Herbs, Fresh, Dried, Gound & Homegrown

One day I was watching Martha Stewart with my mom and Martha said "if you don't have fresh herbs, don't bother making this dish." My mom did not like Martha after that and I just fell out of my seat laughing. I understood what Martha was saying but it was the way she delivered her message that made her sound "over the top."

I will have to agree somewhat with Martha that in this day and age, it is so easy to find fresh herbs so why not use them. I love fresh over dried for many of my recipes especially Basil, even though I can buy fresh sage I still use dried. There are spices such as cumin, paprika, cayenne, file' and turmeric I always use in the dry form. When I'm using cinnamon, coriander (leaves aka cilantro) clove, nutmeg, fenugreek and star anise I do grind those myself.

By no means am I an expert in spices and herbs but I find I use many more different types of spices to cook with then most people do. Fenugreek is a great example, if you don't cook Indian dishes chances are you have never hear that spice. Fenugreek is one of those spices that have many different names such as: Foengreek, Greek Hayseed, Goat's Horn, Cow's Horn, Bird's Foot and there is also Methi Fenugreek Leaves. I love Fenugreek seeds milled, then used as a dry rub with other spices for my root vegetables and potatoes. I have started growing the seeds I buy at the store for there leaves to cook with because I could not find them at any markets. I use them for sauces and even in my salads. Then there is the little black seeds you see on some Persian breads, they are called Nigella. Some people think Nigella are Black Sesames but they are not at all, they even have a different shape then a Sesame, it is more like Black Cumin. I love mixing Nigella seeds crushed with Chinese 5 spice (dry rub) and rubbing it on my chicken, then coating the whole chicken with honey before I roast it.
I love to buy Green Cardamom pods and add the pod to flavor my black tea with honey.

Growing fresh herbs is truly wonderful because you can take what you need. The air around your herb garden smells amazing unless your growing a bunch of chives, onions & garlic. Your not paying a lot of money for herbs that will rot or wilt in your fridge, of course you can compost.
The things I love to plant the most are Rosemary, Italian Basil, Lemon Basil, Cinnamon Basil, Clove Basil, Chocolate Basil, Lemon Thyme, Thyme, Cilantro, Chives, Mint, Lemon Mint (Balm) and my new favorite Pineapple Sage!