Summer Herbs: 5 Fresh Herbs to Enjoy While the Garden Is Abundant

There is something wonderful about Summer herbs.

By this point in summer, the garden has usually settled into its rhythm. The little herb plants we started earlier in the season may have become generous, leafy plants that seem to ask, What are you going to do with all of me?

This is the time to take advantage of them.

Fresh herbs are sometimes treated as a finishing touch, something sprinkled over a dish just before it reaches the table. But they can be much more than that. A generous handful of herbs can become part of a salad, a sauce, a grain bowl, a potato dish, a summer drink, or even the main flavor of a simple meal.

And while we don't usually eat herbs in large enough quantities to consider them a major source of nutrition, fresh herbs can contribute vitamins, minerals, fiber, and a variety of plant compounds to the foods we eat. Their nutritional contribution varies considerably by herb and by the amount consumed.

They also do something else that I think is just as valuable: they make simple food more interesting.

That matters.

You don't need complicated recipes or a long list of ingredients to prepare a satisfying summer meal. Sometimes a bowl of potatoes, some garden vegetables, a little good-quality oil, and a generous handful of fresh herbs is enough.

Here are five summer herbs worth enjoying while they're at their best.

🌿 Dill

Anethum graveolens

If there is one herb that immediately brings Nordic summer cooking to mind, it is dill.

Dill has a particularly strong place in Scandinavian food traditions. In Sweden, it has a long-established role in both everyday cooking and celebrations, where it appears alongside potatoes, fish, seafood, sauces and other seasonal foods. The Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences describes dill as having an almost canonical place in Swedish food culture.

Dill also has a long history in Norway. Fresh dill is traditionally used with potatoes, seafood, salads, flavored butter, dressings and mayonnaise, while dill seed and flowering dill have other culinary uses.

Its delicate leaves have a fresh, slightly grassy flavor with hints of citrus and anise. It works beautifully with foods that might otherwise feel a little plain.

A little nutrition

Fresh dill provides vitamin C, vitamin A, folate and several minerals, along with naturally occurring plant compounds. Like other fresh herbs, it is particularly useful as a way to add small amounts of nutrients and a lot of flavor without adding much energy to a meal.

Fresh herbs also contain a variety of phytochemicals, many of which contribute to their characteristic aromas, colors and flavors.

The important thing to remember is that herbs are generally eaten in relatively small amounts. Their nutritional value is best considered as part of an overall varied diet rather than as a concentrated source of any one nutrient.

Everyday ways to use dill

Don't save dill only for fish.

Try adding a handful to:

• Boiled or roasted new potatoes

• Cucumber and yogurt salad

• Potato salad

• Egg salad

• Scrambled or hard-boiled eggs

• White beans or chickpeas

• Salmon, trout or other fish

• A simple yogurt sauce with lemon

• Homemade salad dressing

• Cold grain salads

• Creamy vegetable soups

One of my favorite simple combinations is new potatoes + butter or olive oil + fresh dill + a little salt.

It doesn't need much else.

Dill is also lovely with cucumber and plain yogurt. Add lemon juice, a little garlic if you like, and you've got a simple sauce or salad that works beautifully alongside grilled fish, potatoes or vegetables.

A summer idea

Dill + cucumber + yogurt + lemon

Try it as a sauce, a salad, or a topping for potatoes and fish.

🌿 Parsley

Petroselinum crispum

Parsley may be one of the most underappreciated herbs in the kitchen.

For years, parsley has often been relegated to the role of garnish, sitting quietly on the side of a plate.

It deserves better.

Parsley has a fresh, slightly peppery and grassy flavor that can brighten hearty foods, beans, vegetables, fish, eggs and grains. It is also used widely throughout European and Mediterranean cooking, where it is often treated as an important ingredient rather than simply a decoration.

A little nutrition

Parsley is particularly notable for vitamin K, and it also provides vitamin C, provitamin A carotenoids, folate and minerals such as potassium and iron.

Parsley also contains a variety of naturally occurring plant compounds, including flavonoids and carotenoids.

We don't need to think of parsley as a supplement. Its value is simpler than that: it's a nutrient-containing whole food that is easy to add to everyday meals.

Everyday ways to use parsley

Try using parsley more generously than you normally would.

Add it to:

• Potato salad

• Lentils and beans

• White bean salads

• Grain bowls

• Pasta

• Eggs

• Fish and seafood

• Roasted vegetables

• Soups

• Tomato salads

• Homemade vinaigrettes

• Herb sauces

One of the easiest ways to use a lot of parsley is to make a simple chopped herb salad.

Combine chopped parsley with cucumber, tomatoes, lemon juice and olive oil. Add chickpeas or white beans to turn it into a light summer lunch.

A summer idea

Parsley + tomato + cucumber + lemon + olive oil

Simple, fresh and adaptable.

🌿 Mint

Mentha spp.

Mint may be the herb that most immediately says summer.

Cool, refreshing and aromatic, mint is useful far beyond tea and desserts.

There are many varieties of mint, and their flavors can vary, but most have that familiar cooling quality that makes them especially appealing during warm weather.

A little nutrition

Fresh mint provides vitamin A, vitamin C and smaller amounts of minerals such as calcium, iron and potassium.

Like other aromatic herbs, mint also contains naturally occurring plant compounds that contribute to its characteristic fragrance and flavor.

Mint is a good example of why herbs don't have to be used in large quantities to make a difference to a meal. A handful of fresh leaves can completely change the character of a dish.

Everyday ways to use mint

Try mint with:

• Fresh berries

• Peaches or nectarines

• Melon

• Cucumber

• Green salads

• Grain salads

• Peas

• Potatoes

• Beans

• Yogurt

• Lemon water

• Iced tea

• Sparkling water

Fresh mint is especially good when paired with something acidic, such as lemon or vinegar.

Try chopping mint into a cucumber salad with lemon and a little olive oil.

Or add torn mint leaves to a bowl of fresh berries.

A summer idea

Mint + cucumber + lemon

Add these to chilled water, sparkling water, a simple salad, or a yogurt sauce.

🌿 Basil

Ocimum basilicum

Basil may not be the first herb that comes to mind when you think about Nordic-inspired cooking, and that's perfectly fine.

This article isn't about limiting ourselves to traditional Nordic ingredients. It's about making the most of the herbs that are growing abundantly during summer.

And basil is one of the great summer garden herbs.

Its sweet, aromatic flavor pairs naturally with tomatoes, summer vegetables, beans, grains, cheese and olive oil.

A little nutrition

Fresh basil contributes vitamin K and smaller amounts of vitamin A, vitamin C, folate, calcium, iron and other nutrients.

It also contains naturally occurring aromatic plant compounds that give basil its distinctive fragrance.

As with the other herbs in this list, fresh basil is best appreciated as a flavorful part of a varied diet rather than something we need to consume in medicinal quantities.

Everyday ways to use basil

Beyond pesto, try basil with:

• Fresh tomatoes

• Peaches

• Summer squash

• Green beans

• Corn

• White beans

• Lentils

• Eggs

• Pasta

• Fresh mozzarella or other cheeses

• Grain bowls

• Vegetable soups

• Homemade salad dressing

And don't underestimate the simplicity of tomatoes, basil, olive oil and a little salt.

Sometimes the best summer food is the food that requires almost no cooking at all.

A summer idea

Basil + tomatoes + olive oil

Add fresh mozzarella if you like, or turn the combination into a simple pasta or grain salad.

🌿Tarragon

Artemisia dracunculus

Tarragon is the herb on this list that may be the least familiar to some home cooks.

It has a distinctive flavor, often described as lightly sweet, peppery and reminiscent of anise or licorice, with a subtle citrus quality.

Tarragon is strongly associated with French cooking, but it is also used in Scandinavian cooking. In Scandinavia it is commonly known as estragon.

It has a particular talent for making simple foods taste more interesting.

A little nutrition

Fresh tarragon is used in relatively small quantities, so its nutritional contribution is modest. It provides small amounts of vitamins and minerals along with naturally occurring aromatic plant compounds.

The bigger reason to use tarragon is culinary: its distinctive flavor means you don't need very much to give a dish personality.

Everyday ways to use tarragon

Tarragon works especially well with:

• Fish

• Chicken

• Eggs

• Potatoes

• Green beans

• Peas

• Mushrooms

• Carrots

• White beans

• Yogurt-based sauces

• Mustard

• Lemon

• Vinegar

• Creamy sauces

Try chopping fresh tarragon into a simple potato salad with Dijon mustard, lemon juice and olive oil.

Or make a quick sauce with plain yogurt, lemon, mustard and chopped tarragon. Serve it with roasted vegetables, potatoes or grilled fish.

A summer idea

Tarragon + lemon + mustard

This combination makes a wonderful dressing or sauce for potatoes, vegetables, fish or chicken.

Making Fresh Herbs Part of Everyday Eating

One of the easiest ways to use more herbs is to stop thinking of them as ingredients that require a recipe.

Instead, think of them as something you can add.

Have leftover cooked potatoes?

Add dill.

Making scrambled eggs?

Add parsley or tarragon.

Slicing cucumbers?

Add mint.

Making a tomato salad?

Add basil.

Cooking a pot of beans?

Add parsley and herbs just before serving.

This is one of the simplest ways to make everyday meals feel seasonal.

And there is something particularly satisfying about stepping outside, cutting a handful of herbs, and bringing them straight into the kitchen.

A Simple Summer Herb Formula

You don't need to memorize recipes.

Try this simple formula:

Fresh herb + seasonal produce + something creamy or flavorful + something acidic

For example:

Dill + cucumber + yogurt + lemon

Parsley + tomato + olive oil + vinegar

Mint + melon + feta + lime

Basil + tomato + mozzarella + olive oil

Tarragon + potato + mustard + lemon

Once you start looking at herbs this way, you'll find combinations everywhere.

Before Summer Slips Away

August is a good month to pay attention to what is growing around you.

The garden may be producing more than you can keep up with. Your farmers market may be full of bunches of herbs. Even the grocery store has an abundance of fresh summer produce that becomes more interesting with a handful of something green and fragrant.

You don't need to make an elaborate meal.

Pick some herbs.

Wash them.

Chop them generously.

Add them to what you're already eating.

That simple habit can bring more flavor, variety and connection to the season.

And perhaps that's one of the loveliest things about cooking with fresh herbs: they remind us that eating well doesn't always have to be complicated.

Sometimes it is simply about noticing what is available and making good use of it.

A Note on Fresh Herbs & Nutrition

Fresh herbs are nutrient-containing foods, but they are generally consumed in small amounts. Their contribution to the overall diet is therefore different from that of vegetables, fruits, legumes, whole grains or other foods eaten in larger portions. Nutrient values can also vary depending on the specific herb and serving size.

Their nutritional value is one reason to appreciate them, but their culinary value matters too. Herbs can add flavor, aroma, color and variety to meals, which can make simple, nourishing foods more enjoyable.

For most of us, that is reason enough to keep a little room for herbs on the plate.

References & Further Reading

U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. (n.d.). FoodData Central.https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/

A comprehensive database of food and nutrient information, including nutrient profiles for fresh herbs such as dill, parsley, mint, basil, and tarragon.

National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health. (n.d.). Herbs at a glance. National Institutes of Health.https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/herbsataglance

A useful resource for learning more about herbs and botanical products, including information about their traditional uses, research, and safety considerations.

National Institute of Food and Agriculture. (n.d.). Herbs and spices. U.S. Department of Agriculture.https://www.nifa.usda.gov/

General information from the USDA regarding herbs, spices, and their role in agriculture and food systems.

Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. (n.d.). Plants of the World Online. https://powo.science.kew.org/

A reliable botanical reference for plant names, classification, and botanical information.

A note about the information in this article

Fresh herbs are foods, not medicines. They can contribute nutrients and beneficial plant compounds to the diet, but they are generally eaten in relatively small amounts. The nutritional information in this article is intended to provide general education rather than suggest that herbs should be used to treat or prevent health conditions.

As always, enjoy herbs as part of a varied, balanced diet and choose the forms and amounts that work well for you.