Herb Your Enthusiasm: It’s the Season of Yum

There’s just something about this time of year that makes everything taste better. Maybe it’s the sunshine. Maybe it’s the garden thriving. Or maybe—it’s the fresh herbs.

Yes, yes, we are officially in the Season of Yumminess, and my little garden is bursting with fresh, fragrant fresh herbs that are practically begging to jump into every meal. I was at my friends Larry & Jo’s farm last weekend for dinner. Her garden is abundant and she was more than happy to share! Lucky me ☺️

I’ve been having a moment with dill lately. I made a dill butter from scratch (fancy, I know—but honestly, it’s so easy), and slathered it on both salmon and grouper dinners. Let me tell you—dill-icious 😉 Fresh, buttery, herby perfection. And the best part? I made enough to freeze, so I’ve got herby butter bombs ready to go all summer long.

Here’s how I’m preserving my (well – Jo’s) 😉 garden herbs so I can stretch that flavour well into fall:

🧈 Butter Believe It’s Delicious

This is my go-to for quick, easy wow-factor in the kitchen. I softened some butter and mixed in chopped herbs—separately and as a mix. So far, I’ve done:

• Dill butter (killer on fish, potatoes, or grilled veggies)
• Rosemary & thyme butter (perfect for roast chicken!)
• A mixed-herb butter bomb with parsley, sage, rosemary, thyme, basil, oregano, green onion—basically, my whole garden in one pat.

You can roll them into logs, wrap them in parchment, then freeze them or be fancier – I froze them in these cute little pineapple-silicone ice cube trays for easy portioning. Tastes much better than it looks 😂 I am no foodie-photographer!

🌿 Flash-Freezing for Future Feasts

If you’re not into butter (I don’t think we can be friends), you can also just chop your herbs and flash freeze them. I lay them out on a parchment-lined tray, freeze, then store them in small zip-top bags.

• I did individual bags for dill, sage, rosemary, etc.
• Then I did one “mixed bag” for tossing into soups, stews, or pasta sauces when I want a burst of herby goodness but don’t want to think too hard about it.

💡Ways to Use Fresh (or Frozen) Herbs:

🌿 Dill: fish, egg salad

🌿 Rosemary: roasted meats, focaccia, infused olive oil, roasted potatoes

🌿 Sage: brown butter sauce, stuffing, pork dishes

🌿 Thyme: chicken, creamy soups, roasted carrots

🌿 Parsley: tabbouleh, garlic butter, finishing touch on pasta

🌿 Green onion: stir fries, omelettes, salads

🌿 Basil: pesto, caprese salad, tomato sauces

🌿 Oregano: Greek dressing, marinades, pizza sauce 

Honestly, just adding one fresh herb to a simple dish makes me feel like Martha! 😂 

So if you’ve got a garden (or even just a few pots on the balcony or better yet, a friend named Jo), don’t let those herbs go to waste. Chop, mix, freeze, and butter your way through summer and beyond.

And if you’ve got a killer herb combo I need to try—tell me everything. Sharing is caring in the season of yumminess!

Try Jo’s Chickpea Salad using fresh herbs 🌿 you won’t be disappointed.

Ingredients

1 red or orange bell pepper

2 stalks celery

2 cucumbers

3 tbsp (ish) red onion

1/4 C parsley -finely chopped

1 can chick peas rinsed. You can add beans if you’d like

Dressing

1/4 EVOO – my favourite brand is ENVY EVOO

1/4 cup red wine vinegar or pickle juice or apple cider vinegar

1/2 of lemon or lime juiced. 

1 tbsp Dijon mustard

2 tsp honey

1-2 tbsp fresh cilantro

1-2 tbsp fresh dill

S & P to taste

Jo suggests adding mango for some added sweetness.

Blend in a food processor and let it sit over night in the fridge – add to the veggies/peas in the morning. Jo said “you can basically add anything of your choice that you love” I love a recipe that allows you to play with your favourite flavours. I am going to try this with some fresh peaches.🍑 

Have a favourite summer recipe? LMK and I will be happy to share it in the next blog. 

Until next time….stay cool my friends. 😎 

Of course, no blog is complete without a few pics of my favourite little guy.