What are herbs?
Herbs are the edible and aromatic leaves of some varieties of plants. They are sometimes used for medicinal and religious purposes, but they are most often used for culinary purposes. Imparting strong and vibrant flavors to all kinds of dishes from around the globe, herbs are also a welcome addition to any garden with their delicious scent, beautiful foliage, and often colorful blossoms.
What’s the difference between herbs and spices?
Herbs are the edible leaves and stems of some varieties of plants, while spices are the flavorful seeds, bark, or flower buds of plants. While spices are often ground into a fine powder to release their flavor, herbs only need to be chopped, crushed, or muddled.
Why use fresh herbs in place of dried?
Fresh herbs impart a purer and fresher flavor to foods than dried herbs, which have lost some of their essential oils during the drying process. Because dried herbs are more concentrated than fresh herbs, substitute fresh herbs for dried at a three to one ration or one tablespoon of fresh herbs for every teaspoon of dried herbs.
Why use Organic herbs?
Organic herbs are free of synthetic fertilizers, chemical herbicides, and pesticides that have not been approved by the USDA National Organic Program, so they are a healthy choice for both consumers and the environment.
Where to buy fresh, organic herbs?
, located in the heart of Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley, has been growing fresh, organic herbs since 1989. Their fresh cut and living organic herbs are of the highest quality, grown by farmers who truly care about creating a sustainable, nutritious, flavorful, and satisfying product for their customers. Shenandoah Growers’ products are available at fine grocery stores in the eastern region of the United States.
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Can fresh herbs be frozen to keep them longer?
Check out this post, hopefully it will give you more insight into freezing fresh herbs.
http://www.freshherbs.com/2010/10/step-by-step-freezing-basil/
Chef Herb looks familiar, must have run across him. The roll and herbs look delicious! I will try them soon and report back…
Do you have tips on starting my own herb garden?
Can you replant the Shenandoah herbs?
These herbs are grown to be kept in your kitchen and used in your everyday cooking. With that said, we recommend that you always water the plants from the bottom and allow them some access to natural light. I hope this helps!
Hi
Like to know why you recommend the plants to be indoors and not outdoors. Is it because of insects going on them? Can the plants be repotted? Why do you recommend to water from the bottom? Should all plants be watered that way and not adding the water to the soil? Let me know. Thanks
These plants are grown to be kept indoors and used in your cooking on a regular basis. The herbs are harvested with a high oil content which is what gives the leaves their flavor. While some of the herbs will last longer than others, the general shelf life is 7-10 days; so we recommend that they remain in the kitchen where the leaves can be snipped, tossed into your everyday foods and you can taste the difference.
Herbs in particular should be watered from the bottom to avoid getting the leaves wet, which can promote rapid decay. By watering from the bottom, the roots absorb the water they need and the leaves remain dry.
Thank you for your comment, I hope this information is helpful!
Ok I am new to using fresh herbs, so please bear with me. Thanks
I was at the Womens show this past weekend. Where I picked up 2 herb plants, Parsley and Rosemary. If I cut the Parsley at the bottom of the steam ( above the dirt level) to use in a dish will it grow some more from the roots or once it is cut and all is harvested thats it folks time to plant some more. I am thinking that the Rosemary will keep growing new limbs with new growth would this be correct?
My house is not plant friendly ( not much sunlight) so if I plant herbs out side in a garden what is the best way to water them? I see you mention to water from the bottom to prevent leaf rot. Will the early morning due promote leaf rot as well? Will full sun be ok for them to grow in? Thanks and any other information you can provide me with would be greatly appreciated. I feel the need to get some dirt under my finger nails and play in the dirt.
Thank you for coming to our booth at the Southern Woman’s Show in Memphis! To answer your question, once you harvest all the leaves from either the Rosemary or the Parsley, the plant will not regenerate itself.
Keeping living herbs in the kitchen allows you to have easy access to them and is a daily reminder of the wonderful flavors that fresh herbs can add to your meals, but some people prefer to keep their herb plants out of doors. To plant your living herb outside, simply remove the plant and roots from the plastic pot in which you purchased them and transplant them into your garden or into a larger pot. It is best to keep most herb plants in a partly sunny location, avoiding full sun if possible. Water your herb plant when the soil is dry, and cut the leaves as you need them for your meals.
I was very excited to buy two of your herbs at the Southern Women’s Show yesterday and very disappointed to come home and find that I hadn’t bought plants at all, just a week’s worth of herbs. Nothing in the literature at the show or on the plant itself indicates this. I think you owe it to your customers to make it clear, before purchase, that they’re not buying plants, just the equivalent of freshly cut herbs. Some people may not mind, but I am very disappointed and it’s left a really bad taste in my mouth about your company. I feel I was mislead.
Thank you for your comment. To better help you understand our Organic Living Herbs, they are meant to remain in your kitchen to be able to use in your cooking everyday. We recommend that you always water the plants from the bottom, give them some natural light and the plant should continue to stay fresh while you harvest the leaves.
Keeping living herbs in the kitchen allows you to have easy access to them and is a daily reminder of the wonderful flavors that fresh herbs can add to your meals, but some people prefer to keep their herb plants out of doors. To plant your living herb outside, simply remove the plant and roots from the plastic pot in which you purchased them and transplant them into your garden or into a larger pot. It is best to keep most herb plants in a partly sunny location, avoiding full sun if possible. Water your herb plant when the soil is dry, and cut the leaves as you need them for your meals.
I am confused. What does the above commenter Tammy mean by they are not plants. I have bought basil and it is doing very well and my grandmother re-potted it into a larger container and I have had the basil for over a month and it is doing great. It has grown new leaves and everything. Since the basil did so well, I bought a mint, parsley, and cilantro plant and I hope to get the same results. What is the difference between a live plant and the “organic living herbs” you sell?
We are so happy that your plants are doing well – that is what we like to hear! The plants that you referenced are our “organic living herbs”. We grow our organic living herbs in our greenhouses in Harrisonburg, VA year round to provide you with a fresh, living herb that you can keep in your kitchen. We recommend that you snip the leaves and use them in your cooking everyday. We hope that you continue to enjoy our plants and be sure to share with us how you use your herbs, we love hearing new ideas. You can share with us on this website or on our Facebook page .
I have also purchased these fresh herbs. I purchased the basil intending to keep it on the kitchen table, but it lasted not longer than 2 weeks. Thinking I may have done something wrong (eventhough I watered from the bottom and kept in the light but not direct sunlight as directed.) It started dying?????????? I went and bought another and kept in the plastic and put a small water catcher at bottom to water. Lasted about 3 weeks but is now dying. WHY??????? Is this not a plant that should survive indoors? The ones in the store still look good. What is going on here? We use basil all the time even the kids snip leaves off to wrap around their string cheese. There are still leaves but the stems start drooping and then the plant withers away. WHY???? W H Y ???
Great question. The organic living herb plants are not grown to last forever, in fact, the average life of the indoor basil plant, for example, is 7-10 days from the time of purchase. These herbs are grown to maximize the oils in the leaves to enhance the flavor and aromas; which is what enhances the flavor in your foods. We encourage all of our customers to keep the herbs in their kitchens, snip the leaves to enjoy in their meals. As the leaves are harvested from the plant, it will perish.
Please see more information on this subject by visiting http://www.freshherbs.com/shopping-for-herbs/, and reading through the material. There are more frequently asked questions addressed there. Hopefully this is helpful!
I wondered why ours kept dying no matter how hard we tried to keep them alive. We watered, keep them in semi-sun, and babied them. Now I know! Okay, that’s fine that the company makes them to die within 7-10, but why not explain that on the label so we don’t think that we’ve done something wrong when they die.
The life of the herb plants vary so much and are a result of countless factors. They are grown to be used fresh, as a way to keep herbs in your kitchen, not indefinitely, but for about 7-10 days while you have time to prepare meals and use them to enhance the flavor. The best thing to do is to keep them watered and in semi-sun until you are ready to use them. Some people do have success planting them outside as well.
I have just purchased two of your herbs. I have just read some of the comments. If I transplant this specimen to a pot with potting soil will it just die or will it survive and grow. If it will just die, I feel that I was misled in the purchase.
Thank you for your question. Some herbs have a higher success rate. Herbs such as thyme, mint, oregano and rosemary are much heartier and have a better chance of surviving.
Our fresh organic herbs are grown to be full of essential oils which give them the flavor and aromas necessary for cooking. We suggest that the herbs remain in the kitchen and used in your foods everyday. For those people who wish to transplant them, we encourage you to read the common questions found on this web page: http://www.freshherbs.com/shopping-for-herbs/
I hope this helps! Thank you.
Well if you leave the plants in the origional (small containers) they will die and won’t last long, as they don’t have any room left to grow. But if you plant them in a bigger container or outdoor, they will thrive and last a lot longer.
I just bought a pack of your fresh roasting blend, which is a great idea, however, there was only one sprig of rosemary. The rest of the pack was split between thyme and parsley. I understand that there will be some variation to the amounts, but it would be helpful to have more than just one sprig. Thanks.
Thank you for the feedback. That is our standard way of packing the blends, it is good to get this kind of feedback from customers so we will take that into consideration.
I purchased your herbs in the small plastic containers from the supermarket. How long do they last, there is no date on the package. Thank you.
It depends on how much you harvest the herbs. Based on the provided soil and growth stage, you can expect to keep the plant for a week or two with moderate picking. Keep them in plenty of sun and water from the bottom by placing them in a bowl or dish. Also be sure to remove the sleeve at the perforation. Thanks and enjoy!
I am very disappointed in your herbs. Three times now I bought basil & parsley and in a day or two they are completely dead. I went shoppping Saturnday night and picked up more basil and it is dead.I feel all I have done is waste my hard earned money. I have bought those packaged herbs in the plastic shell containers and they have lasted a month. What is happening? To even find a good plant I had to search hard though the herbs.
Therese – so sorry this is happening… Please trust that the plants are grown in the finest soil and from the best seeds. So with that said – something environmental is taking the plant to this state. Lots of sun, is a must… and have you placed the plant in a dish or shallow bowl and watered by pouring water into the dish? Be sure to remove the sleeve at the perforation. Also, make sure you don’t have a vent or anything of the sort blowing on the plant that could dry it out. Please let us know if this helps – and we are truly sorry that your experience has been less than desirable.
help!
I keep killing the herbs I buy, I’ve killed mint, thyme,dill and parsley? Am I over watering ? I follow the directions, ripping the top portion of the wrapper off and placing in a sunny location? I love having fresh herbs.
Thanks for the insight and a great product!
We commend you for being diligent with your efforts! It sounds like you are doing right by following the directions and ripping off the wrapper and placing in a sunny location. Some of the herbs have a longer shelf life indoors than do others. We recommend that in any case, you try to use mint, dill and parsley within 2 weeks of purchase because those plants tend not to live for an extended period inside. The thyme should be used with 3-4 weeks from purchase. We hope this helps.
i would like to transfer my basil plants to small ceramic pots for a better looking plant. is this recommended to do or should i keep them in the plastic containers they were bought in?
thanks!
We have some detailed information that should help answer this question on our FAQ page. Please see the page here and let us know if you have further questions.
how do you prepare fresh herbs for use in cooking?
Have fresh herbs lost some of their strength in taste over the last couple of years? It seems to me the fresh herbs I have been buying in the grocery store like dill and cilantro don’t have the vibrancy they once had.