Helpful Herb Info

Sweet basil has a minty, clovelike aroma, the scent of Italian trattorias. Use it with pasta, sandwiches, vinegars, sauces (pesto, of course), fish, or poultry.
Opal basil has a sharper taste than sweet basil, but it can be used in the same foods -- except pesto. It's a tad too strong for that. The beautiful dark purple herb lends a pretty color as well as flavor to vinegar; just add the leaves to bottled white wine vinegar.
Sage with its slightly bitter, musty mint taste is a popular choice for holiday stuffings and sausages. Sage is the dominant herb in poultry seasoning and works well with most vegetables.
Sweet marjoram with its delicate, mild flavor can season almost any meat or vegetable dish. Don't confuse this marjoram with wild or pot marjoram; both are more pungent.
Oregano is the herb you taste in pizza, but its robust, pungent flavor is also perfect for bean soup, meat, fish, or a Mediterranean dish.
Savory is potent; use it sparingly. Said to taste like a cross between thyme and mint, it may taste spicy and peppery also. Add to soups, stews, fish, bean dishes, poultry, or pork.
Thyme presents a minty-lemony aroma and is effective with chicken, vegetables, and Creole dishes. There's a cook's adage: "When in doubt, use thyme."
Chervil is best fresh because when it's dried, it loses some of its distinctive anise-tarragon flavor. Season soups, salads, or vegetables with chervil. Combined with tarragon, it gives the classic flavor to bearnaise sauce.
Tarragon is a basic herb for French cooking. The spicy, sharp flavor with licoricelike overtones flavors poultry, marinades for grilled meats, salads, sauces, vinegar, chicken, and fish. And bearnaise, of course.
Rosemary is aromatic with a bold piney, perfumy flavor. It resembles an evergreen tree; the leaves are needlelike. It is especially effective over any roasted meat, especially lamb, fish, and tomato-based dishes. Use it in place of basil or in addition to it.

 

Translating Fresh to Dried

  Once you have dried the last crop of your herb garden next fall (just tie bunches together and hang in an open, dry area), you need to know how to substitute dried herbs for fresh. The rules of thumb for herbs:
 

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 For strong-flavored herbs such as thyme, marjoram, sage, rosemary, tarragon, and dillweed, use 1/2 teaspoon dried herb for each tablespoon of fresh herb.
 

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 For mild-flavored herbs such as basil, oregano, mint, and savory, use about 1 teaspoon dried herb for each tablespoon of fresh herb.
 

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 Taste the mixture after you have stirred an herb into it. Add more herb if it's warranted.