Herbs that make salads taste even better!

This article on the use of herbs in our salads is the first part of a series on the theme of salads that taste great!

When we think salad, we think first of lettuces, and probably a few leafy greens such as lamb’s lettuce, arugula, spinach or kale. In doing so, we miss out on the flavors of herbs, the spectacular beauty of edible flowers, under-utilized resources such as edible weeds, the microgreens available when we thin our garden crops and vegetables whose leaves, though edible, are not the main crops. In short, I’m proposing a series of articles so that you’ll never think of salad as boring again!

Why start with herbs?

I’ll start with my favorite: herbs. My garden is full of herbs and so are my salads. From spring to autumn, I always put between 15% and 100% of the volume of my salads in herbs. I like herbs because they’re easy to grow and have a lot of flavor. Their aromas are sometimes so iconic that you’d be amazed at how many species you could recognize just by smelling them. Why miss out on this explosion of flavor when they’re nutritious (compared to lettuce) and all have digestive and health-boosting virtues?

What this article details

To encourage you to delve deeper into this world of taste, we’ll start by exploring the implications in the garden then the universe of tastes before looking at the right combinations in the kitchen and ending with therapeutic considerations.

So, without further ado, here are the herbs I choose for my salads. Select the image to see the complete plant file (cultivation and uses).

Herbs in the garden

There are lots of reasons to start a home garden and I encourage you to do so but if you ask me where to start… I’m sure I’ll be talking about herbs.

Compared with conventional vegetables, herbs are generally easier to grow and more generous in harvesting.

• Low vulnerability to disease
• Rarely visited by insect pests
• More heat-resistant
• More tolerant of drought
• Many are perennial (so less sowing)
• Harvest season extended
• They make excellent companion plants

These are, of course, generalities that don’t apply uniformly but see for yourself – these characteristics are widespread:

Plant	Perennial	Water requirements	Disease resistance	Extended Harvest	Suitable for pot culture
Dill		💧💧	⭐	⭐	⭐
Green anise		💧	⭐	⭐	⭐
Basil		💧💧		⭐	⭐
Nasturtium		💧💧		⭐	⭐
Caraway		💧💧	⭐		⭐
Chervil		💧💧	⭐	⭐	⭐
Chives	⭐	💧	⭐	⭐	⭐
Coriander		💧	⭐	⭐	⭐
Tarragon	⭐	💧	⭐	⭐	⭐
Fennel	⭐	💧	⭐	⭐	⭐
Anise hyssop	⭐	💧💧	⭐	⭐	⭐
Lovage	⭐	💧💧	⭐	⭐	⭐
Marjoram	⭐	💧💧	⭐	⭐	⭐
Lemon balm	⭐	💧	⭐	⭐	⭐
Peppermint Spearmint	⭐	💧💧💧	⭐	⭐	⭐
Oregano	⭐	💧💧	⭐	⭐	⭐
Parsley		💧💧	⭐	⭐	⭐
Savory	⭐	💧	⭐	⭐	⭐
Thyme vulgaris Wild thyme		💧	⭐	⭐	⭐

Herbs are good companion plants

The Lazy Gardener, in his book on seedlings#ref:129#, makes a good point when he says that herbs need to be close to the kitchen to ensure frequent use. That said, they still have their place in the garden and in our flower beds. Having herbs scattered around the garden allows us to munch on a few leaves each time we visit. What’s more, with their pronounced aromas, they protect and stimulate many other plants. Here’s an overview of the services they provide:

Plant	Actions on the ecology of the neighboring plants
Dill	Attracts pollinators and repels aphids.
Green anise	Keeps aphids and caterpillars away.
Basil	Improves tomato growth, promotes cucumber production and protects against powdery mildew; repels flies and mosquitoes.
Nasturtium	Repels cochineal (mealybugs), attracts aphids to protect surrounding plants.
Caraway	Repels slugs and carrot flies.
Chervil	Repels aphids, snails, ants and slugs. Protects against powdery mildew.
Chives	Reduces fungal diseases such as mildew, repels Colorado beetles and protects fruit trees from scab.
Coriander	Keeps beetles and aphids away, and attracts pollinators.
Tarragon	Attracts bees, helps pollinate neighboring plants and trees.
Fennel	Repels turnip fly.
Anise hyssop	Attracts bees and hummingbirds and repels deer and rabbits.
Lovage	Keeps moths, caterpillars and flea beetles away from cabbages.
Marjoram Oregano	Repels ants and indirectly aphids. Promotes plant growth and flavor.
Lemon balm	Repels aphids and flies, attracts bees.
Peppermint Spearmint	Repels flea beetles, cabbage maggot and ants (indirectly aphids). Promotes growth of cabbages and tomatoes.
Parsley	Repels carrot fly. Adds vigour to tomatoes, asparagus and onions.
Savory	Repels aphids and bean flies.
Thyme vulgaris Wild thyme	Keeps caterpillars, including cabbageworms, at bay. Enhances the flavor of nearby vegetables.

The disadvantages of herbs in the garden

There are, however, a few drawbacks to incorporating herbs into the garden:

• In the vegetable garden, it’s best to mix annual herbs with our annual crops. The aim is to be able to use a pitchfork or grelinette at the start of the season to aerate the soil. That said, when gardening on a small scale, the perennial herbs at the ends are not too troublesome.
• Some herbs can reproduce too easily and become invasive. Mulching abundantly avoids the problems of self-sowing plants. In addition to preventing the deliberate sowing of weeds, mulching keeps the soil fresh and moist, nourishes the soil, prevents wind erosion and keeps herbs and vegetables from splashing up when it rains.
• Tarragon and mint can be invasive because of their rhizomes. I recommend either planting them in pots or placing physical barriers in the soil to limit root expansion. Personally, I’ve put all my medicinal plants in the same section and so far the balance has been maintained in this still very productive area of my garden.

Fine herbs in salads

Of course, there’s a lot to say about herbs in the kitchen. In the interests of writing an article rather than a book, I’ve concentrated on my favourite herbs for salads. I have first-hand experience of them, since I grow and use them frequently. Of course, there’s a greater concentration of herbs on my balcony for practicality’s sake, but when I go to pick my salads, I like to wander all over my grounds. The most important tip when picking herbs is to always taste before you pick.

The importance of tasting before picking

Tasting the leaves allows me to stimulate the creativity of the taste harmonies I want to create. In this way, I imprint the flavours and smells in my memory, but above all I avoid making inedible salads. Because throughout the summer, the taste of the same herb plant changes. Young shoots always have a milder taste, but as they mature with heat waves and the production of flowers and seeds, the taste tends to intensify. Taste the leaves to determine the right dose. Can I use a particular herb in full leaf to create volume or do I have to chisel it and use it sparingly to avoid too intense a taste (minty, peppery or bitter)?

Herbs that can be too intense

Here are herbs with more intense flavors that often need to be measured out carefully:

• Nasturtium
• Caraway
• Chervil
• Tarragon
• Mint
• Thyme

A good tip for using these dominant herbs is to combine them with mild cheese (e.g. feta, goat’s cheese, or even creamy mozzarella): the fat of the cheeses dilutes the essential oils and more pungent components, softening their taste.

Parsley, the all-rounder among herbs

At the other end of the spectrum is parsley. There are, of course, all kinds of parsley varieties with different textures and a wide range of tastes. But parsley is an all-rounder. It’s virtually impossible to go wrong, both in terms of combinations and quantity, and given its rich nutritional content it would be a mistake to do without it.

Each herb has its own unique taste. That said, to guide us in our culinary creations, we can group certain herbs by type of flavour:

Plant	Peppery	Aniseed	Reminiscent of celery	Lemony
Green anise		⭐
Capucine	⭐
Chervil		⭐	⭐
Tarragon	⭐
Fennel		⭐	⭐
Anise hyssop		⭐
Lovage			⭐
Lemon balm				⭐
Savory	⭐
Thyme vulgaris Wild thyme				⭐

The right associations

I’m convinced that all the herbs in this article can be mixed into your salads. So you can simply create your own salads as you go along. That said, there are some classic, sensational combinations that I suggest to help you break out of your usual habits:

Plant	Thyme	Savory	Oregano	Mint Spp.	Marjoram	Fennel	Tarragon	Chives	Chervil
Dill			💚	💚		💚		💚
Green anise						💚
Basil	💚	💚	💚	💚	💚		💚	💚	💚
Nasturtium	💚	💚		💚	💚		💚	💚	💚
Caraway
Chervil	💚	💚		💚	💚		💚	💚
Chives	💚	💚		💚	💚		💚
Coriander			💚	💚		💚
Tarragon	💚	💚		💚	💚
Fennel	💚	💚	💚		💚
Lovage	💚				💚
Marjoram	💚	💚		💚
Lemon balm		💚		💚
Mint Spp.	💚	💚
Oregano	💚
Savory	💚

Don’t hesitate to share your favorite salad/herb combinations in the comments… passion is contagious!

The right ratio of herbs to lettuce

Adventurous eaters can, of course, increase the ratio of herbs to salad. I once tasted a salad in an Asian restaurant (before the pandemic) made entirely of spearmint and goat’s cheese, but it was intense. I mostly make my 100% herb mixes at the beginning of the season before the salads are ready to pick and when the herbs have milder, sweeter tastes.

Errors

If you taste your herbs before adding them to the salad, you’ll find it hard to go wrong with your creations. At worst, they won’t be optimized. My most frequent mistake is to mix too many different herbs in my salads. If you have too many tastes in all directions, you lose personality. Limiting yourself to 2 or 3 herbs helps to tame the flavors which will then seem more coherent.

The economic argument for growing herbs

Unlike vegetables which, when ripe in our garden, are also at their lowest price in the grocery store, herbs are always relatively expensive and offered either cut or potted, sown too densely. As a result, grocery store fresh herbs never keep very long. Often, we only consume half of what we buy at a high price. Having them in the garden means keeping a fresh supply for almost six months of the year. And if you’re prepared to transform them just a little… it’s easy to build up a year’s supply. Since many are perennials and others are easily grown from seed, your home-grown herbs are very economical crops.

Nutritional richness of herbs

Compared with lettuce, herbs may be slightly higher in calories and equivalent in vitamin B1 (thiamine) but they are far more nutritious in terms of other nutrients. For example, if we compare parsley to lettuce, parsley contains 3 to 6 times more calcium, iron, magnesium, zinc, copper and vitamins B3, B9 and C. In fact, for every nutrient category for which the U.S. government#ref:130# provides information, parsley is richer than lettuce. You might say, “It’s not difficult, lettuce is just water” but how can you expect to get taste if all you eat is water?

Antianemic

For iron-deficient people, the natural champion is parsley: 100 g of fresh parsley gives 6.2 mg of iron#ref:130#, or 44% of the average daily requirement for a woman#ref:131#. But peppermint, with its 5.8 mg, is also rich in iron.

Antioxidant

Nasturtium, marjoram, oregano and thyme are rich in antioxidants. Naturally, you’ll also find antioxidants in large quantities in berries (which are also perennial and easy to grow but more often shared with local wildlife).

Medicinal properties of herbs:

Although they have different properties and preferred systems, all herbs are medicinal; used in their fresh form as food they support health gently and safely. However, as many are emmenagogues, pregnant women should take a few precautions before eating large quantities of herbs in their salads.

Herbs for the digestive system

The vast majority of herbs presented today are digestive (stimulating digestion), carminative (reducing fermentation, evacuating gas), aperitive (stimulating appetite) and antispasmodic (with a strong affinity for the smooth muscles of digestion). An interesting number also stimulate and protect the liver or bile production. In other words, adding more herbs to your plate and especially fresh leaves to your salads, contributes to a healthy digestive system and good digestion.

Plant	Digestive	Carminative	Antispasmodic	Stimulates the liver and/or bile
Dill	⭐⭐	⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐	⭐
Green anise	⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐
Basil	⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐	⭐⭐
Nasturtium				⭐⭐
Caraway		⭐⭐	⭐⭐
Chives	⭐⭐
Coriander	⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐
Tarragon		⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐
Fennel	⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐
Anise hyssop	⭐⭐	⭐⭐
Marjoram Oregano				⭐⭐
Lemon balm	⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐
Peppermint Spearmint	⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐
Thyme vulgaris Wild thyme			⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐

Some herbs have other interesting properties for the digestive system:

Antidiarrheal

Savory is a good anti-diarrheal plant. It has a gentle effect, helping to restore balance gradually without causing constipation.

Antivomitive, antiemetic

Many herbs will reduce nausea and vomiting. For nausea in pregnant women, please read the restrictions carefully as many herbs are emmenagogues and may stimulate miscarriage if taken in therapeutic quantities.

The most powerful anti-vomiting herb in the garden is still ginger, but among the herbs presented here you’ll find that symptoms improve with dill, coriander, anise hyssop, lemon balm, peppermint and spearmint.

Laxative

Spearmint and peppermint act as mild laxatives, more useful for prevention than for severe constipation.

Antiparasitic and deworming

With their high concentration of essential oils, certain herbs have a gentle action against parasites of the digestive system. These include basil, caraway, tarragon, fennel and thyme. Regular consumption helps to cleanse the digestive tract.

Herbs for the respiratory system

Although we think primarily of the digestive system, herbs with their high content of volatile compounds (essential oils) are also useful for the respiratory system. That said, I think they’ll be more effective taken as a herbal tea or inhaled (by standing over a jar where they’re immersed in boiling water) than in your salads. But don’t overlook the impact of simply consuming them. Think of the French’s expression “having the mustard rise out of one’s nose”. Those of you who have ever “overdid it” on wasabi (which is in the same plant family – Brassicaceae – as mustard or horseradish) will know what you’re talking about.

Plant	Expectorant	Mucolytic	Bechique/ Antitussive
Dill		⭐⭐	⭐⭐
Green anise	⭐⭐	⭐⭐
Nasturtium	⭐⭐	⭐⭐
Coriander	⭐⭐	⭐⭐
Fennel	⭐⭐	⭐⭐
Anise hyssop		⭐⭐
Marjoram Oregano	⭐⭐		⭐⭐
Thyme vulgaris Wild thyme	⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐	⭐⭐

Women’s herbs

Virtually all the herbs selected (with the exception of chives, nasturtium and coriander) are emmenagogues. In other words, they are uterine tonics, plants that stimulate the menstrual cycle. Used in therapeutic doses emmenagogue plants increase a pregnant woman’s chances of miscarriage. There’s no need to be alarmist: the herbs presented today are mild emmenagogues. Eating a few leaves is not a problem. Nevertheless, as a precautionary measure, avoid therapeutic or excessive doses during pregnancy especially during the first 3 months.

Galactogen

Fennel is excellent for promoting lactation and to a lesser extent dill, green anise, basil and caraway also contribute. Parsley, on the other hand, reduces milk production.

Herbs for the circulatory system

Plant	Cardiotonic	Hypotensive	Hypoglycemic	Hypocholesterolemic
Nasturtium		⭐⭐
Chives		⭐⭐
Coriander				⭐⭐
Anise hyssop	⭐⭐
Marjoram Oregano		⭐⭐

Although not specialists in the circulatory system, these plants can help restore balance but will rarely resolve the problem on their own. Do not hesitate to consult a health professional if you suffer from any of the associated pathologies.

Other medicinal properties

Without claiming to be an exhaustive list, here are just a few of the benefits that the herbs covered in this article can bring you:

Alterative:

Alterative plants such as thyme and, to a lesser extent tarragon are of interest to people suffering from arthritis, fibromyalgia, acne, eczema, etc. Don’t hesitate to read my article on this little-known property.

Antibacterial, antimicrobial and antiseptic:

It’s a common misconception that only antibiotics (which are very damaging to the immune system) can boost our immune defences. Of course, the effect here is less dramatic. These are gentle treatments that work in tandem with our natural defenses. Antibacterial or antimicrobial plants, depending on their preferred system, can be used externally to clean wounds or internally to fight infections. It goes without saying that plants do not have the same power with all microbes and bacteria; each has its own speciality.

The most well-known herbs: basil, peppermint and thyme.
To a lesser extent: green anise, nasturtium, chives, tarragon, fennel, marjoram, lemon balm, oregano and savory.

Antifungal:

Antifungal plants can be useful for both humans and the garden. In the garden, antifungal infusions can be made and sprayed on affected plants or as a preventive measure. Herbs with antifungal properties include nasturtium, fennel, peppermint and thyme.

Anti-inflammatory

Regular consumption of the following herbs will help manage inflammation: dill, nasturtium, fennel, peppermint, spearmint and thyme.

We hope this article inspires you to plant and use wonderful herbs. Please feel free to share your favorite uses for herbs in the comments.

Photo credit:

Dill: Tepeyac, basil: Goldlocki, nasturtium: Mary Hutchison, chervil: Audray Pepin, tarragon: Cillas, fennel: Sten, aniseed hyssop: Audray Pepin, marjoram: Audray Pepin, lemon balm: Audray Pepin, spearmint: AnRo0002