It’s cold outside, but inside, we’re still growing

It’s snowing as I write this, and on our front deck—where potted petunias, hollyhocks and moss roses bloomed all summer—there’s barely a hint of color. The pine boughs and holly we piled up in planters are buried in snow, and the only sign of life is at the bird feeder, where cardinals and finches are gorging themselves on sunflower seeds, suet and thistle.

So I’m lavishing all my attention on the indoor garden: neat rows of mint and basil on the windowsill and sun porch, along with little pots of dill, sage, parsley and cilantro.

My first herb garden was a gift (“Ch-ch-ch-chia, the pottery that grows!”). I didn’t expect much of a harvest, but lo and behold, it worked, it was easy as pie, and I became accustomed to having fresh herbs to break off and toss into soup or salad.

I’ve had an herb garden ever since, and it’s made me much more adventurous in my cooking. Being a waste-not, want-not sort of person, I’ve learned just what goes with what; as a result, I’ve tried recipes I never would have attempted if I didn’t need to use up a surplus of sweet marjoram or sage. When I have enough, I also dry my herbs and tie them up in muslin for sachet. One Christmas, I gave jars of tarragon mustard and dill pickles as bread-and-butter gifts (now there’s a phrase you don’t hear anymore). It was fun to be able to say that most of the ingredients—the tarragon, the dill, the Kirby cucumbers—came from my windowsill or backyard plot.

It’s wonderful to have a limitless supply of spearmint, which is great in cold drinks and hot tea, in homemade jelly, as a garnish for desserts, or just to chew on (like many herbs, it’s said to be an effective digestive aid).

Lemon verbena also makes a great tea (for variety, blend both mint and lemon verbena in the same pot). It also adds zest to fish, poultry, marinades and stuffings, and can be folded into the batter when you bake bread.

My favorite herb is rosemary, which has a heavenly aroma, especially when crushed. It’s an essential ingredient of one of my favorite desserts, orange fool, which dates back to the 1700s. You can also use rosemary for a zippy foccacia bread, and bundle and dry the stalks to hang in your closet.

Here’s a quick guide to pairing herbs to food, focusing on the herbs that grow best indoors. This is the Cliff’s Notes version, not comprehensive by any means, and I take no credit for the information; some I learned from my mother, some from books (my dog-eared copy of “Herbs: Growing and Using the Plants of Romance” by Bill and Sylvia Varney), and some, of course, from the internet. Hope it proves helpful to budding herb gardeners.

Basil. Routinely used in Italian dishes, like pesto and pasta sauce, and of course, with tomatoes and mozzarella. Add it last to cooked dishes—heat can diminish its flavor. If you use it fresh, tear rather than cut the leaves for maximum flavor. Basil brings out the flavor in eggplant dishes.

Dill. Use it on poached or grilled salmon, and save the crowns for homemade dill pickles.

Oregano. Often stands in for basil in Italian dishes. Use fresh oregano and olive oil as a base marinade for grilled dishes. I combine fresh-ground black and white pepper, a little olive oil and minced oregano and spread it on shrimp or chicken. Oregano flowers dry well and serve nicely as part of a bouquet.

Lavender. Little did I know that this aromatic plant with the purple blooms can be used to make honey, jelly and vinegar. Of course, it’s a perfect potpourri.

Chives. Great as a ballast for starchy dishes (egg, rice and potato). Add chopped chives to cream cheese or butter.

Parsley. I never was a big fan of parsley flakes, which I find tasteless to the point of being useless. I grow Italian flat-leaf parsley, which has a nice sweet taste in salads and on potatoes, and throw curly parsley in for visual appeal. Mostly, I grow parsley for my pet guinea pigs, Monty and Eggie, who rule the household and have somehow managed to grow fat on greenery.

One caveat when it comes to herbs: the varieties are many, and the temptation great to try to raise a bumper crop. But avoid waste (and gardener’s guilt) by growing only the herbs that you routinely use and enjoy. The above-mentioned book by the Varneys is a great guide to the therapeutic, cosmetic and culinary uses of herbs.

Be sure to share.

For great herb-infused meals, visit www.recipe4all.com and www.veganpeace.com.

Related: Strawberry-Orange Fool Recipe