Four Additional Herbs for the Starter Garden

Cilantro
Cilantro is also easy to grow, and quite resilient to whatever slight neglect or difficult conditions you face it with. Cilantro is quite content either in sun or partial shade. We have started varying our use of parsley, and substituting cilantro instead. It is great in salads and as a garnish for any number of dishes, from pastas to soups.

Dill
Dill thrives when it is grown from seed. In fact, we have had our dill spread itself to all corners of the garden, self-seeding as it goes, and have had to remove it from where we didn’t want it to take up a permanent home, as this annual re-seeds naturally each year. On the other hand, dill does not particularly like being transplanted, so waiting for the seeds to dry and then scattering them yourself is probably still the best bet.

We adore dill with fish, and added to soups and salads. A creamy cucumber and dill dressing is just the thing for a salad of greens and fresh baby vegetables harvested from the garden on a summer day.

Mint

The main issue with mint is that you will need to enclose an area (where the roots will spread) around the perimeter of where you want to grow your mint, since the plant will spread and take over garden beds or any sparsely planted areas nearby in the yard. Mint likes a sunny location, and likes to be thoroughly soaked when it is watered. It makes a great addition to teas and desserts, and is also used in toothpastes and for a range of medicinal purposes.

Sage
Sage, for me, will forever be associated with stuffing in the Thanksgiving turkey. It is the flavour we associate with our mother’s traditional stuffing—made simply, with white bread she leaves out overnight, and apples, lard or butter, and of course ample salt, pepper, and dried sage. We love the saturated flavour and the stuffing is always one of the first of the leftovers to be eaten up, the week we begin with turkey sandwiches and end with turkey soup.

Salvia officinalis, or Garden Sage, comes in several varieties. Some of my personal favourites are tricolour and purple sage, since they add that extra ornamental element to the garden. Sage usually does best in full sun, and is best picked when leaves are still tender. Sage dries very well, and can be dried for later culinary use, or dried in bunches to be used decoratively. Fresh sage is particularly good with meats and cheeses, and in soups. We usually have several varieties of sage growing simultaneously, and enjoy bending to crush the leaves as we pass, since the scent is so delicious.