FROM ANN’S NOTEBOOK
Getting to Know the Herbs in Your Kitchen
You don’t need a large garden, an expensive collection of equipment or a cupboard full of unfamiliar ingredients to begin learning about herbs. A few jars on your kitchen shelf, a pot on the windowsill or a handful of fresh leaves can give you somewhere useful to start.
As a medical herbalist, I have spent nearly thirty years studying and working with plants. Here, I want to make that knowledge approachable, beginning with herbs you may already recognise.
Before making preparations or learning long lists of traditional uses, there is something simpler to do: get to know the plant itself. Look at its leaves, notice its scent and discover what it brings to an ordinary meal.
For a closer look at a familiar wild plant traditionally gathered in spring, read my article Dandelion Leaf — A Traditional Spring Herb.
Let’s begin with three familiar kitchen companions: thyme, mint and rosemary.
Thyme: small leaves, plenty of character
Thyme is easy to overlook. Its leaves are tiny, its stems are modest, and a little bunch can disappear among larger ingredients. Yet its warm, savoury scent makes it a useful herb to become familiar with.
If you have fresh culinary thyme, gently rub a sprig between your fingers and smell it. Then compare it with the dried thyme in your cupboard. You may notice that they have different qualities, even though both are recognisably thyme.
In cooking, thyme works well with vegetables, beans, soups and stews. Try a small amount in a vegetable soup or with roasted carrots. Taste before adding more: learning how much you enjoy is part of learning about the herb.
You needn’t begin with a complicated recipe. Adding one herb to a familiar dish makes its contribution easier to notice.
Discover how familiar kitchen herbs have traditionally been prepared during the colder months in my article Winter Herbal Remedies from the Kitchen Garden.
Mint: familiar, fresh and worth exploring
Mint is often one of the first herbs people recognise by scent. There are different kinds, however, and their aromas and flavours can vary.
A pot of culinary mint offers an opportunity to observe the plant as it grows. Look at the shape and edges of its leaves. Notice how the scent becomes stronger when a leaf is gently rubbed.
In the kitchen, mint can brighten peas, potatoes, salads and yoghurt dressings. Start with a few finely chopped leaves and taste as you go. Its freshness can change the character of a dish without needing many other ingredients.
If you grow mint, keeping it in a container can help manage its spreading habit. A small pot can also put it within easy reach when you are cooking.
Rosemary: a distinctive kitchen companion
Rosemary has narrow leaves and a strong, recognisable fragrance. It brings a different character to the kitchen from either mint or thyme.
Take a moment to examine a fresh sprig. Notice its woody stem and firm leaves, then compare its scent with the other two herbs.
Rosemary is particularly familiar alongside roast potatoes, but it also works with roasted vegetables and in savoury breads. Because its leaves can be firm, chop them finely when they will remain in the finished food. If you add a whole woody sprig to a dish, remove it before serving.
Begin with a little. You can always add more next time, and your own taste is a useful guide.
A simple activity: begin your herbal notebook
Choose one of these herbs from a labelled culinary plant or a food-shop packet. Use a herb whose identity you know; leave unfamiliar garden or wild plants for another day.
You don’t need a special notebook. An ordinary exercise book will do. Write down:
- The herb’s name and where you obtained it.
- Whether it is fresh or dried.
- What you notice about its appearance and scent.
- How you used it in a meal.
- What you thought of the flavour.
- One question you would like to explore.
These notes are for you. They don’t need to be beautifully written or filled with technical language. They are a record of what you noticed.
One small discovery at a time
There is no need to learn everything at once. Spending a little time with one familiar herb can be more useful than rushing through a dozen.
As you explore this site, you’ll find my books through Herbal Heritage Press and videos on Ann the Herbalist. I hope they give you ideas to try, questions to consider and reasons to look more closely at the plants around you.
For now, begin with your kitchen shelf. Choose a herb, open your notebook and see what you discover.
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