Life is too short to eat bland, boring food. For your everyday eating pleasure, flavorful dishes are best, and Ward’s Supermarket is your perfect one-stop shop for the freshest ingredients and locally grown herbs that take your dishes from blah to BAM!
With so many choices to choose from, it can be hard to know what essential spices and herbs you need in your kitchen. We’re here to make your next grocery shopping trip a little easier and give you the top eight herbs you should keep on hand for delicious meals every time!
Say Aloe Our 8 Essential Spices & Herbs
With these eight staples in your pantry or your fridge, you can’t go wrong! You can eat these dried or as fresh herbs—whichever you prefer.
1. Basil
Oh, Basil, my heart! This herb is a warm-weather variant from the mint family. A versatile herb, it is used in its fresh or dried forms, and although it originated in India, it is now most commonly associated with Italian cooking. In addition to its slight mint flavor, basil also tastes of anise and pepper. A few foods that love basil include pesto, lemon basil chicken, and Caprese bruschetta.
2. Chives
Chives are a cool-season, perennial herb related to shallots, leeks, and scallions, and are best eaten raw or cooked for just a few minutes. This herb is seriously delicious with its garlic and onion flavor that adds just the right amount of pizazz to cream cheese, mashed potatoes, and homemade cheese spread with garlic and herbs.
3. Cilantro
Cilantro is a tart, annual herb from the parsley family. Some people detect a lemon-lime flavor, but some folks say “no thank you” to cilantro because they taste soap. Those who do like it include it in pico de gallo, roast chicken with cilantro-mint chutney, and beer bread, to name just a few.
4. Dill
This warm-weather herb is kind of a big dill. It can be eaten fresh or dried, and its seeds and flowers are edible. With its slight grassy or licorice flavor, dill can be used in salad dressings, egg dishes, or homemade dill pickles. Check out this recipe for mahi-mahi fillet with lemon-dill sauce.
5. Oregano
Don’t say orega-no to this popular, fragrant herb. Like basil, oregano is from the mint family and lends itself to an early, peppery taste similar to camphor. Oregano is used in its fresh and dried forms, but when used fresh, it takes on a more bitter taste. Add some complexity to your spaghetti sauce, chili, or pizza, or try this tasty recipe for one-pot lemon oregano chicken and rice.
6. Parsley
Parsley has a light scent and fresh, somewhat bitter taste that can enhance the flavor of other herbs. Like most other herbs, it can be eaten fresh or dried, but dried lasts considerably longer, so don’t use your parsley sparsely! Instead, use it as a garnish or in Middle Eastern recipes such as chimichurri sauce and tabbouleh.
7. Rosemary
Love grows where my rosemary goes, and this aromatic, perennial herb blooms well in warm climates like ours. It tastes piney, lemony, astringent, and even woodsy to some eaters and is delicious when added to dishes like soups, chicken with goat cheese, rosemary chicken with spinach, roasted vegetables, or mashed potatoes.
8. Thyme
If we could turn back thyme, we would tell Cher about this delicious, aromatic herb that can be used fresh or dried. When fresh, it tastes like grass and wood mixed with floral notes, while dried tastes like lemon and pepper. A real MVP of the spice world, thyme can spruce up meats such as pork loin, chicken, or fatty steak, or be used in this creamy chicken with thyme.
Is Fresh or Dried Better?
As we’ve mentioned, all these herbs can be enjoyed either fresh or dried. But which is actually better? Really, it all comes down to personal preference. Fresh herbs tend to have a fresher, lighter taste, which can elevate a dish. Dried herbs are stronger in flavor, but they can last much longer in your pantry than fresh herbs can last in your fridge.
Some people use dried herbs for the longevity benefit alone. No need to buy fresh every time—it’s always available in your pantry.
However, sometimes, a dish might call for fresh over dried. For example, dried basil doesn’t work as well for Caprese as fresh does. Still, others prefer fresh herbs because they can buy the plant and have a constant supply of their favorite herbs. So if you have a green thumb, that might be the better choice for you!
Have You Herb That Ward’s Has the Best Selection?
This is just a small sampling of the herbs we have in store for you. So, no matter what you have cooking, we’ve got what you need at Ward’s Supermarket. Check out our selections and see us for the freshest meats, produce, and herbs around, as well as a wide variety of beer and wine, sure to fill your belly and plant a smile on your face!
