Dear fellow food-lover,

Adding herbs to your cooking is one of the best ways to add flavor to food and liven up just about any dish without adding sugar, salt, or fat. With just a few pots, some soil, and seeds, you can grow herbs in your backyard or on your windowsill with minimal effort. In fact, there could be a whole mini garden at your fingertips.

This week, we have your guide to stocking your kitchen with the best Mediterranean herbs and then provide recipes that take maximum advantage of their flavor enhancements.
Mediterranean Kitchen Herb Gardens
In the Mediterranean, fresh herbs are used in daily cooking to impart flavor as well as for their inherent healing properties.
Israeli salad can accompany any meal, including breakfast! It’s simple to make and can be adjusted to your preference: dice the cucumbers and tomatoes to the size you like, and add olives, beans, or feta cheese, for example.

An Oldways recipe and photo.
Pesto originated in Liguria, Italy, also known as the Italian Riviera. This recipe includes the traditional ingredients and preparation —with a mortar and pestle!

Recipe courtesy of La Brinca restaurant ; an iStock photo
This recipe makes us fondly recall trips to Turkey, Greece, and southern Italy, where older ladies would show us their “old ways” of cooking horta , or greens.

An Oldways recipe and photo.
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