All winter, I wait for the first herbs of spring.  These herbs that appear shortly after the first weeds start growing  bring that longed-for freshness to the kitchen table.

These are the first herbs of spring in my garden:

Chives

Chives are the herb I most wait for.  It is my go-to spring herb.  The mildly oniony leaves have the most wonderful flavour in spring.

To view Chives at Richters Herbs … click here

Chives are a perennial herb that is hardy to zone 3.  Chives grow in a clump that expands slowly, making it  a great herb to grow at the front of a garden, or even  in a flower garden border.

Plant chives once and each spring you will be rewarded with young chive shoots that are delicious added to just about anything.  Chives mixed in with hot boiled potatoes and butter, or sprinkled on last-minute as cheese is melting on toast are my favorites.

Garlic Chives

Another member of the allium family that pops out of the ground at the onset of spring, garlic chives grow flat leaves that taste of a hint of garlic.

To view Garlic Chives at Richters Herbs…click here

Garlic chives are a hardy perennial that grows in clumps much the way chives do.  Although I find in my garden, if left to go to seed, garlic chives reseed themselves more readily than chives do.

The flavour of garlic chives is enhanced by some gentle heat, making it a great addition to stir-fries.

If you have enough of them, cut the garlic chives into 1-inch pieces (2.5 cm), and quickly stir-fry. adding  a touch of salt or soya sauce to season.

Parsley

Parsley in the spring is much sweeter and delicious than parsley grown through the summer.  And a real joy to see this emerald green herb in the spring when it survives the winter – which is a hit-and-miss in my garden.

This year, my curly parsley survived the winter and I am enjoying sprigs of fresh parsley chopped up and sprinkled on my salads.  Once the weather warms up and the parsley plants grow more leaves, I can harvest more generously.

To view Mosscurled Parsley at Richters Herbs…click here

Parsley is a biennial herb.  It grows all leaves its first year, and then goes to seed in the second year.

I figure I can harvest plenty of parsley before these plants start bolting to seed.  By that time, newly planted parsley will be plentiful to harvest.

Sorrel

Sorrel is the first herb I harvest in spring.  It’s always a joy to see this tart lemony herb aka green popping out of the ground and pinch off a couple of leaves to add to my salad.

To view Garden Sorrel at RIchters Herbs…click here

Sorrel is a perennial herb that also self sows abundantly if you let it.

I finely chop sorrel leaves and add them to salads for a bit of a zing.  Sorrel also makes a lovely springtime soup or sauce for fish.  Mix sorrel with spinach to mellow its flavour.

Sorrel may be difficult to find at garden centers.  I originally got my sorrel plants from my parents’ garden over 20 years ago.  Richters herbs offers garden sorrel, as well as other sorrel varieties.  And they ship to US and Canada.

When planting your garden this year, add in herbs that you can plant this year, use and enjoy and will be there next spring.

What are the first spring herbs in your garden?  Drop me a note below.

Happy Gardening 🙂
Barb

PS – you can buy these spring herbs and many others from Richters.  Seeds or starter plants – your choice.  Buy Your Herbs at Richters