The Eight Best Culinary Herbs To Grow In Your Windowsill Garden

We all enjoy access to fresh, organic herbs. So, before you get half way through your favourite recipe only to find you forgot the cilantro, why not start your own windowsill herb garden?

Herbs are easy to grow and only need bright light, water, and the occasional conversation to reward you with delicious farm freshness and add some beauty and colour to your windowsill.

Here are the eight most useful herbs to grow for your kitchen.

Basil

With several types of basil available it can be hard to know which to choose. Genovese basil or sweet basil is the most well known variety and has many more uses than just sprucing up your average Caprese salad.

Use basil to make your own pesto, basil infused oil or add it to tomato based pasta dishes. Add the torn leaves just before your dish is ready to avoid losing flavour.

Thyme

Believed by the ancient Greeks to be a source of courage, thyme has been used for many purposes. As an incense, a digestive tea, a sprig under your pillow as a sleep aid and of course to flavour dishes, cheeses and oils.

A firm favourite in Italian cooking, mix thyme, parsley and bay to make a bouquet garni, add to stocks and marinades, or sprinkle over your roasting vegetables. Remember to add it early so the heat gives the oils time to release.

Parsley

When many of us think of parsley we think of the breath freshening properties we’ve all heard so much about, or that sprig of green, that you never eat, used to decorate your plate.

Used more to enhance other flavours in a dish than for flavour of its own, parsley is an excellent enhancer for seafood and to tone down spicy dishes.

Organum/Oregano

Pizza! Need I say more? Surprisingly part of the mint family of herbs, oregano is an essential ingredient in pasta sauces, and helps our bodies to dissolve fats.

Add to fatty cuts of meats like pork or use it in tomato based sauces in dishes like lasagne or pasta Napolitano.

Rosemary

What is a Sunday roast without the smell of Rosemary wafting from the kitchen? Roast without rosemary is like playing the vibrant slots for real cash has to offer without colour on your screen!

Use to flavour roast lamb and potatoes, strip the leaves off the twigs and use them as skewers for the barbeque. The skewers will impart a delicate flavour to chicken, vegetable or lamb kebabs.

Mint

A rapidly growing herb that makes a perfect pot plant. They require a lot more water than other herbs so be sure to keep them well hydrated.

To aid digestion simply break up some mint leaves, cover with boiling water, and allow too steep for a few minutes before drinking. Try your hand at making your own mint jelly or just keep it on hand for those surprise Mojitos.

Sage

Sage is another herb often overlooked. Mixed with onions it makes a tasty addition to stuffing for poultry, blend it with cheeses or simply batter and fry the leaves for a snack or as a side dish with lamb.

Chives

Chives are easiest to cut with a pair of scissor. They don’t enjoy being cooked as their flavours are delicate and subtle.

Add chives to mayonnaise for salads or sandwiches, add it to soups at the end of cooking or creamy sauces for fish and pasta.

Any seasoned cook knows fresh herbs can really make the dish, but if you are new to using fresh herbs a kitchen garden is an easy and convenient way to start experimenting.