Culinary Herb Gardens

Gardening cooks have, I imagine, always preferred to gather their own fresh culinary herbs rather than depend upon the vagaries of the market. Even in Hellenic Egypt, where vegetables were usually grown in the fields and sold in markets and shops, herbs such as coriander, mint and parsley were more often cultivated closer to hand in the garden.

During the first century BC, Columella sang the praises of home-grown produce and gave detailed advice on how to grow vegetables and herbs. He listed garlic, mint, mustard and parsley as essential herbs for cooking.