
Herbs are definitely multi-purpose plants.
Traditional uses include culinary, medicinal*, fragrance, and dye. We have written records of medicinal uses of herbs in 5000 B.C.E. in the Middle East, and archaeological evidence of medicinal use back to 8,000 years ago in China. One has to wonder: who was the first brave person to test some of the more potent herbs?
Herbs are multi-tasking plants. They have been called weedy. But most are beautiful, especially if you consider that every herb is a multi-purpose powerhouse. They offer food to pollinators. Many herbs accumulate minerals from deeper soils and bring essential nutrients to the soil surface to be used by other plants. They act as aromatic deterrents to deer and rabbits who are looking for their next meal. But best of all, from the human perspective, so many make our food taste good and support our health.
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Thank you for your Mediterranean pesto recipe. I will have to make this. I like to freeze individual herbs with olive oil and a little salt. I spread the pureed herbs on a small sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Lightly score herb puree to make measuring easy. Cover with plastic wrap. Place in freezer. After frozen break up herbs to fit in storage bag. Place frozen herbs back in freezer. So nice to have on hand for our winter soups and stews.
Great idea on freezing individual herbs! Thank you for sharing.
Only oregano is hardy here. I grow dill, parsley, thyme, bay leaves tarragon, tarragon, lemon balm, lemon verbena, rosemary, sage, tarragon & Italian oregano is tender are the traditional herbs I grow. Valerian & Angelica, plantain, red clover, soladigo ( wild) are on our property. Peppers for paprika & chili are grown in our gardens as well.
You grow a lot of herbs, how wonderful! Thanks for sharing.