I grow herbs outdoors (on the Texas Gulf Coast), mostly in an old clawfoot bathtub. I grow rosemary, Italian parsley, dill, chives, thyme, basil (two kinds), oregano and marjoram. Oh, and a giant pot of spearmint. Had a little cilantro earlier, but it's too hot for it here and fresh cilantro is readily available here. Easiest are rosemary, oregano, thyme, parsley. This year I started the parsley, basil and dill from seed...so easy.
This time of year I use the herbs fresh in so many things...one standby is Ranch Dressing. I use whatever combination sounds good in a base of mayo, buttermilk, and sour cream.
Last week I cooked two pork tenderloins with rosemary and thyme. Browned the tenderloins in a hot skillet with olive oil then sprinkled the herbs and added chopped shallots and roasted in the oven for about 15 minutes.
I'm trying a new method for freezing dill...read it somewhere online. You harvest the entire plant, wash and let dry completely. Then lay it on a long piece of plastic wrap and roll it up and compress it as tightly as you can to form a long roll. Wrap again in aluminum foil and freeze. To use it, open up one end of the foil and plastic and slice off a chunk.
I haven't tried to freeze basil yet. Last summer I made a huge batch of pesto and it froze very well. Still tasted like fresh basil.
I also make compound butters...softened unsalted butter to which you add whatever herbs you want, then roll in plastic wrap and form into a log. They last a long time in the freezer...just add a dab to veggies, pasta, to cook eggs, etc. I like the combination of basil, oregano, and shallots. Also thyme and lemon zest are very good combo.
We also grow a lot of different peppers and I pickle them along with other veggies and herbs, especially dill. Really easy refrigerator pack if anyone wants the recipe. We just put up four quarts of mixed vegs...baby corn, peppers, baby carrots, onions, and garlic.
Can you tell I like to cook???
Anita