When I walk out on to my porch, the scent of chives blossoms hits me first, then thyme, then lavender basil: I am so happy that my porch is full of herbs pots. I’ve always loved fresh herbs in my cooking.

In the morning, I always check my garden and herb pots on the porch for any bugs that may have found a home during the night.  Whether you grow your own or pick up a bouquet at the market, herbs are at their best in summer, which means now is the time to use them with wild abandon.  There are so many favorite summer recipes made even better by the addition of fresh herbs- a juicy burger, a colorful grain salad, fragrant roasted potatoes, and a cornmeal-flecked pound caked. Even your cocktails and desserts feature fresh herbs.

When warm weather hits, I even take to stirring my lemonade with rosemary sprig a delicious luxury I forgo in winter when the rosemary at the supermarket comes at a steep price and in a tiny plastic container.  My herb garden yields more herbs than I can use during the fleeting season. By summer’s end, I’ll be hanging brunches of thyme and sage to let them dry. Then I’ll use these “fresh” dried herbs throughout the winter. Ball puts out 4 ( 4oz.) jars you can use to store dried herbs.

But for now, I will revel in the fragrance and flavors of just picked herbs. You should, too!

When life gives you herbs it time to make herb oils, butters, syrups, and more.

Flavored butters– Mash chopped herbs ( chives, parsley, basil, dill and thyme, for example) plus salt and pepper into a stick of softened unsalted butter.  Wrap the butter well in plastic and refrigerate  for up to 2 days or freeze for up to 1 month.  I used only dill for example for my  Chicken cutlets with tomatoes and basil for our company that came from Canada for a week.  I use a loaf of bread and heated it up and made herb butter to go along with it. The herb butter was just dill and a stick of unsalted butter mixed together. Well, needless to say we did not have any left overs. But the herb butter was a big hit.

Picture to follow.

There are some many different way to use your herbs. Here are a few I have tried:

Simple syrup, Herb oil, Herb vinegar, Herb stock, and Fried herbs.  If you are interested in any of thee recipes just email me and I will be glad to sent your my recipes.

Give your herbs a shave!