The Joy Of Using Fresh Herbs
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(This post was updated on November 22, 2025)
There is a certain joy in using fresh herbs. My love of growing herbs began back in the early nineties.
I’ve been studying them since my early thirties. I joined a women’s group called The Herb Society many years ago.
We had regular monthly meetings, and we members drove to herb festivals together. Designated members would bring a tasty recipe containing herbs for us to enjoy after the meeting.
We learned about herbs because the speakers came to illuminate their joy. We women (there were no men in the group) became friends, brought together by our shared love of herbs.
There is such joy in using fresh herbs!
Herbal Treasures Book:
Herbal Treasures, written by Phyllis V. Shaudys, is my favorite book about herbs. I purchased it first at one of the herb society meetings.
The book you see above is not my original copy. I believe I actually wore the first one out! I ordered this one from some obscure online place because I just had to have another copy of the book.
This is a black-and-white book, unfortunately. There are no wonderful color photos to gaze at. Still, it is chock-full of great information and ideas for using herbs.
This book introduced me to Tussie Mussies. Or “talking bouquets.” It was also my introduction to aromatherapy.
Herb Memory Gardens:
Herbs and flowers signify many things to me. When I’ve lost a beloved pet, I plant a memory garden in their honor.
I choose herbs/flowers to describe my love for that pet. For instance, rosemary stands for remembrance. Chamomile stands for comfort.
I love the scent of these herbs, especially knowing what they signified in the language of herbs/flowers.
I’d sit near the little garden and remember my beloved pet. And, of course, I’d cry because I missed them so much. It was a part of grieving, going to sit near my little memory garden.
The Language Of Flowers:
Floriography, the “language of flowers,” dates back to Victorian times. It allowed people to express feelings that otherwise could not be spoken, through their choice of flowers.
Sounds so old-fashioned. Well, it is. But it’s also wonderful.
Using herbs engages all the senses: sight, scent, and touch.
Rub the leaf of a pineapple sage plant, and you will be rewarded with a scented gift. One that, for me, is truly glorious and unlike any other. The same goes for lemon verbena.
Growing herbs gives me joy in so many ways. I’ve grown container herb gardens, fairy herb gardens, and more. Every year I have a garden. And every year, I include herbs along with other plants and flowers.
Get Unplugged:
In this era of immediacy, I like to unplug from all things electronic and go out to my patio. I sit and listen to the birds. Watch the hummingbirds and butterflies flit around my herbs and flowers.
It is the ultimate treat for relaxation and contentment. A simple gift we can give ourselves that keeps on giving.
I sit and let the scent of herbs, carried by the wind, reach me, and I delight in the mixed smells of many herbs growing.
Bringing Cut Herbs Inside To Enjoy:
Yesterday I went out to the patio and snipped some chocolate mint stems to bring indoors. I then put the stems into bottles filled with water. The scent was incredible!
So now I have mint here in the kitchen where I can enjoy it while I wash dishes or prepare food.
Tips:
Cut flowers are always lovely to enjoy inside. But don’t forget about your herbs.
Mice hate peppermint. Actually, they are repelled by any type of mint. To keep mice out of my kitchen, I soaked a cotton ball in peppermint essential oil. Then I placed it underneath my sink. And I haven’t seen one mouse since then.
Make sure you get 100% peppermint oil. And when the smell weakens, soak another cotton ball and place it wherever you think they might come into your home.
Alternatively, you can add peppermint, lavender, and geranium essential oils to a warm bath to help relieve stiffness as they’re absorbed through the skin.
My Favorite Herbs:
My favorite herbs for scent are chocolate mint, pineapple sage, lemon verbena, and lemon balm. I also like spearmint.
Enjoy the aromatic herbs anywhere in your home. They’d be lovely in a jar on your bathroom counter. Or in your guest room when guests are about to arrive.
Placing peppermint essential oil in a diffuser helps relieve anxiety and stress.
Other Articles I’ve Written About Herbs:
- Herbs That Both Attract & Repel Insects
- Uses For Herbs You Might Not Know About
- 10 Best Herbs To Grow Indoors Year Round
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I began with Phyluss Saudys books when I discovered herbs in 1986. Still learning!
I love using herbs when cooking, but also for their medicinal purpose for some of them. I have a little herb garden and also many dried herbs in jars in the kitchen!
I'm super excited to get my herbs planted for the season! I have missed being able to go out on my deck and snip what I need for that night's kitchen creation. Unfortunately the only perennial herb that came back is the sage, not counting the chives of course that are in pots on the deck. The dill self seeded all over the beds, but everything else has to be planted fresh each year. Too bad.
What a lovely post! I so enjoy growing and using fresh herbs. Years ago, my cousin and I visited Caprilands, an herb farm in Connecticut. The owner, Adelma Grenier Simmons led us on a tour, and then she gave us a lecture in her barn. She treated us to a tasting featuring her recipes. I will always remember that she said that her parents let her plant herbs and experiment. Thank you for sending me on a trip down Memory Lane. I just ordered the book that you mentioned as well as one of Adelma's.
I love herbs. I grow basil, mint, oregano, and rosemary in pots. I will have to try to find this book. Have a wonderful day and a Happy Mother's day.
My family know that herbs are always welcome as Mother's Day presents. It is blissful to step outside and snip them fresh and I learned to love them much as you did, by joining a group and touring herb farms many years ago and reading about them. My father was old fashioned enough to still call them by the old way when I was a child, the H pronounced as in a man's name!
After a winter of rain, my garden is happy and I am actually able to water. And simply sitting in my garden watching the flowers grow is becoming a common occurance.
I just loved your post…I have a passion for herbs too…!
I would love to use fresh herbs in cooking but I find that when I do I am disappointed because I can't taste them! Maybe I just don't use enough. I particularly like Basil to put in a pasta dish. Never heard of lime basil but that sounds nice. I do love lavender, I think it is a herb, correct me if I am wrong Brenda. I have never cooked with it but love the color and smell. I have been using a lavender soap for as long as I can remember.
Is Hilltop Herb Farm by any chance the one you went to? When I lived in Texas in the early 70's, I went there. They had a farm and small restaurant. They had a tour of their garden and then a lunch prepared with herbs and talked about the preparation. It was very intimate, and Madeline Hill did the tours herself. I just looked it up, and this is what it has grown into…
https://artesianlakes.com/restaurant/
Herbs can be grown indoors in pots or outdoors in pots or the ground, which makes them accessible to just about everyone. They are delightful to look at, smell, and eat. By the way, Brenda, a book that I got as a gift years ago is very interesting — A City Herbal, by Maida Silverman. It is described on the cover as a guide to the lore, legend and usefulness of 34 plants that grow wild in cities, suburbs and country places. It features plants that most people call weeds, that often grow in waste places and sidewalk cracks. These plants, such as dandelions and Queen Anne's Lace, have some use, maybe as a tea, a salad green or perhaps a poultice. There are only drawings of the plants, but they are very nicely done. I see that the book is available at amazon.com. It's wonderful that you can enjoy your love of herbs in the solitude of your peaceful patio garden.
I enjoy growing herbs. I'm not much of a cook so really never use them. This year I added lime basil and chocolate mint. Can anyone give me suggestions on how to use them
Good Morning Brenda! I like to plant herbs too. I plant them in pots that I can put on our small deck. That way I can enjoy them when I am sitting out there reading or doing some embroidery/quilting by hand. The fragrance
is wonderful, plus it keeps some of the pesky little nats, etc at bay.
I love learning about Herbs and flowers from you. I planted some herbs for my Mom this year and she is loving it!