I like basil. At some point I i got tired of killing all the plants and started learning how to properly grow and care greens with basil.
It has plenty of uses and it requires the right amount of care, not too simple not too complex.
I’ve grown it from seeds, cuttings, in pots, outside and in hydroponics.
Ah yes, basil got me into the whole plants rabbit hole. Love how easy it is to just get started by buying one pot from the super market and then just living off of it without ever needing to buy a new one.
I always let mine flower at the end of the year, and plant the next generation from seed, so I still have the 'same' basil plant from a couple of years ago when I started.
Edit: My current basil plants still are pretty small, but are looking good and healthy so far:
Basil just so rewarding I usually trim and dry like this. I've had good flavor for over a year after doing this
Rosemary and bay leaf. They grow so well here in Ca, it’s criminal that they sell the leaves at 8 dollars a pop at most stores.
8 dollars? That's crazy. Especially because the plant itself isn't that hard to keep and produces an amount of leafs you will never be able to use all.
Exactly!
It's absolutely insane, I remember needing it in a pinch to make some soups, and had to buy one for 8+ dollars at my local store, and it was like 4 leaves.... I went to the plant nursery the next weekend and bought a small bay laurel for 20 bucks, and never looked back. Zero maintenance, it seems to be pretty pest tolerant, and I just put it in my backyard in a pot close enough to catch some residual water from my sprinkler, and it has been thriving ever since.
I'm in inland southern California, and I've never thought about growing bay leaves. I don't think I've seen it at my local nursery, where did you get yours?
I got them at a local nursery!
But I was also told by a plant geek friend that folks grow them on the side of the road, and there are quite a few "semi-public" (true) bay laurel trees in most places in California if you know where to find them. They grow exceptionally well here since they are a Mediterranean plant. We also have a native California bay laurel variety that grows quite well in southern California without much care at all. They taste pretty similar and it's EXTREMELY easy to forage. https://www.foragesf.com/blog/2019/10/5/california-bay-dont-buy-bay-forage-it
We have wild California Bay Laurel growing out back. Not exactly the same, but pretty good to cook with.
To also contribute a plant myself: My current favorite is Jiaogulan. Even though it isn't really a spice, it is used to make tea (very mild) and they say it has the power to keep you young (not sure how much and if there is anything really to it).
What an interesting plant. How did you find it? What does it taste like? Look at you with all your herbal tea, you’re Uncle Iroh!
Haha I wish I'd be Uncle Iroh!
I found it by browsing the stock of a very good German herbal/medical plant merchant. I got very intrigued by the description and just bought one plant and got to get a second plant from it by propagating via cuttings :D
It adds a light citruy fresh taste to the tea. I personally always mix it with some other tea, because by itself is very mild. I most often drink it with a basic green tea, some ginger and honey.
nice! I didn’t know this plant. I’ll try to find some.
Yellow lavender! It’s more “spicy” than normal lavender and is great for cooking.
I also grow my own peppers, mostly Thai and Jalapeño, because I can choose when to pick them and adjust the watering schedule depending on how hot I want them.
Yellow lavender? Huh, never heard of it, gonna look it up, thanks!
How does the hotness level depend on the watering? The less water the hotter the pepper?
That what I’ve heard and I’ve had one season experience with. We moved mid-summer so my peppers got neglected and they ended up tiny but very spicy. I’ve also heard that less water during fruiting means more spice. This will be my first year in controlled conditions so take the above with a grain of salt.
Chiming in with Catnip. I grow it for my cats, Its a super easy grow(mints just seem to be easy plants). They love hanging around it and eating the leaves and flowers. If you have cats its definitely worth a try!
Ive heard of people using it in teas as well but I’ve never tried.
If you get into herbs, consider purchasing a dehydrator. In my experience, it makes drying and preserving the herbs so much easier.
The previous owners of my house left me a bush of shrub of lemon balm and sage... They are of significant size and especially the sage I use basically weekly for various recipes.
I second basil. I have been trying to propagate rosemary into small containers; rosemary and lavender are easier to grow from cuttings than from seed. I grow dill in small containers, too, but it is not really my favorite.
Mint (in a bucket). I harvest and dry it and use it for mint tea throughout the year.
Oh yes love myself a good mint tea! Though I still have to find my favorite mint variety to make tea.
I most often use the parsley from my herb garden. It's in so many recipes that I make! Also love rosemary. My rosemary has died each winter so I replant every year
Agastache foeniculum for an herb and spiceberry (Lindera benzoin) for a spice, so far. The agastache kinda tastes like licorice? But more complex, and weirdly pretty suitable for savory foods. Spiceberry has lots of different flavors depending on what part of the plant you use, and makes for a great all-in-one replacement to a whole bunch of other spices.
Agastache foeniculum seems nice, also seems to attract butterflies, which I was looking for anyways.
