I like a combination of thyme, oregano, basil, and garlic on pizza. Chives are great on a baked potato with sour cream. Peppermint makes a delicious tea, and so does lemon verbena. Parsley is a nice addition to just about anything, in my opinion, especially fettucini alfredo. Basil is called for in a lot of soup recipes. Use lavender to make a scented sachet or tea. Lemon balm leaves are said to repel misquitos when rubbed on your skin. Some of these herbs could be used to make facial steams, soap, or flavored vinegar. Search the herb name plus "uses" and you should find a lot more ideas.

There are literally millions of websites which have herb-y recipes - in fact ANY recipe sites will have recipes using herbs. The link below leads you to just one site. I've started you off there with recipes for 'lemon balm'. Just type in the herb you want in the Search bar, and see what you come up with. You can do the same with any search engine like Google, searching for 'lemon balm recipes' and get endless sources for more recipes. You could also browse through this forum, because many recipes have been given here over the years. It's a matter of hunting, that's all, and it's not difficult - but it can be time-consuming, but fun.

You local library, or second-hand bookshop, will have countless recipe books. If there's a recipe book anywhere in the world that has no mention of herbs in its recipes, I want to hear about it because it will be extremely rare!!

Meantime, the information below (or similar) is plastered all over the internet, and much of it can be found here, as I have replied to similar questions many times before - along with other people ditto.

Remember that these are just ideas, places to start. Don't be limited by the lists - experiment! Try combinations! Be adventurous! Think outside the square! There's a recipe for Garlic Ice Cream out there, you know! Truly!

Lemon Balm:
Use with/in: Fruit or green salad, marinated vegetables, chicken salad, poultry stuffing, marinades for fish. Can be used to replace grated lemon rind with fish, rub leaves over poultry before roasting, add two or three leaves to green salads. Use in teas, soups, salads, vinegars.

Basil:
Use with/in: Italian, Mediterranean and Thai cuisines, especially pasta, meats, tomatoes, eggplant, zucchini, and onions, poultry, soups, eggs. Use with mackerel or shellfish, add chopped leaves of several varieties to salads. Good in soups and fish cocktails with crab and prawns. Goes well with veal, lamb, duck, and game.

Rosemary: Meats, poultry, fish, potatoes, spinach and other vegetables. Use fresh or dried to season, potatoes, sauces, breads. Fruit compotes, chicken and pea soups.

Thyme: Meats, sausages, fish, poultry, stews, butters, tomatoes, carrots, onions, potatoes, beans and other vegetables. Good with strong flavoured fish, beef, pork and egg dishes. Also good added boiled or steamed cabbage. Ingredient in bouquet garni.

Marjoram:
Use in/with: Meats, vegetables, stews, casseroles, cheese spreads, stuffings, sauces and roasts, omelettes, broccoli and pasta dishes. Spanish and Mexican dishes, with mushrooms, sausage, soups, salads.

Marjoram can be used interchangeably with Oregano:

Oregano: Tomato sauce, egg/cheese combinations, breads, vegetables (especially squash, eggplant, tomatoes, beans, mushrooms, capsicum), meats, fish, chicken, pizza, pastas, Greek salads and sauces. Soups, stews, stuffings, sausage and pork.

Chives:
Use in/with: Veal, seafood, creamy sauces, cheese, eggs, potatoes, other vegetables Use the leaves to enhance Oriental or South-western cuisine. Use the ground seeds in rich meaty soups and stews. The leaves can also be added to salads and stirfries. Use leaves on baked potatoes, baked fish, shellfish. (anywhere you want a mild onion flavour)

Sage: Meats (especially lamb and veal), stuffings, sausage, poultry, vegetables, cheese, eggs. Good in pork and rabbit dishes, or with root vegetables. Add to chowders, stews or gravy.

Lavender: Jelly, cakes, desserts, lamb dishes, ice cream, vinegar, flavoured drinks.

Peppermint: Tea, desserts, especially those with chocolate, confectionery.

Pineapple Sage: Drinks, chicken, cheese, jellies. Flowers in salads.

Lemon verbena: Leaves used for teas, baked goods, vinegars, salads, desserts, peas.

Parsley: Meats, fish, poultry, Middle Eastern foods such as tabouleh. Leaves used fresh or dried in soups, sauces, stuffings, tomato and other vegetable dishes. Egg dishes.

Here is a link that might be useful: lemon balm recipes

Suggest that when you want to plant herbs, you decide which would be useful to you. Just planting herbs for the sake of planting somthing, isn't a good way to learn about the uses of herbs. Suggest that you get a few books for using herbs in cooking and other food prepping. Having an herb garden that looks and smells nice might be good for some, but if its in limited space and you have many things to plant, I suggest that you limit the herbs that are planted to ones you know and want to grow for yourself.

Thank You for your suggestions, links, and words of advice. I'm a plant person but not much of a cook. I learn something new every day. Looking forward to learning to use fresh herbs and maybe cooking more because of what I learn. I am marinating some chicken breasts usung a recipe from the link daisyduckworth suggested.

There are many nice books on growing, harvesting, using, and cooking with herbs. Some books have all these topics in one book! Visit your local library or bookstore for more herbal suggestions. Enjoy!

FataMorgana

I have lots of herbs and use them often but one word of caution, much as I like lemon balm and enjoy it..DO NOT use it for tea if you have any thyroid problems or are taking thyroid medication. So much for my tea, but it still smells wonderful and I grow it anyway.

I use fresh herbs mainly on pizza and on chicken in the summer. Thyme and Rosemary go really well with chicken, either baked or bbqed. Basil too. You can make pesto. You can use fresh herbs in soups, sauces, pasta sauce etc. You can even freeze them in ice cubes and use them to flavor water/iced tea on hot summer days. Oregano is almost better as a dried herb than as a fresh one, although like everything else, it is a matter of opinion. Even something really simple like herbs sprinkled on tomatoes or cherry tomatoes and then lightly bbqed is a really nice summer dish. Fish with a little olive oil, lemon juice and herbs sprinkled on top is simple and very summer-y.

I would say that there are 2 important tips to using fresh herbs in cooking.

1. You need to use more if you are using fresh herbs, as opposed to dry herbs.

2. Most herbs should be added near the end of the cooking process or they will lose their flavor and "zip", unless it is a short cooking process (like bbq). This goes for parsley, basil, most of the delicate herbs. If you need to add them early, add a little bit more right near the end to get the fresh flavor back. Some herbs (like thyme, rosemary) are more robust and stand up better through the cooking process :)

I made spaghetti last night with fresh onion, garlic, garlic chives, oregano, basil, and winter savory. My hubby and son were very pleased with the result.

I like thyme and/or basil with all rice and pasta dishes. Oregano is a nice addition for any beef dish. I like to make a BBQ brush of rosemary, oregano, and winter savory...just rubberband some the stems together at the base and use the brush...afterwards just throw it away; easy clean up!

Grind up the fresh herbs and mix some butter in, the a little olive oil and garlic. I have done this and use small square molds lined with plastic wrap, and then freeze the portions. They are great when stuffed under the skin of a chicken breast.

Thanks for all the ideas and hints. Which herbs do you freeze and which do you dry? My Basil is huge and is growing faster than I can use it. I am learning so much. Keep the ideas coming!!! Renee

Basil dries well, and you can also freeze it. If you like pesto, make a batch with lots of basil, garlic, olive oil, parm cheese, and pine nuts. It can be frozen and then thawed, and served over pasta. Pesto is usually served cold.

Some general herb rules: 1. If you bend the leaf at the nursery and like how it smells, buy and plant it 2. Thick leaves mean stronger flavor, and can add to a recipe earlier in cooking. For example, rosemary can be added to chicken, duck dishes early because the leaves are thick and filled with oil. Chives are thin and would be added later in cooking. 3. Kitchen sissors are your friend with herbs - snip leaves into a recipe for faster release of the flavor; 4. freeze anything you can't use right away, it never hurts an herb. 5.Most important- make notes for what works for you, what you like. You made a wonderful start to your kitchen garden - good luck!

Just pick up any cookbook. They will have recipies that assume you are using dry herbs. When using fresh, just double the amount of the herb you are using. It really is that easy!

As for basil, definitely freeze up some pesto. I froze a ton last year and I'm still using it! Some people tell you not to freeze the cheese in it, but I always use really good cheese and I've never had a problem with it once thawed.

I hadn't heard about the lemon balm tea not being good for those with thyroid problems, will have to check into that, but I love adding either some lemon balm or lemon verbina to my tea when I'm brewing it. Nice soft flavor that is a wonderful treat when chilled.

I prefer to freeze most of my herbs, with the exception of parsley, which I dry. It's really just a personal preference. Some herbs don't dry well - chives is one, basil is another. Both tend to lose flavour and colour on drying. Why not do a little of each and see what your preference is? There is no talent required for either method.

Re: Lemon Balm and thyroid problems: Fresh juice can be used to treat goitre and Graves Disease (hyperthyroidism). However, it is rarely prescribed or recommended as a treatment, because thyroid problems are serious medical problems which need to be treated with the precision of conventional medications (not the haphazard dosages common to herbal treatments), and constant monitoring of the thyroid hormone levels. Graves' Disease is a potentially fatal disease, not one which is easily treated even with modern medicines. Lemon balm interferes with the conventional treatments, and it's virtually impossible to recommend a dosage to suit the individual. It's tricky enough with the conventional medications, because the hormone levels can be all over the place! That's why many herb books will advise people with thyroid problems NOT to use lemon balm.

Maybe I haven't expressed that well, but I hope it does suffice to clear up the matter.

Another downside to lemon balm is its tendency to produce night-sweating. Not good, especially for women going through menopause.

It should also not be used by women who are pregnant.

As with all herbs, there's a downside as well as an upside.

Just wanted to let you know that I have been experimenting. I made pesto (had enough to make 2 batches). I have made Spaghetti Sauce, I used my food processor and ground up garlic, onions, and fresh peppers, added fresh tomatoes and some of my frozen pesto. My daughter made smashed potates with sour cream and fresh chives. Thanks for all your suggestions. You all have gotten me off to a good start. Renee