Rosemary, Chives, Oregano & Sage

Yes, more herbs to share!

As I’ve said before, I’m seriously loving the abundance of herbs growing in my yard this year. My goal is to keep them going all year long – even if I have to move some inside over the colder winter months.

This week, I thought I’d share some more herb tips. These are just some simple little tips that I’ll expand upon in the future.

Aaaahh Rosemary:

I think I could seriously supply a small country with the amount of rosemary growing in my yard. Whatever the ultimate growing conditions are for growing this woody perennial, we must have them here.

Whenever I roast vegetables (which is truly quite often) I throw some sprigs of rosemary in the pan too just to accentuate the flavors – and to make my house smell divine.

Rosemary contains substances that stimulate the immune system increasing circulation, and improving digestion. This herbs anti-inflammatory properties also make it useful for reducing the severity of asthma attacks. Simply breathing in the lovely scent can also increase the blood flow to your head and brain improving concentration.

Next, we have chives – these are specifically “garlic” chives:

I so enjoyed the garlic scent as I trimmed these beauties. I love chopping these strands up and adding them to most any dish – even tossing the flowers into my salads for extra flavor.

The chives in my yard overwinter well. The only maintenance (aside from watering) that they require is dividing the clumps up every few years and then replanting them.

Chives are the smallest species of the onion family and add a light and delightful “onion” taste to any dish. Remember, when adding chives to a dish, you should add them at the end as overcooking them creates a bitter taste.

My favorite way to enjoy them is chopped and sprinkled on top of a baked potato – yum!

Oh Oregano:

Whenever I brush up against some oregano, I can’t help but think of Italy. This is such a simple herb to grow – though watch out – it’s an agressive spreader (at least in my yard). Easy to start from seed and even from cuttings.

I actually pulled up a ton of oregano in my yard last year to make more room for veggies this year. I don’t feel the plant has really been deterred much at all though. I dried the leaves of what I pulled up last year and have saved them in a jar to use in cooking.

The oregano in my yard blooms with the most beautiful pink colored blooms. The blooms can also be added to soups, baked potatoes and roasted vegetables.

To me, adding oregano is an absolute must for any Italian or Mexican (especially chili) dish. I’m hoping to use lots of it this year when I can tomato sauce. I say you can’t go wrong using oregano and benefiting from it’s incredible anti-oxidant properties.

Sage:

Another cold-hardy herb to grow. My recent recipe for White Bean Patties wouldn’t have been the same without the fresh sage in the mix. I love the slightly peppery flavor. I also love to add it to tofu scrambles and frittatas.

An excellent choice for saving by drying or packing in salt. I hear it’s delish mixed into butter too (vegan butter that is :).

This beauty has one of the longest herb histories for medicinal and culinary use – the Egyptians even used it as a drug of fertility. It is also thought to work like rosemary in the improvement of brain function and memory.

Aaah herbs – truly my yard would be almost bare without all of you easy growers thriving out there.

Have any favorite recipes using any of these herbs? If so, I’d love to hear about them – please share or send me links.

I’ll be sharing more of my favorites in the future too.