The Best Herbs for Holiday Recipes

If you enjoy using fresh or dried herbs in your recipes, you can usually get them year-
round. During the winter, the following herbs are easy to find even in the cold season, 
and really go perfectly with all your holiday recipes.

Rosemary

One herb you will see used often in winter recipes is rosemary. This is because it is 
ideal to use with various superfoods and other dishes you will prepare in the cold, winter 
months, plus you can grow it year-round. So, regardless of the climate you live in, you 
can find rosemary that is fresh even in the dead of winter. Rosemary is wonderful when 
used fresh for hearty dishes like beef and lamb, and also goes wonderful with chicken 
and vegetarian dishes. It also has some health benefits, including helping with digestive 
problems.

Basil

Another herb that you can use in the winter for your different recipes is basil. This is a 
very popular herb because it is easy to find and very versatile. There really is so much 
you can do with it, from making your own pesto at home, to adding it to various Italian 
dishes. It also goes great in Asian-inspired dishes and American favorite, so it is 
wonderful to have during the winter. You can use fresh basil, but don’t shy away from 
dried if that is all you can find. 

Mint

This is such a wonderful herb to use during the winter, and you can find it just about all 
winter long, whether you grow it yourself at home or get it fresh from a local grocery 
store. Mint is on the stronger side, so keep that in mind when you are choosing what to 
use it in. While you might use multiple leaves of basil or twigs of rosemary, you really 
only need a single leaf of mint for the typical meal. Of course, this will depend on what 
you are preparing as well. The great thing about mint is that not only are there many 
food dishes you can make with it, but it is amazing for those fun holiday drinks.

Thyme

The last herb to consider for your holiday recipes is thyme. This is very similar to mint, 
both in how strong of an herb is, and how quickly it can grow both indoors and outdoors. 
Thyme is wonderful when you are making a meat dish like pork or beef, and adding 
sage to it as well. It is also a good compliment to lemon tones in your dishes, which 
happens to be a popular winter superfood.
