Fresh Herbs at the Market
There are many varieties of fresh herbs available at Memphis Farmers Market to experiment with to turn your ordinary dishes into extraordinary taste creations. Basil, thyme, rosemary, sage, parsley, dill, and many rare varieties are now available at the market. Come visit your local farmers to learn how to pick and grow the best fresh culinary and ornamental herbs for your home garden. Here are a few tips for finding fresh herbs at the farmers market and adding them to your cooking.
Whether you plant them or pick them up at the farmers market, adding fresh herbs is a quick way to transform ordinary meals into extraordinary meals. Besides helping flavor foods when cutting back on salt, fat and sugar, herbs may offer additional benefits of their own. Researchers are finding many culinary herbs (both fresh and dried) have antioxidants that may help protect against such diseases as cancer and heart disease.
Find fresh herbs at the MFM from the following vendors:
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- Pontotoc Ridge Blueberry Farm
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When to Pick or Purchase Herbs
Herbs are best when picked fresh. They tend to rapidly lose their flavor after picking and their delicate subtleties can be lost when dried. Some will keep up to 2 weeks when sealed in small plastic bags and refrigerated. Refrigerate basil and dill with stem or roots in water, covered with plastic. Most herbs deteriorate quickly so wash just before you’re ready to use them. If they’re wet, wrap in paper towel. Keep at room temperature until the leaves dry. In recipes that call for dried herbs, substitute fresh herbs by tripling the proportions. Therefore, 1 teaspoon of dried herbs equals about 3 teaspoons (or 1 tablespoon) of fresh herbs. Purchase herbs close to the time you plan to use them. When growing herbs in your own garden the ideal time for picking is in the morning after the dew has dried but before the sun gets hot. This helps ensure the best flavor and storage quality.
When Substituting Fresh Herbs for Dried Herbs
A general guideline when using fresh herbs in a recipe is to use 3 times as much as you would use of a dried herb. When substituting, you’ll often be more successful substituting fresh herbs for dried herbs, rather than the other way around. For example, think potato salad with fresh vs. dried parsley! Delicate tasting herbs, such as basil, chervil and parsley, should only be used fresh as they loose most of their flavor and aromatic qualities when dried. How to Store Fresh Herbs Fresh herbs can be stored in an open or a perforated plastic bag in your refrigerator crisper drawer for a few days. If you don’t have access to commercial perforated bags, use a sharp object to make several small holes in a regular plastic bag.
Cooking with Fresh Herbs
Cooking with fresh herbs adds flavor and diversity to the meals you prepare and adding fresh herbs to your dishes is a quick way to transform them from ordinary to fabulous. Herbs and spices are often categorized together. However, herbs come from the leafy part of a plant, while spices refer to the seeds and are always dry. Herbs fall into two categories: the 'fine' herbs, such as basil, chervil, rosemary and thyme, and the 'robust' herbs like mint, savory, dill and sage. Generally all herbs should be added toward the end of cooking. After cooking too long, they give a bitter taste to the food.
Here are some ideas to help you start combining fresh herbs with your foods.
BASIL
A natural snipped in with tomatoes; terrific in fresh pesto;
other possibilities include pasta sauce, peas, zucchini
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CHIVES
Dips, potatoes, tomatoes
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CILANTRO
Mexican, Asian and Caribbean cooking; salsas, tomatoes
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 DILL
Carrots, cottage cheese, fish, green beans, potatoes, tomatoes
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 MINT
Carrots, fruit salads, parsley, peas, tabouli, tea
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 OREGANO
Peppers, tomatoes
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 PARSLEY
The curly leaf is the common, but
the flat-leaf or Italian parsley is
strongly flavored and often preferred for cooking. Naturals for parsley include potato salad, tabouli
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 ROSEMARY
Chicken, fish, lamb, pork, roasted potatoes, soups, stews, tomatoes
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 SAGE
Poultry seasoning, stuffings
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 TARRAGON
Chicken, eggs, fish
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 THYME
Eggs, lima beans, potatoes, poultry,
summer squash, tomatoes
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 WINTER SAVORY
Dried bean dishes, stews
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Planting an Herb Garden
Horticulturists recommend planting herbs after the last day of frost in the spring to avoid losing plants to a late freeze. If you’ve never planted herbs before, you may be more successful initially starting with transplants, rather than seeds. When you’re selecting herbs, be sure they’re meant for culinary uses, not just as an ornamental herb. Some of the ornamental herbs may have a less desirable flavor because they’ve been bred for appearance rather than taste appeal. There are three types of plants: annual, biennial or perennial. An annual completes its life cycle in one growing season and must be planted yearly. A biennial completes its life cycle in two growing seasons; biennials produce only foliage the first year and bloom the second year. Some people plant biennials, such as parsley, yearly for their foliage. A perennial lives for many growing seasons and comes back yearly.
Popular fresh garden herbs include basil, chives (common chives and garlic chives), cilantro, dill, mint and parsley. Herbs such as French tarragon (Artemesia dracunculus), oregano, rosemary, thyme (Thymus serpyllums is a common culinary thyme), sage and winter savory are satisfactory in both fresh and dried forms. Note: Mint is a very aggressive plant that can quickly take over the herb garden. Plant it in a container at least 12 inches wide and deep (about a one- or two- gallon size container) without holes. Inexpensive plastic containers without holes are available at most nurseries or lawn and garden centers. Bury the container in the ground so an inch of the container is above ground level. This will contain the plant so it can’t creep out the top or the bottom and will prevent it from spreading throughout the garden. You may need to water mint more than other herbs that are planted normally and can send their roots farther into the ground. Many herbs are suitable for container gardening as well as planting in a ground bed. Container gardening is an especially good option if you’re limited on space.
USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map
Check your zone to learn which herbs might grow where you live.