I cut bunches of herbs, take them inside and lay them in a single layer between two sheets of paper towels.  Then I carefully lift the sheets into the microwave oven and turn it on for 30 seconds.

I check the process and keep doing this in 30 second batches until the herbs begin to feel crackly. This means they are dry.  I crumble the dried herbs in my hands and pour them into a clean dry jar with a tight fitting lid.

The best time of the year to harvest your herbs is the autumn when there is plenty of growth. Herbs that work well include rosemary, thyme, sage, marjoram.

You can also try chives, mint and parsley.  Let us know how this process works for other herbs.  Or you may have a different process that works for you.  We’d love to hear about that too.

Prepare your place for these plants with good potting mix if you are using pots or good soil with compost or potting mix added if necessary for planting herbs in the garden.

Give the herbs a good soaking before you transplant them so you reduce the stress on the plants.

Hollow out a space that is bigger than the herb plant and its surrounding soil

Put the plant in the hole and fill the rest of the hole with soil or compost.

Press down well so the plant is firmly in place.

Water again and watch it grow!

Contrary to popular 20^thC belief, buying a parsley plant does not necessarily mean you will get pregnant!

You will need a shallow tray with drip holes in the base and some special seedraising mix (or very fine soil).

Follow the planting and growing instructions on the packet.

Water well and keep the tray moist (but not soggy) until the plants are ready to transplant into a permanent position in the garden or into pots.

Most commonly used herbs can be easily grown in small spaces.  They can be grown indoors in pots on window sills or outside in pots or garden beds.

You can buy seeds or small plants from your local garden centre  or supermarket.

If you are starting out, try parsley, thyme, basil and marjoram (also known as oregano).  Parsley and basil are annuals – that is you need to get new plants every year.  Thyme and marjoram are perennials and will last several years.

Marjoram spreads a lot so give it plenty of room in the garden or contain it in a pot.

Mint is another useful herb and it lasts forever.  It spreads by underground roots that are hard to eradicate so if you don’t have much room it’s best in a pot.

Rosemary is a small shrub and needs a good sized pot or a good bit of room in the garden.

What you use and how much you use depends on your own tastes.  You can play around a bit and you really can’t go far wrong.

You will need a greater amount of fresh herbs than dried herbs.  The drying process enhances the flavour of the herbs.

Dried herbs lose that enhanced flavour over time though.

You need to keep them in an airtight container and be prepared to throw them out when the intense flavour has gone.

The other major use of herbs is as a garnish for dishes.  The intenseness of the colour greatly enhances the appearance of even the plainest plate.

You can either chop the herbs up and sprinkle over the food, or you can simply add a sprig of basil to a tomato based dish, or parsley to almost anything.

Photo of sage (grey) and rosemary

Photo of basil