | Herb Latin Names | English to French Herb Names
   COOKING with FRESH HERBS and BOOKS on COOKING & GROWING HERBS
 
 
 
   Herb Pages
  Listed Below
 
Fresh Herbs are great for cooking and these tools make it easy and quick!
 
 
      Mincing Set

 
The Herb Shredder makes cutting fresh herbs easy and fast.

View additional herb items below -    
       
 Acrylic Herb Keeper
 and the AeroGarden
 
 
        Herbs
   
Common Name
    A-C
    D-H
    I-L
    M
    N-P
    R-S
    T-Z
Latin Name
    A-M
    N-Z
Evergreen
Fr./Eng. Herb Names
More Herb Info
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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                                                      © Copyright 1999 - 2006 by Sharon Atchley.  All rights reserved.  Updated:  03/23/2007
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