Join me for an herb-alicious good time at your local Sarasota County library. Our “Breaking the Rules – herb trio” One Seed classes are scheduled November 2025 through January 2026. These classes are a bit social so whether you are a novice gardener or cook, or experienced – your participation brings more richness to the class as we all learn from each other. Folks that don’t like to chat are more than welcome to attend and can browse a book or two during our chatting times.
We are going to talk about growing the herb trio of seeds shared in the One Seed packets. We’ll also share tips about herb gardening, harvesting tips, how to store fresh herbs, and ideas on how to use them, too. How do you like to grow herbs like cilantro, parsley, and dill? How do you like to grow and/or use herbs like these?
Why did we select herbs for this One Seed season? Typically, we share a vegetable seed, but not everyone has interest in launching into vegetable gardening. Meanwhile our extension office receives questions about herb gardening and UF/IFAS has been expanding the shareable information about how to grow herbs – which is awesome! The classes and blogs about One Seed featuring an herb trio offers opportunity for us to alert our local audience about these informational resources. Plus, herb gardening offers a lot of opportunity to engage the senses and interact with the plants. This can deepen the experience and benefits of what may be small space gardening for many people and create value in a multitude of ways. Plus, many of us are mindful of our grocery budgets and using more rice and beans to stretch our dollars. Utilizing different herbs and spices can enhance flavor so even if eating the same food staples the tasting experience can be different and reduce monotony.
Herbs can have versatile uses and from a sensory perspective they are very engaging. Their foliage has different textures and visual interest. In the image above note that while the plants are all what some may insult as ‘just green’- there are still some visual differences to enjoy when we take a moment to look closer. Notice the ruffly leaves of the curly leaf parsley and the sturdy rosemary that reminds one of pine. If the appearance of an herb falls a bit flat for you- get closer and touch the foliage- is it coarse, smooth, fringed, soft, bristly, or grooved? How would you describe the look and feel of your favorite herb? Herbs are a great choice for a school or learning garden simply for all the adjectives and language one can use when describing how they engage the senses.
Scratch and sniff
Speaking of senses- let’s get closer to our herbs and delight in their fragrance. If you don’t easily smell your herb plant- take a small leaf and rub it between your fingers to enjoy more aroma. They’re basically like nature’s version of a scratch and sniff sticker.
Of course the smell of some herbs can stir memories of cherished times. For me- the smell of chamomile reminds me of the smell of my Papa’s yard in Michigan. Folks describe that aroma as herbaceous with hints of earth, apple, grass, and honey. As he grew apple trees, kept bees, and had prolific grass it makes sense that smelling chamomile brings me back to that special place and those wonderful memories. To make it easier for me to experience this aromatic ‘blast to the past’ on the daily I am placing my home chamomile at nose level in my vertical garden right by my front door so I can smell it every time I come and go from the house during our cool weather – which the herb prefers. Have you had similar experiences with the smell of herbs? I’d especially enjoy hearing if dill, parsley, or cilantro remind you of something meaningful in your life- but any herb memory is appreciated.
Taking moments to interact with the herbs we grow can deepen the experience – this is one reason we selected the herb trio. A person doesn’t have to have a lot of space to enjoy the interactive opportunities of herb gardening and the benefits they bring. If you are looking for more detailed ideas on how to interact with herbs therapeutically- browse this resource “Enjoying the Five Senses with Herbs”.
Flavor burst or soap, what do you think?
Let’s not forget the taste of herbs! Of course- herbs are wonderful in that using them for flavoring our food adds nutritional benefit but also can provide a punch of flavor that helps us reduce the salt we need for seasoning. Personally- it’s about the taste. Having fresh cilantro in my dishes at home makes my meal taste closer to what I can get at a Latin restaurant for a fraction of the price. Using herbs in a meal is like treating oneself without the restaurant bill that would normally follow. But I confess- I am still learning to incorporate more fresh herbs into my ‘cooking’.
An easy tip I noticed from having lunch with a friend- use more when using fresh herbs. She made me a wonderful chicken salad and she was very generous with the fresh dill- and it was truly dill-icious! It helped me realize sometimes when I use fresh herbs, I am too stingy. With fresh herbs we can apply more liberally than with the dried counterparts. “A tablespoon of finely cut, fresh herb equals about 1 teaspoon of dried herb or ¼–½ teaspoon of ground, dried herb (Stephens 2010)” So don’t worry if your herb trio plants get ‘too big’ for where you are growing them. Simply harvest more and enjoy! To get you going here are some recipes using flat leaf parsley, dill, and cilantro in the kid-friendly Florida Harvest of the Month classroom recipe book.
Some folks don’t like the taste of cilantro- it may be their genetics influencing how they experience the taste of the aldehydes and instead of what many describe as notes of ‘citrus’ and ‘fresh’ they experience a strong ‘soapy’ taste. If you are one of the folks that don’t enjoy the taste of cilantro- you can remove that seed from your packet as it’s the round one and easily identifiable. Or – you can plant it and when it blooms and goes ‘to seed’ you can harvest those when they are brown and mature and use them as the coriander spice. Typically, those who don’t like the taste of cilantro- they find the taste of coriander different and favorable as it typically doesn’t have the aldehydes. Or you can be a gracious garden host and grow the cilantro to invite some beneficial insects like ladybugs and parasitic wasps.
In a future blog we can chat more about beneficial insects like the pollinators that enjoy these herbal delights like we do. And of course, we’ll dive in with ideas on how to prepare and eat dill, parsley, and cilantro. For now- I leave you with a great series of blogs specifically about growing different herbs called “Spice Up Your Life: A beginners guide to growing…”, courtesy of Pasco County Extension. The bottom of the blog linked shows a list of links for each herb they shared about growing. As they are a bit north of us-you may want to tweak some seasonal information -as typically we get colder later than them, and we get warmer earlier than them.
Please add comments if you have a favorite way you enjoy consuming these herbs, or want to share something responding to the other questions asked throughout this blog. Your feedback and interaction is what makes enjoying One Seed a shared experience of community. Hopefully we’ll enjoy connecting during our upcoming classes, too. Please accept this blog as an invitation. I hope to see you soon!
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