Herbs

Basil

(Available all year round with the most plentiful supply from

November to April). Many varieties of basil with differing leaves and intensity of flavour are available.

Basil has a sweet strong spicy flavour which will improve almost all salads and savoury dishes. It goes particularly well with tomatoes and is the key ingredient of pesto. Basil is best used either raw or added at the end of cooking. Basil has anti-cancer

properties.

 

Bay

(Available all year round). Bay leaves are used to

flavour stocks, stews, marinades, and soups; they

are generally added at the beginning of cooking

and removed before eating. Bay leaves have

shown high to very high antioxidant activity.

Chervil

(Available all year round with the most plentiful

supply from April to October). Chervil is a mild

herb and a generous quantity of chopped leaves

is best added fresh just before serving as the light

flavour is quickly lost. It can be put in all sorts of

salads, or sprinkled over lightly cooked vegetables

or soups. Chervil contains a variety of flavonoids

and has antioxidant activity.

Chives

(Available all year round with the most plentiful supply from

September to May). Chives are a member of the onion family and have a mild onion flavour. They are a really versatile herb with lots of uses. Chives should be added to a dish just before serving because too much heat can destroy the flavour.

All parts of the chive plant have different  antioxidant activities, although the leaves contain the highest amounts of active compounds. These include flavonoids, vitamin C, carotenoids

and antioxidant enzymes.

Coriander (cilantro)

(Available all year round). Fresh coriander has a distinctive

strong aromatic and spicy flavour. Coriander leaves, stems, roots and seeds are used. It is used a lot in Chinese, Thai and Indian recipes. The leaves of fresh coriander are also known as cilantro, though the dried (and ground) seeds are referred to solely as coriander.

Coriander seed has been reported to have a number of

possible health attributes, particularly relating to the gastro- intestinal tract, but also as a possible diabetic remedy. Most research relating to the leaf relates to antioxidant activity. However, its antioxidant activity is much lower than for many other herbs.

Dill

(Available all year round with the most plentiful supply

between October and April). Dill leaves and seeds have a mild aniseed flavour which is similar though slightly sweeter and more aromatic than fennel. Like chervil and parsley, dill belongs to the Apiaceae family. It has high antioxidant activity

and contains extremely high levels of the flavonoids quercetin,kaempferol and isorhamnetin.

Fennel

(Available between October and April). It looks a bit like dil but tastes like aniseed. The seeds are used too, and have a stronger flavour.

Fennel extracts contain relatively low levels of phenolic compounds and show only a low level of antioxidant activity.

Horseradish

(Horseradish roots are available all year round and the leaves are available from October to May). Horseradish is a hot tasting root which is scrubbed, peeled, grated. Small amounts of grated horseradish may be added to salads or steamed vegetables as a flavouring. Horseradish belongs to the Brassicaceae family, whose members share the mustardy taste and smell. Equally they contain glucosinolates. When grated the glucosinolates in the root (mainly sinigrin and gluconasturtiin) are hydrolysed. These hydrolysed compounds give horseradish its

characteristic pungent mustardy aroma and taste.

Lemon grass

(Available all year round). A common ingredient in South

East Asian cookery, both the bulbous base and the long lemon flavoured leaves are used. The base should be peeled and chopped finely before use. It freezes well. Lemon grass oil has high antioxidant activity and lemon grass extracts, including citral, have been shown to have

anti-cancer properties.

Oregano/ Marjoram

(Available all year round with the most plentiful supply from October to April). There are many varieties of oregano which have been developed from a parent plant, oregano or wild marjoram. While we use the names oregano, marjoram  or sweet marjoram interchangeably in New Zealand these are each different varieties which have a distinct taste. Oregano is much more widely available. Oregano is one of the most studied herbs. It has very high levels of phenolics and antioxidant activity.

Parsley

(Available all year round). Parsley is probably the most

commonly used herb in New Zealand and it is extremely

versatile. If adding to a cooked dish, it is better to add 

parsley at the end of cooking because flavour is lost with

prolonged heating.

Parsley contains moderate levels of phenolics and antioxidant activity.  Along with other members of the Apiaceae family, parsley also contains polyacetylenes, which are toxic to  fungi, bacteria and some cancer cells, as well as having anti- inflammatory and anti-platelet aggregating activity.

Mint

(Available all year round). Mint, one of the most popular herbs

in New Zealand, is exceptionally good in flavouring salads,

dressings, sauces and soups. There are many varieties of mint

available, including apple mint, pineapple mint, peppermint and spearmint. Mint has been used as a folk remedy particularly for nausea, indigestion, flatulence and even hiccups. It also used to be used to whiten teeth.

Vietnamese mint (Vietnamese coriander)

(Available all year round with the most plentiful supply

between October and April). This plant belongs to neither the mint nor coriander families, but is instead a member of the same family as buckwheat and rhubarb. It has pointed leaves which are darker than standard mint. Vietnamese mint has a strong flavour, and as the name suggests, is used a lot in Asian cooking.

Rosemary

(Available all year round). Rosemary is a fresh strong-flavoured herb. While large amounts are often used when roasting meat or vegetables, it can be used more sparingly on chicken and fish. “Rosemary for remembrance” is a well known epithet, perhaps originating from its folkloric reputation for strengthening the memory and general “weaknesses of the brain”.

Rosemary and its compounds have been shown to have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity and to have anti- cancer and anti-thrombotic potential.

Sage

(Available al  year round with the most plentiful supply from

October to April). Sage is another member of the Lamiaceae or mint family.  It is a strong flavoured herb which is general y used in smal  quantities. Sage is quite a versatile herb which lends itself

wel  to a range of dishes. Sage has been found to significantly improve cognitive functions in patients with Alzheimer’s. The botanical name of this genus, Salvia, is derived from the Latin ‘salvere’, to be saved, attesting to its curative powers.

Tarragon

(Most readily available between November and April). French tarragon is the best flavoured variety and has a fresh aniseed flavour. Russian tarragon, although similar, has almost no flavour. Raw or cooked tarragon goes wel  with most vegetable dishes,

especial y those with a delicate flavour.

Thyme

(Available al  year round with the most plentiful supply from May to September). There are many varieties of thyme and each has a slightly different flavour. Lemon and standard thyme are available commercial y and may be used raw or cooked. Thyme

can be added to soups, casseroles, stuffing, chicken, meat, steamed vegetables, salads and dressings, or sprinkled on breads and pizzas.

New Zealand grown thyme has similar levels of antioxidant activity and  phenolic  compounds  to  that  of  New  Zealand  grown  mint, rosemary and bay leaf, although much lower than those of oregano.