Culinary Herb Quartet

Thinking about herbs, spices, and good cooking is an early autumn pastime for me. Culinary herbs are available in most markets, even in fresh-cut form. But buying them pre-packaged means I miss out on their fragrance and good looks as they go from small to fully grown plants. And buying them all snipped and wrapped in plastic means I never get the satisfaction of taking them from starter plants to the point of letting them achieve their glory at the table. 

Herbs, in general, do not need endless root space. This makes them incredibly easy to grow indoors, where existing within the confines of a countertop plant pot never troubles them. Without much effort on the part of the plant-tender, culinary herbs grow year after year if planted in the right climates or over-wintered in containers in the home and sent out to soak in the sun during summer. But personally, though I love plants, I do not have the countertop or windowsill space to entertain thoughts of having a separate plant pot for each of the culinary herbs I might want to use in my kitchen. 

Instead, I prefer to grow a mixed container of fragrant culinary beauties… either a trio or a quartet of the culinary herbs I use most often in a single, attractive container. And as for containers, I find that some of the best for this purpose are old bakeware pieces, veggie dishes, or small casserole dishes that I have repurposed into plant pots.

With a very versatile quartet of herbs—Rosemary, Sage, Oregano, and Thyme—your kitchen will smell like a dream, and your cooking will get even more mouth-watering. These are well-loved culinary herbs, ready for use in a variety of cuisines. Yes, you might want to add a small pot of Parsley to the mix for garnish, or you might decide to keep Coriander to dry and use in a recipe or two. Still, for the most part, this quartet of culinary herbs will get you through and make you feel like a chef extraordinaire.

Now, it should be noted that some herbs do not do well when placed side-by-side. But this mix coexists happily. And it also is of note that the variety of each herb does count. Most Sage is good, but Sage Berggarten is especially appealing, with impressively large leaves. Oregano is varied, in my opinion, but Italian Oregano is very tasty and generally well-liked. And Thyme… well, in my garden, I grow the incredibly fragrant Lemon Thyme, but I do not use that for cooking. Instead, I find that most people like English Thyme… straightforward, expected, and delicious.  

Trailing Rosemary, in particular, is tougher than most plants… and dare I say, even tougher than many other culinary herbs. It likes bright light and well draining soil, perhaps with a sand amendment. And over time, I have learned to ignore my desire to add fertilizer. I have come to know that when caring for Trailing Rosemary, “care” amounts to nothing more than watering weekly.

Many think of using Rosemary in savory dishes, but it is also magical in sweets that have caramel or vanilla flavor profiles. Finely minced, it can be added to shortbread bases, crème brulees, and other custard and caramel delights. (It takes the place of Lavender, which can also be used effectively in sweets that are flavored in a similar manner.) Personally, I think that mincing Trailing Rosemary for cooking is easier than mincing other varieties with woodier, upright stems.

Of course, moderation is key when cooking with and consuming Trailing Rosemary or any other variety, as well as all other herbs, considering they have medicinal qualities; some, such as moms-to-be who really must watch their diets while expecting, may not want to eat them at all. They should consult their doctors and determine what is safe in their circumstance. But for the rest of us… yum. Trailing Rosemary adds scent, color, and flavor, while requiring only straightforward care. And Trailing Rosemary… well, it becomes an attractive “spiller” for container plantings, or a gap-filler that spreads to fill bare spots in raised beds of other herbs or in other garden beds when summer rolls around again. In fall though, it seems enough that Trailing Rosemary is delicious and very useful in the kitchen.

But perhaps even more than Trailing Rosemary, I find great uses for Sage. Browned butter with Sage is delicious on so many foods. For me, the largest Sage leaves are attractive in terms of aesthetics both in the countertop plant container or as part of a savory recipe. At Thanksgiving, in addition to using it in recipes, I tend to pull handfuls of leaves from my plant to place on a serving platter, strictly for decoration.

I have resigned myself to the fact that summer has faded. But having a little bit of “summer” in my house, courtesy of a quartet of fresh culinary herbs, makes me think of good cooking and pleasant holidays ahead... makes me think of fall.