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The Beginner's Garden with Jill McSheehy

471 - Herbs All Season: How I Use My Garden Herbs Year Round — Fresh, Dried, and Blended

5/12/202641 min

You spent the money on herbs. You watched them grow. Now what?

There's a whole season of flavor sitting in your garden, and most of it never makes it to your kitchen. This episode walks you through how to actually use what you grow — fresh, dried, frozen, and blended — from the first oregano harvest in spring all the way through cilantro in winter.

Free Download: Herbs Quick Reference Chart A handy cheat sheet for growing and using your favorite kitchen herbs. http://journeywithjill.net/herbchart

🌿 Live Workshop — Everyday Kitchen Herbs (Tuesday, May 19th) Join Jill live in her garden as she walks you through 12 kitchen herbs — growing, harvesting, and using each one. You can ask questions in the chat in real time. Register here → https://journeywithjill.net/herb-workshop

Key Takeaways

  • Harvest perennial herbs like oregano, mint, and thyme in spring when they're at their peak — before summer heat sets in
  • Preserve flavor by storing dried herbs whole in jars, then grinding only when you're ready to use them
  • Basil pesto freezes beautifully in silicone trays, giving you homegrown flavor all winter long
  • Cilantro does best when you let it self-seed and volunteer — your fall and winter harvest will be stronger for it
  • You don't have to do all of this at once — pick one herb, one method, and start there

Resource Links

Free Download: Herbs Quick Reference Chart → http://journeywithjill.net/herbchart

Everyday Kitchen Herbs Workshop (May 19th, live) → https://journeywithjill.net/herb-workshop

Connect with Jill:

Ready for a simple system to plan and track your whole garden? My Complete Garden Planner makes it easy → https://shop.journeywithjill.net/

Sponsors for This Episode

Garden in Minutes — Easy-to-install garden bed irrigation that takes the guesswork out of watering. Use code Jill at checkout for 7% off regular-priced items → http://journeywithjill.net/gardeninminutes

Gardening advice shared in this podcast is based on my own experience in Zone 8a (Arkansas) and from the feedback I receive from others in different gardening contexts. Your results may differ depending on your location, climate, and growing conditions. Always check your local extension service or trusted resources for region-specific guidance.

Some links mentioned may be affiliate links, which means I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you if you make a purchase. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Transcript preview

First 90 seconds

  1. Speaker 10:00

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  2. Jill McSheehy· Host0:37

    Hey there, and welcome back to the Beginner's Garden podcast. Today we're gonna be talking about herbs, and it's the perfect time to be talking about them, because right now when I walk outside in my garden, it is obvious that herbs are the queen of the garden. This is their time to shine, and they are so beautiful when they are growing. But that's only the beginning. I also wanna be able to use them, as I'm sure you do too. And not just because the herbs that you get at the grocery store, fresh or dried, can't compare with the flavor of fresh, but there is so much more. I have a jar of Italian seasoning on my spice rack right now that I made myself. Every herb in it came from my garden. I also have basil pesto in my freezer that my son has been eating since he was a baby. Well, [chuckles] not that exact

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