How Are Herbs Used?

A herb is a plant of which the leaves can be used for food, medicine, perfume, or for flavour in cooking. Herbs and spices can transform an ordinary, everyday meal into something special. As some herbs are very strong and piquant in flavor, however, they should be used sparingly. Some of the most popular herbs in this country are listed below. Basil, a sweet, mild herb with a rather peppery taste, goes well with all kinds of savory and salad dishes.
Sage is good with rich meals. It is strong in flavor, with a rather bitter fragrance. Sage leaves are sometimes wrapped round cheeses to give them flavor.

Thyme. There are several varieties of thyme, which originated in the Mediterranean countries. The best-known varieties are garden thyme and scented lemon thyme. It is a strong, spicy herb, and it is used fresh or dried.

Cloves can be used in sweet or savory dishes. They are the flowers of the clove-tree, which grows in the Molucca Islands. Cloves are sweet, fragrant spices, and can be used either whole or ground.Mint, popular for its flavor and fragrance, is named after Mintha, a nymph of Greek mythology! The goddess Persephone, according to the story, in a jealous rage turned her beautiful rival, Mintha, into this plant. The mints belong to the family Labiatae, which also includes many other herbs such as thyme, sage, marjoram and rosemary. The commonest wild species of mint in this country is the water mint, but we generally use garden mint for flavouring mint sauce or chewing-gum. Catmint, or catnip, which is so attractive to cats, also belongs to this family.

Many of the herbs mentioned above can be gathered together,bunched like a bouquet, tied around the middle and hung upside down to dry.Once dry you crumble them into themselves and put into {mason} jars.Then just use a pinch as you go about cooking.Enjoy!!!