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I can’t get enough of certain herbs. One of my absolute favorites is thyme (right foreground). I love the flavor, and I love that it has such depth and pungency; it holds up to slow simmering while is also perfection in uncooked preparations like cold pasta salad and salad dressing.

My only regret with thyme is how hard it is to grow enough. Unlike fast-growers like basil, thyme takes its time. The leaves are so tiny, too, once dried it takes a huge mound of thyme stems to produce even a small amount of leaves. Another thyme-ely regret is how much webworm also loves thyme. I’m forever picking the webs and larvae from the tangle of thyme leaves.

Also pictured above in the left of the photograph is stevia. I’m not sure how I feel about stevia. It has a strong sweetness, but also a distinct aftertaste that takes getting used to. I’ve added it to herb tea, and it wasn’t my favorite, but I don’t prefer sweet tea anyway so that may explain my dislike in that case. I’m planning to dry some and experiment with it to find out the best way to use it. Please let me know your favorite uses for stevia.

Also in the picture at the top is an oregano I grew from seed this spring. It’s zaatar oregano from Fedco Seeds. I was looking for the thymbra spicata variety of zaatar, a Lebanese favorite, but couldn’t locate a source. I love the blend of zaatar made up of sesame seeds, sumac, and thymbra spicata. Cannot be beat sprinkled on hummus or just about anything, really.

And more lavender. I wish lavender grew here like it grows in some parts of the world, huge, round clumps of it, in rows and rows. I have to make do with a scattering of blooms on a handful of sparse plants, but I love every blossom.

What are your favorite herbs and how do you like to use them?