Fresh Herbs Produce Guide
Fresh herbs are one of the easiest ways to elevate your dishes! Whether you’re seasoning a sauce, brightening a salad, or garnishing a dish, herbs are guaranteed to transform your dish. This guide covers 12 popular culinary herbs, their flavor profiles, best uses, how to store and freeze them, plus helpful tips to make the most of every sprig!
Spring and summer are the perfect time to utilize the bounty of fresh herbs that are in season. I use them often, and they’re a sure fire way to make an ordinary dish extraordinary.
Why use fresh herbs instead of dried herbs? Fresh herbs add vibrant flavor, color and texture, and aromatic quality to food that dried herbs just can’t replicate. They can also be used raw in salads, muddled into cocktails, and they add great visual appeal as a garnish as well.
That said, dried herbs are great for longer cooking times like soups, stews, and roasts, where their flavors have time to bloom. They’re especially useful when fresh herbs aren’t available.
This handy guide will highlight the 12 common types of fresh herbs, which includes basil, bay leaf, cilantro, chives, dill, Italian flat leaf parsley, mint, oregano, rosemary, sage, tarragon and thyme.
You’ll find information such as flavor profiles for each herb, best ways to use them in the kitchen, how to store them so that they last as long as possible, and recipes that highlight each.
Let’s get cooking with fresh herbs!
12 Common types of fresh herbs to cook with
There 12 types of fresh herbs that are the most common for cooking, and they fall into two categories — tender herbs and woody herbs. Each type is used differently in dishes as outlined below.
I highly recommend purchasing The Flavor Bible. I’ve owned this book for over 10 years and use it regularly. It lists every culinary ingredient and outlines flavor pairings for each. It’s a great way to learn more about how to use fresh herbs in cooking!
Tender herbs
The herbs listed below are tender herbs, which means they have soft, delicate leaves stems. They’re typically used raw or are added to a dish at the end of cooking in order to preserve their fresh, vibrant flavor.
Both the leaves and stems may be eaten. Best uses are raw dishes such as salads, dressings, drinks and cocktails, and garnishes.
- Basil. One of the most popular summer herbs, fresh basil has a sweet, slightly peppery flavor that is wonderful in Caprese salad and basil pesto sauce.
- Chives. In season spring through autumn. Has a fresh, mild onion flavor that is wonderful in butter lettuce salad and green goddess dressing, or used as a garnish for deviled eggs with bacon.
- Cilantro. In season in spring and summer. This herb has a citrusy, peppery flavor. While most people find it fresh and flavorful, it tastes like soap or dirt to some (this is totally based on genetics). It is best used raw in dishes like pico de gallo, cilantro lime rice, and as a garnish for ground beef tacos.
- Dill. In season spring through autumn. Its flavor is bright and grassy with notes of anise and citrus. It is amazing in Greek tzatziki and garlic butter salmon.
- Mint. In season spring through autumn. It has a sweet, cooling and refreshing flavor. It’s great raw in spring farro salad or muddled into vodka spritzers.
- Parsley. In season year round. Has a clean, grassy, slightly peppery flavor. It is widely used as a garnish to add a pop of color to dishes like beef short rib risotto. It’s also the foundation of flavor in Greek yogurt ranch dressing and my chimichurri sauce recipe.
- Tarragon. In season late spring and summer. Its flavor is sweet with a subtle anise flavor. It makes my tarragon chicken salad and asparagus frittata with goat cheese next level!
Woody herbs
The herbs listed below are woody herbs, or they have tough, woody stems and have a stronger flavor. They’re best added to dishes early on in the cooking process so that their essential oils can permeate into the dish.
Woody stems are not eaten. Best uses are soups, stews and braises.
- Bay leaf. In season year round. Has an herbal, floral and slightly bitter flavor. Dried bay leaf has a more intense flavor, while fresh bay leaf is much more mild and provides a more subtle flavor. Use it in homemade vegetable stock or spring vegetable soup. Just remember to discard it after use!
- Oregano. In season late autumn – late spring. Its flavor is bold, slightly spicy and earthy. Italian oregano has a milder flavor, while Greek oregano is stronger. Use it in the marinade for Greek chicken souvlaki, or add it to Mediterranean bean salad for extra flavor.
- Rosemary. In season year round. Has a strong, almost piney flavor that works beautifully in mashed sweet potatoes and winter minestrone soup. It’s also great muddled into cocktails, or used as a garnish for my Christmas tree charcuterie board.
- Sage. In season late spring through early summer. It has a sweet, bitter and earthy flavor, and it shouldn’t be eaten raw as it has a very pungent flavor due to its soft, silvery hairs. It is phenomenal fried and used as a garnish for my baked butternut squash risotto, and it is a classic ingredient in crock pot stuffing.
- Thyme. In season early summer. This herb has an earthy, lemony flavor. It adds herbaceous flavor to crock pot chicken and wild rice, and truly brings whipped goat cheese with honey to life.
How to store fresh herbs
There are three main ways to store fresh herbs, and I’ve tried them all. I’ve outlined each method below starting with my favorite.
Herb keepers
I held off on purchasing herb keepers for the longest time, then finally I broke down and got a couple of different ones when I just couldn’t keep my cilantro and parsley fresh past a few days.
Both of the herb keepers below work beautifully with just an inch or so of water, and my herbs are lasting up to 3 times as long. Parsley and cilantro have kept for over 2 weeks!
Simply discard discolored herbs and trim off the bottom stems. Place the bottom of the stems in the water, cover, and store in the refrigerator. If excess moisture occurs on top, I like to place a small paper towel on top to keep the herbs dry.
- OXO Good Grips Produce Saver. Larger size makes this one great for storing my Italian flat leaf parsley and cilantro.
- LUVCOSY Herb Keepers. This brand comes in a set of (2). Each one has compartments to separate the herbs.
Damp paper towel and zip top bag
This method has been very effective for me as well, so if you don’t want to purchase an herb keeper, this is the method for you.
Refrigerate the herbs wrapped in damp paper towels and store them in zip top bags to keep both tender and woody herbs from wilting, and keep them fresh for up to one week or more.
- Wet paper towels (don’t soak them) and squeeze out any excess liquid.
- Wrap the herbs loosely in the paper towels and store in zip top bags or an air tight container.
Countertop bouquet
This method is for tender herbs only, and I have tried it without much success compared to the first two methods. Basically, you treat the fresh herbs just as you would fresh flowers.
The bouquet method typically keeps herbs fresh for 3-7 days.
- Trim the ends, discard any discolored or wilted herbs, and place in a glass or jar with about an inch or two of water. Be sure to keep the leaves above the water line to prevent rot.
- Store on the countertop with or without a plastic bag over the top. You can also refrigerate any tender herb with the exception of basil as the leaves will turn black under refrigeration.
- Change the water every 1-2 days.
How to freeze fresh herbs
If you have an abundance of fresh herbs that you grow in an herb garden, or you simply purchased some and you won’t get around to using them, freezing them is a great option to preserve them.
Once frozen, the herbs will lose their fresh texture, but they will still have that fresh flavor.
There are (2) main ways to freeze fresh herbs as outlined below.
- Freeze in olive oil or water. Wash and chop the herbs and place in ice cube trays or small air tight containers. Cover them with olive oil and store for 3-6 months, or cover them with water and store for 2-3. months. Pro tip: The olive oil preserves the herbs, so they last longer. Drop the frozen cubes directly in soups, sauces or stews or thaw them first before adding them.
- Freeze them in whole leaves or on the stem. Wash the herbs, then place them on a baking sheet and freeze completely. Store the herbs in zip top bags for up to 3 months and drop them stem and all into soups, stock, sauces or wherever you want added flavor. This method is especially great for rosemary, thyme and parsley.
Fresh herb FAQs
Fresh herbs have a brighter, delicate flavor then dried herbs. They also add color, texture and aromatic quality to dishes. They are best added at the end of cooking time to preserve their fresh flavor, or add them raw at the end.
Dried herbs have a more earthy, intense flavor, and should be added at the beginning of cooking time in order for their flavors to bloom.
Dried herbs can definitely be substituted for fresh herbs, but keep in mind that they have a more intense flavor.
A good rule of thumb is to use 1 teaspoon of dried herbs for 1 tablespoon of fresh herbs.
For woody herbs, remove the leaves from the stems and chop well. For tender herbs, you can remove the leaves from the stems or chop them stems and all as the stems are edible.
To chop basil, remove the leaves from the stem and stack them up on a cutting board. Roll them up lengthwise, then chop them into ribbons. This is called a chiffonade.
Use a very sharp knife or even herb scissors to chop the herbs to avoid bruising the leaves.
It is personal preference whether you want to wash fresh herbs before storing them. If you do, make sure to wash them in cold water, then blot them dry before storing. Excess moisture will cause the herbs to wilt and rot quickly.
