Top 5 Herbs: The Winner

herbsbook

Asking you, dear readers, for your Top 5 fresh herbs was a way to help us think spring. This winter has honestly killed me. It has been one of the longest and, even today, only five days before the beginning of April, I’m about to put on my ugly, annoying, tired heavy coat on my ugly, annoying, tired, uber-white (my skin is almost clear at this point) body. Just leaving off a hat these days is making me happy. No gloves? I’m doing somersaults in the streets.

Thank you for your excellent Top 5 Herbs. Some took alot of thought (which, you know we loved). Some of our favorites were Stacey of Stacey Snacks and her mention of a “BIG ASS POT of basil” – we can’t wait to plant ours. Giff of Constables Larder reminded us about the “red headed stepchild of herbs” – bay leaf. It’s true – it’s often forgotten, but so useful.  The Daily Spud made us realize how versatile the lovely and delicious rosemary plant is, helping us create both savory and sweet bites.  Heather, naturally, brought the crazy with her excellently thought-out list (and yes, Heather, you can win twice in this contest) – pineapple sage?  Fennel fronds? Lemon balm!?  LIONS AND TIGERS AND BEARS, OH MY!  Rachel’s choice of curly parsely made me laugh and also made me realize that some people actually love the stuff.  I guess it’s not just used as a really bad garnish on a cheeseburger plate.  Drfugawe so lovingly reminded us that mint ain’t just delicious in salads, but you can’t ever kill it.  Briga, an Italian with bold taste, decided that cilantro/coriander was an herb he couldn’t live without.  I’d agree with him.   Finally, one of our faves, Mark at No Recipes, reminds us that there are many more herbs that we need to learn about and love: green shiso and mitsuba.

Thank you to all for letting us in on your top 5.  Unfortunately, we can only pick one winner because we’re too poor to purchase two books.  And, thanks to our “custom random number generator”, today’s winner is….
Angela @ Angela’s Food Love.

Congrats, Angela.  Hope you enjoy our little package of seeds and the herb book.  Please join us next month for some more Top 5.

12 thoughts on “Top 5 Herbs: The Winner

  1. even though your contest is probably over, I just thought I would put my 2 cents in, Culantro (like really strong cilantro used in sofrito), and Cumin, I LOVE LOVE LOVE cumin, I put it in everything, salsa, rice, chicken, soups, etc etc. love your blog!

  2. Yeah, gotta agree with Annalisa – I put either cilantro or cumin in everything savory, often both. And cinnamon in all of my desserts. Thanks for the list, makes us rethink some we may have forgotten about!

  3. Lemon balm is a weed here and makes an excellent pistou for fish or chicken. I’m glad you liked my picks! 🙂

    Cumin and cinnamon are technically spices, not herbs, since they come from bark and/or seeds. But that’s just me being a persnickety culinary botany snob. 😛

  4. just came back to NY from a gorgeous spring like week in San Fran, and while today is gorgeous, the weather forecast is making me groooaaaannnnn! Every year, March kills me.

  5. heather – i’m glad you pointed that out, as i didn’t want to look like a persnickety turd, but raising it suggests at least two future top five contests: top five root spices and top five bark spices. Non-culinary/botany snobs need not apply…

  6. OK, I’ll bite. The herbs I use a lot that are a bit off the beaten track are lovage, rue, garlic chives, savory and anise hyssop. Lovage is a prima donna, loud, overbearing but oh-so good: Think celery and parsley having an illicit affair. Rue is deeply aromatic and intensely bitter. I use it in my rillettes and in caramelized onions (a tip I picked up from the French Laundry cookbook). Garlic chives are a frisky combination of both garlic and chives — what’s not to love, yes? Savory is a stewing herb that enjoys the company of beans, and anise hyssop make the best ice cream in the world.

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