Do you like to use fresh herbs?
By wickedangel
@wickedangel (1636)
Dominican Republic
April 26, 2008 5:37pm CST
I started to learn how to cook at quite a late stage - in my early 20s. And I am thoroughly enjoying myself now. I don't have the basic knowledge that my BF and my mother seem to have - they just KNOW what ingredients besst suit certain dishes. I just muck about and see what goes with what.
But fresh herbs, now I have FOUND them relatively recently. And now I really can't cook without them. Nothing beats coriander, rosemary, thyme.... I could go on and on.
We could get all these fresh ingredients in the UK and slowly but surely they could be found in the local supermarket in Spain but here in the Dom Rep it is another matter altogether. I have just found fresh rosemary and coriander but that is it. Other species that I like to use (even the powdered variety) aren't to be seen anywhere. I have to ask my MIL to bring them over when she comes visiting us from the UK.
Do you cook with fresh herbs? If so which ones? Which one would you miss the most (for me it would be coriander)? Do you have any special recipes that you can only use particular herbs? I would love to hear your responses!
6 responses
@stephcjh (38473)
• United States
27 Apr 08
I would love to use fresh herbs but I do not know much about them at all or where to go to buy them really. I usually just buy the herb spices in a shaker and use those. I need to know where to buy them and how to use fresh herbs. We do have a garden out this year and I can hardly wait for my fresh vegetables.
1 person likes this
@wickedangel (1636)
• Dominican Republic
3 May 08
They may sell them in the local grocery store? We get a guy coming around in a truck selling some fruit and vegetables. So I have to stop them all to find out which one of them has any coriander or other herbs.
Nearly all big supermarkets (and some of the smaller ones too) sell fresh herbs. I really do recommend them fresh as they have a much richer taste than their dried variety. You will have fun trying them all out. Good luck stephcjh and thanks for replying!
@megumiart (3771)
• United States
27 Apr 08
I do love using fresh herbs, but I can never use as much as I buy. They always end up getting spoiled when I buy them, so I keep some dried herbs to use instead.
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@wickedangel (1636)
• Dominican Republic
3 May 08
Thanks for responding. Yes, I know what you mean. I bought some coriander the other day and they gave me a vast bunch and wouldn't let me take half. Of course they still had their roots on so I put them in water. After a couple of days though they started going bad, so I ended up cooking the rest in a little oil and garlic which I put in a plastic container in the fridge and have used since when cooking the main meal.
When I get the rosemary bunches again they give me too much so I end up putting it in the fridge as they are, then I just take whatever I need when I'm cooking plus it gives the fridge a lovely smell of fresh rosemary!
Thanks for sharing this with us :)
@wickedangel (1636)
• Dominican Republic
3 May 08
Oh envy, envy, envy - a herb garden, yummy. All those delicious smells, especially after it has just rained.
In Spain I used to grow some herbs - we had lots of rosemary bushes around the place and so whenever I used rosemary I would keep the little stalks so that when we lit the BBQ the smell of rosemary would be floating everywhere - wonderful stuff.
Much prefer the real thing to the dry herbs but then we have to deal with what we have got.
Thanks for responding mrpippo! And happy cooking to you too!
@Ldyjarhead (10233)
• United States
27 Apr 08
I don't, but I'd love to. I'm doing a bit of gardening in containers this year and hoped to be able to put in a few herbs, but I haven't figured out yet which I'd like to try.
I'm not sure which I would use most of, so I better think about that before I just go planting any old thing that I may not really have a need for.
1 person likes this
@wickedangel (1636)
• Dominican Republic
3 May 08
Yes, basil is easy to grow - you can use it in pastas. Rosemary is good too - particularly if you like lamb, they go really well together.
As I said I love coriander but I know it has quite a strong flavour and so it is not everyone's favourite.
Good luck with the planting. Any place that sells seeds will probably give you some good advice as to which ones you should grown. You can also tell them if the pots will be in the sun etc. as some of the plants when they are small can be a little senstive!
@marguicha (223964)
• Chile
8 Sep 12
Are you sure you can´t get spices at a supermarket in República Dominicana? Maybe not all of them, but I bet there´s a wide variety. I have eaten caribbean food with many spices and it´s part of their ethnic food.
