Herb and Spice Guide for Cooking

Allspice	pimenta	tree	cakes, cookies, stews of beef, pork and game	dried seeds
Angelica	angelica archangelica	annual	confectioneries	candied stems
Anise	pimpinella anisum	annual	soups, sauces, cookies(licorice flavor) use mostly the seeds	dried seeds
Annatto	bixa orellana	tree	sauces, coloring foods, especially cheese	dried seeds
Balm, Lemon	melissa officinalis	perennial	tea, drinks, salads, fish, chicken	fresh, dried
Basil	ocimum baslicum	annual	breads, pasta, salads, all meats, vegetables, eggs	fresh, dried, frozen
Basil, Lemon	ocimum citriodora	annual	breads, pasta, salads, all meats, vegetables, eggs	fresh, dried, frozen
Basil, Ruffled	ocimum crispum	annual	breads, pasta, salads, all meats, vegetables, eggs	fresh, dried, frozen
Bay Leaf	laurus nobilis	perennial	soups, stews, sauces, rice dishes (evergreen tree)	fresh, dried, frozen
Borage	borage officinalis	annual	salads, soups, drinks (cucumber like flavor) blossoms as garnish	fresh
Burnet	sanguisorba minor	perennial	cool flavor similar to a cucumber, salads and drinks	fresh
Chamomile	anthemis nobilis	perennial	tea, sauces	fresh & dried
Camphor Tree	cinnamomum camphora	tree	tea, bark used for smoking foods, (camphor smoked duck) in Chinese cuisine	dried
Capers	unopened buds of the caper bush	bush	sauces, cold roast meat, condiment, smoked seafood	fresh, dried, pickled
Caraway	carum carvi	bi-annual	salads, soups, sauces, stews, roasts, breads, kummel and aquavit liqueur (used seeds and fresh green leaves) usually not with fish	fresh & dried
Cardamom	elettaria cardamomum	perennial	other spice blends, cookies, coffee, candies, (use seeds)	dried
Catnip	nepeta cataria	perennial	tea	fresh & dried
Cayenne	capsicum minimum	annual	all dishes, a dried powder of ground hot peppers	dried
Celery	apium graveolens dulce	annual	vegetable, salads, soups, sauces, roasts, stews, all meats and fish	fresh & canned
Celery Seed	apium graveolens	annual	seeds taste like fresh celery, does not come from regular celery but from cultivated "wild celery" soups, sauces, dressings	dried
Chervil	anthriscus cerefolium	annual	slight licorice flavor; salads, soups, fish dishes	fresh & dried
Chili Powder	spice blend		a blend of dried ancho chile, oregano, cumin, and cloves or allspice; soups, salads, all meats, fish, vegetables, eggs, cheese, sauces	dried
Chives	allium schoenoprasum	bulb	soups, salads, meats, fish, condiments, eggs, cheese, blossoms as a garnish	fresh, dried, freeze-dried
Chives, Garlic	allium tuberosom	bulb	soups, salads, meats, fish, condiments, eggs, cheese, blossoms as a garnish, (stronger in flavor than regular chives)	fresh & dried
Cicely. Sweet	myrrhis odorata	perennial	licorice taste, salads, liqueurs (use seeds and leaves), desserts	fresh & dried
Cilantro, Chinese Parsley, Fresh Coriander	coriandrum sativum	annual	soups, chutney, fish, chicken, used in curry, Middle Eastern, Spanish, Southwestern, and Oriental cooking	fresh & dried
Cinnamon	cinnamomum cassia	tree	baking, stews, other spice blends, court bouillon, pickling, chutney, relishes (powdered or sticks), drinks (spiced cider)	dried and sticks
Clary	salvia sclarea	bi-annual	type of sage, salads, fritters, beer, eggs, stuffing	fresh & dried
Clove	eugenia caryophyllata	tree	baking, desserts, sauces, soups, stews, meats, court bouillon, pickles, spice blends, (unopened bud of the evergreen clove tree)	dried
Coriander	coriandrum sativum	annual	salads, sauces, fish dishes, chicken dishes, oriental, South western, Spanish and middle eastern cuisine	fresh & dried
Costmary	chrysanthemum balsamita	perennial	teas; camphor, mint-like fragrance, poultry, baking	fresh & dried
Crocus, Saffron	crocus sativus	perennial	soups, sauces, fish and chicken dishes	dried
Cumin	cuminum cyminum	annual	other spice blends, (dried seeds)	dried
Curry Powder	spice blend		a blend of cloves, cinnamon, cumin, turmeric, cardamom, fenugreek, coriander, mace, white pepper	dried
Dandelion	taraxacum officinale	perennial	salads, wine, cooked as a vegetable	fresh
Dill	anethum graveolens	annual	salads, sauces, soups, pickles, dips, use with fish and vegetables	fresh & dried
Dill Seed	anethum graveolens	annual	use like dill leaves, the blossoms may be used as a garnish	fresh & dried
Fennel Flower	nigella sativa	annual	desserts, fritters, garnish	fresh
Fennel Seeds	foeniculum vulgare	annual	sauces, sausage, pork roasts	dried
Fennel, Common	foeniculum vulgare	annual	soups, salads, sauces, (seeds are used most often, see above)	fresh
Fennel, Italian	foeniculum vulgare piperitum	annual	salads	fresh
Fennel, Sweet	foeniculum vulgare dulce	annual	seeds used in sauces, soups, pasta (cooked vegetable)	dried
Fenugreek	trigonella foenumgraecum	annual	member of the pea family, burnt sugar taste, used in spice blends, curry powder, pickling spice, chutney	dried
Fil	sassafras	tree	powdered leaves used to thicken gumbo's	dried
Garlic	allium sativum	bulb	used in everything except desserts	fresh, dried, frozen, pickled
Geraniums Rose	pelargonium graveolens	perennial	desserts, jellies, oils (leaves have a rose-like aroma) leaves as a garnish	fresh
Ginger	zingiber officinale	root	baking, desserts, soups, salads, vegetables, meats, poultry, fish; just about everything	fresh, dried, preserved, powdered
Ginger, Wild	asarum canadense	root	grows throughout the Northeast, not as flavorful as cultivated ginger, leaves are different as well	fresh
Horehound	marrubium vulgare	perennial	tea, candy, in beer makes horehound ale	fresh & dried
Horseradish	armoracia apathifolia	root	sauces, salads, sandwiches, condiment	fresh & dried
Hyssop	hyssopus officinalis	perennial	liqueurs, ice cream; tarragon/rosemary/mint-like flavor, fish, duck	fresh
Juniper Berries	juniperus communis	tree	flavoring of gin, sauces, stews, fish; particularly gravlax	fresh & dried
Lavender	lavandula officinalis	perennial	soups, baking, vegetables, oils	fresh & dried
Leek	allium porrum	perennial	soups, sauces, vegetables, roasts, fish, chicken, veal, beef	fresh
Lemon Verbena	lippia citriodora	perennial	tea, fruit salads, jelly	fresh & dried
Lovage	levisticum officinale	perennial	used as a confectionery like angelica (root may be powdered)	fresh & dried
Mace	myristica fragrans	tree	the outer web of the nutmeg berry, soups, sauces, stews, spice blends, desserts, vegetables	dried
Marigold, Pot	calendula officinalis	annual	leaves can be eaten in salads and flowers as a garnish, also edible. Adds a yellow color to cooked foods	fresh & dried
Marjoram, Pot	majorana onites	perennial	fresh leaves in salads soups, sauces, dried in chicken and beef dishes, sometimes fish, eggs	fresh & dried
Marjoram, Sweet	majorana hortensis	perennial	has a slightly sweeter aroma than the pot variety	fresh & dried
Mint, Apple	mentha gentilis	perennial	sauces, teas, jellies, candies, drinks,	fresh & dried
Mint, Corsican	mentha requieni	perennial	sauces, teas, jellies, candies, drinks, (a creeping mint, almost moss-like)	fresh & dried
Mint, Orange or Lemon	mentha citrata	perennial	sauces, teas, jellies, candies, drinks, (a.k.a. Bergamot mint)	fresh & dried
Mint, Peppermint	mentha piperita	perennial	sauces, teas, jellies, candies, drinks,	fresh & dried
Mint, Pineapple	mentha variegata	perennial	sauces, teas, jellies, candies, drinks,	fresh & dried
Mint, Spearmint	mentha spicata	perennial	sauces, teas, jellies, candies, drinks,	fresh & dried
MSG	from glutamic acid		flavor enhancer	powder
Mustard, Black	brassica nigra	annual	sauces, eggs, roasts, vegetables, pickles, (use seeds)	fresh & dried
Mustard, White	brassica alba	annual	leaves in soup, (use seeds)	fresh & dried
Nasturtium	tropaeolum majus	annual	watercress -like flavor, salads and leaves and blossoms as a garnish	fresh
Nutmeg	myristica fragrans	tree	desserts, spice blends, sauces, pasta, vegetables, potatoes, relishes, (use grated)	dried
Onion	allium cepa	bulb	use in everything except desserts	fresh, dried, frozen
Orange Blossoms	citrus sinensis	tree	flavors water then used in desserts and sauces, petals in salads, eggs and garnish	fresh
Oregano	origanum vulgare	annual	soups, sauces, stews, roasts, meat, fish, pasta, breads, eggs (blossoms as a garnish)	fresh & dried
Paprika, Hot	capsicum frutescens	annual	soups, sauces, stews, meats, fish, vegetables	dried
Paprika, Sweet	capsicum annuum	annual	soups, sauces, stews, meats, fish, vegetables	dried
Parsley, Curly	petroselinum crispum	bi-annual	salads, soups, stews all meats and fish	fresh & dried
Parsley, Italian	petroselinum crispum neapolitanum	bi-annual	salads, soups, stews all meats and fish	fresh
Pennyroyal	mentha pulegium	perennial	teas, (peppermint-like scent) use caution as it may be poisonous to some people	fresh
Pepper Flakes	capsicum frutescens	annual	soups, sauces, stews, meats, fish, vegetables, pasta, pizza	dried
Pepper, Black	piper nigrum	bush	all foods except dessert, maybe black pepper ice cream	dried
Pepper, White	piper nigrum	bush	all foods except dessert, maybe black pepper ice cream, (white pepper comes from the same berry with the outer coating of the berry removed)	dried
Poppy Seeds	papaver somniferum	perennial	breads, pastry, desserts, vegetables	dried
Pot Marigold	calendula officinalis	annual	salads	fresh
Pumpkin, Seeds	cucurbitaceae	annual	sauces, condiment, garnish, bread	dried
Rocambole	allium scorodoprasum	perennial	soups, sauces, roasts, stews, all meats, fish, game	fresh
Rocket	eruca sativa	annual	salads, fresh sauces	fresh
Rose	rosa	perennial	jams, jellies, desserts, tea as rose hip tea (petals as a garnish) rose water; chicken, eggs, sauces, game	fresh & dried
Rose Geranium	pelargonium graeolens	annual	teas, desserts	fresh
Rosemary	rosmarinus officinalis	perennial	roasts, stews, all meats, some fish, breads, sauces, oils	fresh & dried
Rue	ruta graveolens	perennial	musty taste, use with caution as some people may be sensitive and develop a rash or blisters (used in tea sandwiches), soups, chicken, eggs, vegetables	fresh
Sage	salvia officinalis	perennial	most dishes, bread (fried as a garnish)	fresh & dried
Savory, Summer	satureia hortensis	annual	soups, meats, fish, cheese, eggs, sauces	fresh & dried
Savory, Winter	satreia montana	perennial	soups, meats, fish, cheese, eggs, sauces	fresh & dried
Scallions	allium cepa	annual	use like onions or chives	dried
Sesame	sesamum indicum	annual	sauces, oil, desserts, baking, meats, fish, candy	dried
Sesame, Black	sesamum nigrum	annual	sauces, oil, desserts, baking, meats, fish, candy	dried
Shallot	allium ascalonicum	perennial	use like onions, has a fuller richer flavor; pickles, sauces, condiments as additional use	fresh & dried
Sorrel	rumex scutatus	perennial	sour lemon-like flavor use in salads, sauces; particularly good with fish	fresh
Southernwood	artemisia abrotanum	perennial	teas	fresh
Sumac	rhus coriaria	tree	salad dressing, marinades, sauces	dried
Tansy	tanacetum vulgare	perennial	flowers as a garnish, yet may be poisonous to young children	fresh
Tarragon	artemisia dracunculus	perennial	salads, soups, sauces, desserts, fish, chicken, veal,, butters, vinegar; even tarragon ice cream	fresh & dried
Thyme, Common	thymus vulgaris	perennial	soups, sauces, roasts, stews, meats, fish, vegetables, game	fresh & dried
Thyme, Lemon	thymus citriodorus	perennial	soups, sauces, roasts, stews, meats, fish, vegetables, game, even lemon thyme jelly	fresh & dried
Thyme, Orange	thymus fragrantissimus	perennial	soups, sauces, roasts, stews, meats, fish, vegetables, game	fresh & dried
Tumeric	curcuma domestica	root	spice blends, sauces, dressings, pickles, fish, poultry, eggs (looks like ginger root)	dried
Vanilla	vanilla planifolia	bulb	an orchid; baked goods, ice cream, candy, sauces , desserts, sometimes fish like lobster in vanilla sauce	dried & extract
Violet, Sweet	viola odorata	perennial	salads, candy	fresh
Watercress	nasturtium officinale	annual	salad, cooked as a vegetable, sauces, cheese, eggs	fresh
Wintergreen	gaultheria procumbens	bush	wintergreen oil, candies, gum, soft drinks; (birch beer)	fresh & bark
Woodruff	asperula odorata	perennial	used to flavor German May-wine and other drinks	fresh & dried
Wormwood	artemisia absinthium	perennial	most famous as an ingredient of the liqueur absinthe	fresh & dried