Herb garden is a must in any garden whether it’s a modern villa, urban balcony, back yard in your mountain log cabin. You benefit from your own herb garden more than just pleasing eyes with the beauty, but you nourish your body with herbs that are:

fresh (świeże) – opposite to dried (w przeciwieństwie do suszonych),

organic (organiczne) – opposite to treated with pesticides and fertilized artificially (w przeciwieństwie do traktowanych pestycydami i nawożonych sztucznie),

cheap (tanie) – grown by yourself and in constant supply (uprawiane przez siebie i w stałej dostawie)

You may not want to get all the chores of vegetable garden, but herb garden is easier – can you resist it this season?

 Here is a list of common herbs and their Polish names:

Angelica – dzięgiel

Anise – anyż

Basil – bazylia

Bay – laur

Borage – ogórecznik

Caraway – kminek

Catnip – kocimiętka

Chervil – trybula

Chives – szczypior, szczypiorek

Cilantro/Coriander – cilantro/kolendry

Dill – koper

Fennel – koper włoski

Horehound – szanta zwyczajna

Hyssop – hizop

Lavender – lawenda

Lemon bal – melisa

Lemon verben – cytrynowa verbena

Lovage – lubczyk

Marjoram – majeranek

Myrtle – mirt, barwinek

Oregano – oregano

Parsley – pietruszka

Peppermint – mięta

Rosemary – rozmaryn

Sage – szałwia

Savory – cząber

Tarragon – estragon

Thyme – tymianek

I have to say that dill is one of Poland’s favorite herbs. Finely chopped, the fragrant feathery leaves impart an unforgettable flavor to boiled new potatoes and other vegetables, poultry stuffing, soups, sauces and fish dishes. The mature dill stalks are used to make dill pickles. Even if you don’t have a vegetable garden, dill will grow along a fence, behind the garage or in other such out-of-the-way places. Some apartment-dwellers even grow it in a window or balcony flower-box.

Chives are also popular. These fine, subtly onion-flavored greens add flavor and color to a wide variety of dishes including: white cheese, scrambled eggs, soups, salads, sauces, fish and gravy-type dishes. Available in supermarkets, but it’s more convenient to have them handy, ready to be snipped when needed.

Do następnego razu… (Till next time…)