Of all homegrown crops, to me no others have a more stark “night and day” flavour difference than that of fresh herbs. This is because the aromatic compounds that give these plants their characteristic flavour are constantly evaporating off the surfaces of their leaves, wafting into the air around them. This is precisely the reason why we can smell them, but it also means cut herbs are constantly losing their scent in the journey from farm to fork.
In one recent trial on coriander, after a week or so of storage the cut leaves had lost the vast majority of these fragrant chemicals. The researchers – investigating how to extend shelf life in supermarket herbs – highlighted the fact that the coriander still looked cosmetically perfect as a positive thing.
Fortunately, herbs can also be the easiest of all crops to grow, even for a beginner. You don’t need any special kit or even a trip to the garden centre, as a range of both everyday and unusual herb seeds can be found in your spice rack. Take any of the following seeds from jars in your kitchen cupboard, sprinkle them over a bed of newly raked soil in a sunny spot, water in well and you are on your way.
Both fennel and its close relative dill are so easy to grow I have seen both pop up on railway lines, gravel patches alongside motorways and even on abandoned building sites. They look great, too – creating frothy towers of filigree leaves and architectural flowers which bees just love.
I used to think I wasn’t a huge fan of chamomile tea until I tried it brewed from the fresh flowers, which have an almost impossibly fragrant pineapple-like scent. Surprisingly, the easiest way to get your hands on loads of seed is to rip open an (unused) chamomile tea bag. These will contain loads of fertilised flowers and thus are a great source of viable seed. Try the fresh flowers and leaves not only in tea, but chopped and added to dishes as you would parsley or dill.
If you want something more conventional, why not try coriander seeds? I’ll admit that I haven’t tried this on account of my loathing of coriander leaves, as along with about 15% of the population I carry an allele of the OR6A2 gene which causes it to taste not fresh and fragrant to me, but like soap.
Finally, they are not quite “herbs”, but mustard seeds will sprout to produce lush, leafy greens that can be harvested as baby salads or sautéed up as a tasty spinach substitute. Want a fragrant green that is just as easy but without their fiery flavour? Go for fenugreek, whose incredible warm richness makes it one of my favourite greens, all for such little effort.
How To Eat Better by James Wong is published by Mitchell Beazley at £20. To order a copy for £17, go to bookshop.theguardian.com
Email James at james.wong@observer.co.uk or follow him on Twitter @Botanygeek
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