The culinary herb FAQ.

All you ever wanted to know - and ask on a newsgroup - more often than once a month - about culinary herbs.
A FAQ on growing, harvesting, using and preserving culinary herbs, for rec.gardens, alt.folklore.herbs, and the culinary herblist.
First posted 28Jul1995.
Version 1.17e, last updated 30Jan2006.

Contents

• 1 Introduction
  • 1.1 Contributors
  • 1.2 Wishlist

• 2 Herbs: gardening / harvesting / using them
  • 2.1 Basil
  • 2.2 Curry plant / Curry leaf
  • 2.3 Sage
  • 2.4 Chives
  • 2.5 Saffron
  • 2.6 Zucchini flowers
  • 2.7 Chamomile
  • 2.8 Coriander / Cilantro / Culantro / Vietnamese Coriander
  • 2.9 The mints
  • 2.10 Feverfew and Pyrethrum
  • 2.11 Tarragon
  • 2.12 Nasturtiums
  • 2.13 Dill
  • 2.14 Rosemary
  • 2.15 Lavender
  • 2.16 Lemon balm
  • 2.17 Garlic
  • 2.18 Thyme
  • 2.19 Lemon grass / Citronella grass
  • 2.20 Horseradish
  • 2.21 Fennel
  • 2.22 Anise Hyssop
  • 2.23 Parsley
  • 2.24 Monarda or Bee Balm
    • 2.24.5 Monarda and the bergamot flavor in Earl Grey tea
  • 2.25 Ginger
  • 2.26 Anise
  • 2.27 Borage
  • 2.28 Horehound
  • 2.29 Marjoram and oregano / Cuban oregano / Mexican oregano
  • 2.30 Caraway
  • 2.31 Catnip
  • 2.32 Lovage
  • 2.33 Savory: Winter and Summer
  • 2.34 Rue
  • 2.35 Rocket
  • 2.36 Angelica
  • 2.37 Sweet Cicely
  • 2.38 Mexican Mint Marigold (MMM) / Mexican Tarragon
  • 2.39 Shiso or Perilla
  • 2.40 Capers

• 3 Gardening
  • 3.1 Herbs for ground cover
  • 3.2 Herbs you can't get rid of (= easy gardening)
  • 3.3 Tall herbs
  • 3.4 Herbs for shade
  • 3.5 Growing herbs indoors
  • 3.6 Growing herbs from cuttings
  • 3.7 Warning signs of soil nutrient deficiencies
  • 3.8 Etc.
    • 3.8.1 Fungicides in general and for damping off

• 4 Processing herbs
  • 4.1 Herb vinegars
  • 4.2 Herb oil
  • 4.3 Drying your herbs
  • 4.4 Freezing your herbs
  • 4.5 Herb butter
  • 4.6 Jelly, syrup and other sweets
    • 4.6.1 Flower / herb jelly
    • 4.6.2 Flower / herb syrup
    • 4.6.3 Miscellaneous sweets
    • 4.6.4 Edible flowers
  • 4.7 Potpourris and other non-culinary uses for herbs / flowers
    • 4.7.1 Stovetop potpourri
    • 4.7.2 Dry potpourri
    • 4.7.3 Drying flowers whole for potpourri
    • 4.7.4 Bath salts
    • 4.7.5 Rose beads
    • 4.7.6 Miscellaneous
  • 4.8 Beverages
    • 4.8.1 Wine
    • 4.8.2 Ginger ale / ginger beer
    • 4.8.3 Herbal teas
  • 4.9 Recipes using lots of herbs
    • 4.9.1 Gazpacho
    • 4.9.2 Pesto
    • 4.9.3 Miscellaneous
    • 4.9.4 Spice mixes
    • 4.9.5 Mustards

• 5 Links
  • 5.1 FTP sites
  • 5.2 WWW pages