Herbs For Your Kitchen

Having a well stocked kitchen is essential to quick, uncomplicated meals, which makes eating a healthy, real food diet easier. Herbs are the best way to make your meals flavorful and seasoned without compromising their health, but you need to have the right herbs for your cooking.

Many people begin to shy away from using fresh herbs because they buy an herb for one dish and never use it again. Eventually it goes bad and they feel like buying herbs is a waste. Knowing which herbs you will use more often can help you avoid this.

Growing the herbs that you use most often in your own kitchen garden will also help save money, keeping your fresh diet affordable. Each person and family has a specific criteria for their kitchen. Some people are more fond of Italian food, for example, others Mexican or Chinese.
 This is based on individual taste and expertise. It isn't helpful to grow cilantro if you never cook with it so the first step in choosing the best herbs for your kitchen is to evaluate your typical menu.
 The most common herbs include Italian parsley, oregano, thyme and rosemary. If you find yourself cooking a lot of Italian food, your best herbs would also include basil. Mexican food would also include cilantro and cumin. Mediterranean food uses a lot of mint and cumin as well.

Most importantly, look at what you've typically cooked over the last month. This will be your biggest clue as to what herbs you will grow. The spring is a great time of year to begin your kitchen garden and most herbs grow great in Portland, both indoors and out.

Pick a few to start and experiment, adding and subtracting as you find what's best for you. Soon you'll have the well stocked herbal kitchen that is best for you.