Culinary Herbs
Grown to cook with, create with, preserve, and share.
There may not be another part of the farm that packs so much into such a small space.
Walk through the herb garden and you'll smell it before you really see it.
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Basil warming in the summer sun.
Rosemary between your fingers.
Mint when you brush against the leaves.
Sage, thyme, oregano, and lemon balm releasing their scent as they're harvested.
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And above it all, bees and other pollinators moving from bloom to bloom.
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At Wendland Family Farm, herbs aren't an afterthought tucked into the corner of the garden.
We grow them because they're useful.
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Fresh from the field.
In the kitchen.
Preserved for later.
Turned into something new.
Used to teach.
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And sometimes left blooming simply because the bees are enjoying them as much as we are.
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What's Growing In The Herb Garden?
We grow a diverse collection of culinary and useful herbs throughout the season.
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Depending on the year and what is thriving, you may find:
Basil.
Rosemary.
Thyme.
Oregano.
Parsley.
Cilantro.
Dill.
Chives.
Sage.
Mint.
Lemon balm.
Anise hyssop.
Fennel.
Cumin.
Sweet marjoram.
Stevia.
Lavender.
And other herbs we're experimenting with along the way.
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Some are familiar kitchen staples.
Others might be something you've never grown, cooked with, or even smelled before.
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That's part of what makes the herb garden so much fun.
There is always something to taste, smell, learn about, harvest, or share.
Fresh From The Garden
There's a reason dried herbs have a permanent place in the pantry.
But there's also something pretty wonderful about cooking with an herb that was growing in the sunshine earlier that day.
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Fresh herbs can completely change something simple.
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A handful of basil over tomatoes.
Rosemary with roasted vegetables.
Fresh parsley added just before serving.
Cilantro over tacos or fresh salsa.
Dill with cucumbers or potatoes.
Chives snipped over dinner.
Mint in a summer drink.
Thyme tucked into a favorite recipe.
Sage when the weather begins to cool.
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Throughout the growing season, our fresh herbs may be available through CSA shares, the Farm Stand, farmers markets, seasonal farm sales, and other offerings.
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Like everything else we grow, availability follows the field.
When something is abundant, we share it.
When its season ends, we wait until it's ready again.
Herbs In The CSA
Herbs and vegetables belong together.
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That's why herbs are intentionally part of our Vegetable + Herb CSA rather than treated as an occasional extra.
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Throughout the CSA season, members may receive fresh herbs alongside vegetables based on what's growing and ready for harvest.
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Sometimes it'll be something familiar.
Sometimes it may be an herb you've never cooked with before.
And that's part of the experience.
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We want CSA members to do more than carry home a harvest.
We want them to know what it is, understand how they might use it, and feel confident trying something new.
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Because membership details, dates, pricing, pickup information, and availability can change from season to season, current information is always available with our active CSA offerings.
From Fresh To Preserved
Herb season doesn't have to end when winter arrives.
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One of our favorite things about herbs is how beautifully many of them can be preserved.
They can be dried.
Frozen.
Infused.
Blended.
Preserved in salt.
Turned into seasoning mixes.
Used in cooking.
Saved for later.
And transformed into useful products that extend the harvest long after the garden has gone dormant.
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Dill can become part of a pickle blend.
Basil, rosemary, thyme, oregano, chives, and other herbs can become salts and seasonings.
Cilantro can become part of fresh seasonal recipes and preserving projects.
And seeds from plants such as cumin, fennel, and dill give us entirely different ways to use what we've grown.
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Preservation allows us to make better use of abundance instead of watching a valuable crop go to waste.
It also keeps a little piece of summer within reach when there's snow outside.
From The Herb Garden To The Farm Pantry
This is where growing gets especially fun.
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Instead of asking only, “How can we sell this fresh?” we also ask:
“What can we make with it?”
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Herbs grown on the farm can become ingredients and inspiration for our Farm Pantry and seasonal goods.
That may include infused salts, seasoning blends, dips, culinary mixes, preserved herbs, pickling blends, and other small-batch creations inspired by what's growing around us.
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Basil can become basil salt.
Rosemary and other herbs can become savory seasoning blends.
Dill, chives, garlic, mustard seed, and other ingredients can inspire products made for pickling, dipping, seasoning, and cooking.
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Some products may begin almost entirely in our fields.
Others require ingredients we can't reasonably grow here and are thoughtfully sourced to complement what we can.
Our goal isn't to claim every ingredient came from the farm.
It's to start with the farm whenever it makes sense.
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Grow what we can.
Preserve what we can.
Source thoughtfully when we need to.
And create something useful from the harvest.
Learn To Use What You Grow
Growing herbs is only half the fun.
Knowing what to do with them is where they become truly useful.
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Herbs naturally find their way into our Harvest & Home workshops and other educational experiences because they provide so many opportunities to learn practical skills.
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We may explore topics like:
Growing and caring for herbs.
When and how to harvest.
Drying and preserving.
Cooking with fresh herbs.
Making infused salts and seasonings.
Pickling and preserving.
Using herbs around the home.
Creating seasonal recipes and pantry staples.
Saving seeds.
Using the harvest throughout the year.
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Our goal isn't simply to send you home with something you made.
We want you to leave knowing how to do it again.
Keep Learning At Home
Not every lesson from the herb garden has to happen at the farm.
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Our Herb Garden Digital Collection was created to help you keep learning, growing, and using herbs at home—whether you're starting your first herb garden or looking for new ways to make better use of what you're already growing.
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Our digital resources explore the practical side of herbs, from growing and harvesting to preserving and using the harvest.
They're designed with the same approach we bring to our farm workshops:
Useful information.
Practical skills.
Something you can come back to when you need it.
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Because our goal isn't to make you dependent on the farm for everything.
We'd much rather help you learn how to do some of it yourself.
Grow Your Own Herbs
You don't need acres of land to grow herbs.
That's one of the things we love about them.
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A backyard garden works.
So does a raised bed.
A patio container.
A pot outside the kitchen door.
Even a few carefully chosen plants can provide fresh herbs throughout the growing season.
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Each spring, herbs may be included in our Spring Seedling Sale, giving local gardeners an opportunity to take home plants and grow some of the same useful crops we love growing here.
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Depending on the season, that might include familiar favorites like basil, rosemary, thyme, oregano, parsley, cilantro, dill, chives, sage, mint, and other herbs selected for home gardens.
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We also offer digital resources, workshops, and growing information to help you feel more confident growing, harvesting, preserving, and using herbs at home.
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Start with the herbs you actually use.
Learn how they grow.
Harvest them often.
And don't be afraid to let a few flower for the bees.
Herbs Belong In A Pollinator Garden, Too
We grow herbs for people.
But we're definitely not the only ones enjoying them.
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Many herbs become incredible pollinator plants when allowed to flower.
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Basil, chives, dill, cilantro, mint-family plants, oregano, thyme, anise hyssop, fennel, lavender, and other herbs can become busy gathering places for bees, butterflies, beneficial insects, and other visitors.
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Sometimes conventional gardening advice tells you to keep everything clipped and perfectly tidy.
We don't always agree.
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There are times when letting a plant flower is exactly what we want.
It may mean that particular plant is no longer at its peak for culinary harvest.
But it may be doing another important job.
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That's part of thinking about the farm as an ecosystem rather than simply rows of products waiting to be harvested.
Seeds Are Part Of The Harvest, Too
Not every harvest happens when a plant is green and leafy.
Sometimes we're waiting for the flowers to fade and the seeds to mature.
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Herbs like dill, cilantro, fennel, and cumin remind us that one plant can provide multiple harvests throughout its life.
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Cilantro gives us fresh leaves—and later, coriander seed.
Dill can be harvested for its fresh foliage, flowers, and seeds.
Fennel offers fresh growth and aromatic seed.
Cumin is grown specifically for the flavorful seeds that follow its flowers.
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Some seeds head toward the kitchen.
Some may be saved for planting.
And some simply teach us another piece of the full life cycle of a plant.
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We love showing that connection because agriculture doesn't end when something is no longer at its prettiest.
Sometimes that's when the next harvest is just beginning.
A Garden You Can Experience
Herbs practically beg you to interact with them.
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Touch a leaf.
Smell it.
Taste something appropriate.
Compare two varieties.
Watch what's visiting the flowers.
Notice how different the plants look.
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That's why the herb garden is such a natural classroom.
Children can explore plants through their senses.
Adults can discover something new to cook with.
Gardeners can see mature plants before deciding what they'd like to grow.
Workshop guests can harvest an ingredient and immediately turn it into something useful.
And farm visitors can experience another side of agriculture that goes far beyond looking at rows from a distance.
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We want Wendland Family Farm to be somewhere you can learn by doing.
The herb garden gives us plenty of opportunities to do exactly that.
Simple Ingredients. Useful Skills.
One of the things we love most about herbs is how uncomplicated they can be.
You don't need an ingredient list a mile long to make something useful.
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Sometimes it's rosemary.
Salt.
A little time.
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And knowing what to do with them.
That simplicity is something we're continuing to explore throughout Wendland Family Farm.
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Growing ingredients.
Learning old skills.
Experimenting with new ones.
Making things ourselves when it makes sense.
Teaching other people what we've learned.
And becoming a little less disconnected from the things we eat and use every day.
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Not because everything needs to be homemade.
But because knowing how to make something is worth preserving.
Herbs Through The Seasons
Fresh herb season is wonderful.
But the story doesn't end when frost arrives.
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Spring begins with seeds, seedlings, and new growth.
Summer brings abundant fresh harvests.
Late summer and fall become important times for harvesting, drying, preserving, collecting seeds, and creating.
Winter gives us time to use what we preserved, make products, teach skills, plan next year's herb garden, and begin the growing cycle again.
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That's one reason herbs fit so naturally into what we're building at Wendland Family Farm.
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They're not simply a summer product.
They're part of a year-round relationship between growing, harvesting, preserving, making, teaching, and using what we have well.
Bring The Herb Garden Home
Maybe you take home a bunch of fresh basil.
Maybe dill and cucumbers become pickles.
Maybe cilantro and tomatoes become salsa.
Maybe herbs arrive alongside the vegetables in your CSA share.
Maybe you plant your own during the Spring Seedling Sale.
Maybe you learn how to preserve them at a Harvest & Home workshop.
Maybe something grown here becomes an infused salt that sits in your pantry all winter.
Or maybe you simply walk through the herb garden during a farm visit, rub a leaf between your fingers, and discover something you've never smelled before.
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All of those things matter to us.
Because the goal isn't simply to grow more.
It's to understand what we're growing.
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Use it well.
Share what we've learned.
And help other people feel a little more connected to the land and the things that come from it.
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Grown here. Used well. Shared with you.
Grown with purpose. Shared with gratitude.
