Introduction to Herbs

What are Herbs?

Once all plants were considered to be 'herbs'. This term has, however, now come to refer to those non-woody plants whose properties are useful to man in a number of ways, including culinary, cosmetic and medicinal. Herbs are not Spices, the difference between the two being, culinary herbs are usually the fresh or dried leaves while spices are seeds, roots, fruits or the bark of the plant and generally have a stronger more pungent flavor then the subtle flavors of herbs. The distinction between the two is, however, more academic then practical.

Why all the fuss?

Since humanities earliest beginnings man has used his environment, not only to sustain life but also to enhance his experience of it. Through brute force, cunning and innovation he was able to use animals for sustenance and through experimentation, intuition and curiosity he was able to harness many of the properties of his surrounding flora.

Down through the ages an interaction with things natural seemed always to nurture, not only the body but also the mind and spirit. Form Shakespeare and Wordsworth to Jim Morrison and Jamie Oliver nature has proved to be a source of inspiration and has often provided the impetus for many a poetic and culinary insight.

Herbs perfume a garden with such a wonderfully natural essence and infuse food with a kind of subtle integrity of flavor that is often delightfully inspiring and intriguing. Working with herbs, weather it be in the garden, the kitchen or anywhere else, fills one with a sense of peace and accomplishment that is hard to match.