They were grown and eaten for both culinary and medicinal purposes by the Greeks, Romans and Egyptians, all of whom used them in profusion. Herbs are essential to the discerning cook and despite their general lack of importance as sources of nutrients, these leafy plants do contribute greatly to our diets by their addition of scent, flavour and colour. Vegetarian cuisine in particular is renowned for its exciting use of herbs. Herbs can be utilised in both their fresh and dried forms. If picking fresh herbs, especially for the purpose of drying, they are best picked just as they are coming into flower, when the plant's nutrients and aromatic oils are still mainly concentrated in the leaves.
Fresh herbs lose their flavour quickly, so use immediately.
They should also never be subjected to prolonged cooking. Dried herbs are no substitute for the real thing, but if you need to use them, remember they are far more concentrated than fresh and need to be used more sparingly. A general guide is one teaspoon of dried herbs to four teaspoons of fresh. Fresh herbs should be stored, washed, in a polythene bag in the refrigerator. Dried herbs should be kept for a maximum of six to nine months.