Herbs

Herbs

If you want to buy herbs online, then look no further than the impressive array that we have to offer. The methods of drying vary from product to product, so you will find some are available as freeze-dried herbs and others as traditionally dried herbs. Whichever drying style or particular herb is your preference, we are confident that you will be impressed with the selection online that are available to order.

For centuries, people have been picking wild herbs in their prime and preserving them for use at a later date as cooking herbs. This is achieved by drying them out traditionally tied in bunches. Nowadays, we still pick fresh herbs and dry them, not only in cottage gardens but also on a commercial scale. The drying retains their flavour, in fact flavours are often intensified by the drying process.

Cooking Herbs

Herbs are generally the green leaves or fleshy stems of non-woody seed-bearing plants that are used in flavouring, medicine, perfume or as cooking herbs. The exceptions are perennial shrubs such as Bay and Rosemary, which do have woody stems but their leaves are used as culinary herbs.

Traditionally, dried herbs are air-dried and the results are very much dependant upon the moisture and volatile oil content of the plants plus the strength of their leaves and stems. For instance, strong leaves such as Bay, Oregano, Kaffir Lime leaves and Rosemary will keep their shape once they have been dried. These types of herbs can be simply allowed to dry out in the air slowly.

Fragile and tender plants, such as Parsley, Chives, Tarragon, Basil and Mint need to be dried out in less time as they have a higher moisture content and may perish if left to dry too slowly. In order to speed up the drying process, they can be commercially air-dried with the assistance of ovens or dehydrators.

Despite the availability online, it is still common practice for people to follow traditional drying practices at home. Bunches of herbs are harvested from gardens, hillsides and forests all over the world, usually in the morning after any dew has evaporated. They are then tied with string and hung up in the warmth to dry naturally, sometimes in paper bags. Dried herbs obtained using any of these methods will retain great flavour but will have less colour and become quite brittle due to the removal of their moisture.

An entirely different process is used to freeze-dry ingredients and it can result in better retention of the original structure of the leaves. We also offer a range of freeze-dried herbs online, which can be viewed here.

When you buy herbs online from Seasoned Pioneers you are guaranteed that we have consistently selected the finest herbs available with the best flavour, colour and structure. We also ensure that they are preserved in prime condition by packing them in our unique resealable pouches that protect them from the detrimental effects of light and air.

In addition to the more commonly used for cooking, we also offer an exciting selection of herbal blends such as Iranian Sabzi Ghormeh, Bouquet Garni, Chilean Alino, Mixed Herbs and Herbes de Provence.

Add to this the more unusual herbs such as Epazote leaves, Lemon Myrtle, Mexican Oregano, Curry leaves and Thai Holy Basil and we think you’ll be glad that you came to us to buy herbs online.

Once you’ve chosen your products, make sure you browse our boundless selection of spices!