My Favorite Summer Herbs
Based on previous posts or if you already know me pretty well then you know that I have a deep love for herbs! They are my favorite plants to grow from seed when I prepare my annual patio garden. Herbs are a staple in my everyday cooking due to their aromatic and deeply flavorful accents. There’s nothing like going outside in your own garden to snip some fresh rosemary or parsley to enhance your dinner!
Today I want to share with you five herbs that I love to grow and use in the summertime which are Rosemary, Parsley, Thyme, Bay Laurel, and Sage. These herbs are versatile and can be used in a wide array of culinary dishes and medicinal remedies.
Rosemary
First up is Rosemary and this is a very common herb known by many. It’s a bush type of herb with fragrant and needle-like leaves on woody stems. Rosemary has a superbly robust flavor that is woodsy and camphor-like with notes of pine and lemon. This herb is very strong with regard to its flavor and aroma so it’s best to use a light hand at first when using it in your dishes. Rosemary is one of the most versatile herbs because it can be used in all types of dishes from savory to sweet. Its flavor is perfect on meats such as roasted chicken, rack of lamb, grilled shrimp kabobs, and so much more. Rosemary is often infused in olive oil, sugar, and vinegar which can be used to elevate your dishes in a really beautiful fashion. One of my favorite ways to use rosemary is when I’m roasting vegetables such as roasted potatoes and roasted carrots. It’s also amazing in shortbread cookies!
When used in a medicinal fashion, Rosemary has properties of being an analgesic and circulation stimulant. Add a few drops of Rosemary essential oil to a carrier oil like coconut oil or sunflower oil and massage affected areas to bring relief when dealing with muscular pain and rheumatism. Lastly, rosemary extract is used as a natural preservative in body care recipes such as lotions, bath oils, and more.
Parsley
Parsley is the go to herb when you want to add a fresh and bright green flavor to a dish. Italian flat-leaf parsley is the most common parsley found in grocery stores and it’s the one that’s used the most in cooking. This type of parsley has long stems with leaves on the end that grow in a circular arrangement with three sections. The entire plant from leaf to stem is edible and usable in a wide array of dishes, especially ones that are fresh and uncooked like a chickpea salad. The leaves are used in soups, sauces like chimichurri, pasta dishes, roasted meats and so much more! The stems have great flavor as well and they are perfect to make herb bouquets to add flavor to soups and stocks as well as you can stuff them into the cavity of a whole chicken. Parsley is often used to finish a dish so that it can provide an extra pop of flavor and beauty before serving. For example, when you’ve finished plating a pasta dish, you want to chop up some parsley and place it right on top at the end to give your dish a burst of freshness and appeal to the eye before eating.
Parsley is used medicinally to help with settling digestion issues as well as the curly variety is used as a garnish on plates that can be eaten to freshen your breath at the end of your meal. The seeds of parsley are used to make essential oils and can be taken in capsule form to help with ailments like fluid retention, urinary tract infections, and gout.
Thyme
I would say that thyme is my favorite of this set of 5 summer herbs. Each branch has tiny leaves that are tender and pack a delicate punch of herbaceous flavor. It’s similar to rosemary with the fact that it has woody stems and becomes a bush as it matures. Thyme is a creeping type of herb so it will spread and grow over the side of containers. This gives a lovely rustic charm to patio and balcony gardens.
It’s part of the mint family so you can taste slight notes of mint along with lemony and earthy flavor tones. The similarities continue to align with rosemary due to its versatility in a myriad of dishes. You can use thyme in almost any dish and it will take it from ordinary to extraordinary! Thyme pairs perfectly with pork, beef, and poultry dishes. One of my favorite dishes to make with this herb is a Caribbean recipe called “Thyme and Lime Chicken” and it’s always a hit when I have a dinner gathering. The leaves and stems have a wonderful flavor and they are great for imparting deep flavor into slow-cooked stews and soups.
Thyme has medicinal properties of being an expectorant, antimicrobial, and antiseptic. It is used to make cough syrups and lozenges to cool the throat and fight infection.
Bay Laurel
Bay laurel is such a beautiful plant! I bought my first one the summer before moving to Japan and I was so sad to give it away. It’s actually an evergreen tree with deep green, oval-shaped leaves. Fun fact: a bay laurel tree can grow to heights of 50+ feet tall! That’s a lot of tasty leaves!
Bay laurel also know as bay leaves are available mostly in their dried form at grocery stores. If you have the opportunity to get them fresh, I say go for it! When fresh, their flavor profile is sharp, spicy, and bitter with notes similar to eucalyptus. However, when dried, the flavors mellow out and become slightly floral, sweet, and camphor-like with notes similar to warm spices such as clove and nutmeg. Bay leaves are used mainly in dishes that are cooked long and slow to release their aroma fully and provide a depth of flavor in soups, stews, braises, and my all-time favorite...crab boils! It’s important to remember to take out the bay leaf prior to serving your dishes in order to avoid accidentally ingesting a large piece of the leaf. This can cause possible esophageal or intestinal tears if a large piece is swallowed.
This is not to say you can’t actually eat bay leaves. They must be ground first in order to ingest the leaves safely. Old Bay Seasoning, a well-known seasoning for seafood dishes contains dried ground bay leaves as a part of the ingredient list.
Bay laurel has medicinal properties of being an antimicrobial, carminative, and digestive tonic. Cooking with bay laurel as well as massaging the abdomen with a mixture of bay laurel essential oil and a light carrier oil like sunflower oil can help ease gas and menstrual cramps.
Sage
The last herb on this list is sage and it’s so delicious! A favorite among poultry, sage is the quintessential herb for Thanksgiving and Christmas meals. However, you don’t have to wait that long to enjoy the flavors of this lovely herb! Sage is also similar to rosemary and thyme because the plant also has woody stems. The leaves are oblong, soft, and velvety with a green and silverish hue. Sage has a flavor profile that is strong, earthy, peppery, slightly lemony, sweet, and piney. It’s a powerhouse herb and it’s important to also use it lightly and add a little bit at a time to your dishes so that they don’t become overpowered by the intense flavor.
Due to its powerful flavor, sage is used in prominently heavy dishes during the holidays like stuffing, roasted turkey, baked butternut squash, and more. For non-holiday dishes, sage is used to add flavor to delicious breakfast sausage as well as it’s wonderful fried whole and served with fresh pasta in a brown butter sauce. It also pairs perfectly with pork tenderloin and white beans like navy and cannellini beans.
Sage has antimicrobial, carminative, and antiseptic medicinal properties. Drinking a sage tea with honey can soothe coughs and help ease breathing if you have a chest cold. This same tea can also be used if you suffer from excessive gas. Sage can be used as an oral rinse to treat mouth infections and stabilize oral flora.
I hope you enjoyed learning about some of my favorite summer herbs! If you love herbs as much as I do, please share with me some of your favorites and ways you like to use them in the comments below. Take care and stay tuned for a recipe featuring a few of these summer herbs!
-Shari :)
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