Harvesting Oregano is a Snip

The oregano that I thought was dead from last year, and weak from perhaps too vigorous of Spring weeding, came back very nicely. I really thought that I accidentally pulled out the last sprig of it when the wild overgrown mint was being tamed back. That’s a lesson in patience, my dear.

Oregano, or as some like to call it, ‘the pizza herb‘ is one of my favorite herbs. It has a rich, energizing scent that is somehow stimulating to the senses.

Oregano dries well and retains much of its wonderful aroma. Just crush a few flakes of the dried herb between your fingers as you add it to your food. It can be added during the cooking stage, too, unlike some other more delicate herbs such as tarragon. Just the other night we had baked chicken with crushed oregano. It was juicy and delicious.

Harvesting oregano is easy.

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Perennial Herbs Grow Quickly in Early Spring

The perennial herbs are re-growing quickly this early Spring. Some of our returning herbs are in the vegetable garden or at the edge of it. Others are in a herb bed in front of the house that receives more sun than those in the garden.

Our list of returning herbs includes –

  • thyme
  • oregano
  • parsley, curled and flat
  • tarragon, russian and french
  • cilantro or coriander
  • chives
  • peppermint
  • spearmint
  • lemon balm
  • chamomile
  • catnip

The herb I’m missing the most is rosemary. Gotta find a rosemary plant this year. It’s one that doesn’t start well from seed, so I’ll be combing through nursery aisles looking for a plant instead.

All of our herbs are easily accessed from the kitchen and that’s something to keep in mind when you’re planting herbs this year. If your herbs are way in the back of the backyard, or somehow not so accessible, then it’s likely you’ll do without them in your cooking. Our herbs are but a few steps away from the kitchen, so even in the middle of cooking dinner I can walk out there, snip a few springs of oregano or thyme and be back inside before anything gets too crispy.

So far this Spring I’ve used the tarragons, parsley, thyme, chives and lemon balm. What herbs have you used from your re-growing herb garden?