Creating Your Own Herbal Blends
Here we have two different Herbs de Provence recipes. One is super simple and basic with just 5 ingredients to make in under 5 minutes. The other with measurements both in teaspoons or Tablespoon quantities as well as in “parts” ratios.
We’re growing our own herbs and enjoy using them both fresh straight from the garden, and also drying them to keep. If you’re growing culinary herbs too, we recommend cooking with the fresh Herbs de Provence blend, and then dehydrating your harvests for preserving the herbs in a dry herbal blend.
Why Cook in Culinary Ratios?
We typically make a large batch of seasoning mixtures when we’re making them, especially if it’s something we use often. However, by listing this recipe in parts, you can choose whether your “part” will be one teaspoon, 1 tablespoon, 3 tablespoons or 1/4 cup. How much you make will depend on how much of this French herb blend you plan to use and keep on hand at the ready.
You may enjoy this article toward understanding why culinary ratios may be helpful for your budding chef self.
CULINARY RATIOS: If your 1 part ratio is 1 Tablespoon your 1/3 part ratio would be 1 teaspoon.
Simple Herbs de Provence Recipe
We favor this super simple herbs de Provence recipe of just the 5 most common herbs used in French cuisine. It’s easy to make and memorize to recreate whenever you need more.
Using herbs you probably already have on hand, you can make more or less of this. Depending on how much you’ll be using this for French and Mediterranean foods and salad dressings, etc., you can easily make a smaller or larger batch.
For a small amount, you can reuse an existing spice jar. We often purchase a favorite brand of Herbs de Provence, and then once it runs out, use it to refill it with our own blends.
You can also buy empty spice jars and create your own “look”. If you cook a lot and want to make larger batches, you can get 8 oz and larger spice jars and your “part” measurements can be 3 Tbsp. each or 1/4 cup.
5 Recipes Using Herbs de Provence
- Homemade Vegetable Beef Soup
- Healthy Chicken Salad Pita Pockets
- Mediterranean Roasted Vegetables
- Oven Baked Chicken Wings
- Scrambled Egg Quesadilla
5 Basic Herbs in Herbs de Provence
There are many variations of Herbs de Provence recipes, so don’t be shy about adding in your own favorite herbs to these. We recommend trying to add one favorite herb at a time.
Simple Herbs de Provence Recipe – just 5 herbs, listed alphabetically
- Lavender
- Marjoram
- Rosemary
- Savory
- Thyme
Don’t Be Afraid to Experiment
We love to experiment. If you do too, AND if you’re interested in observing and learning the nuances, you might try making this basic Herbs de Provence French seasoning blend. Cook with it and see how you like it.
Then add another favorite French or European herb or herbs, then try it again and see how you like it. If you’re learning more about herbs and the nuance of flavors, you could make the same dish a second time (or divide the recipe the first time, and cook it with a different version on each of the divided portions.
It’s fun to experiment with different seasonings on the same recipe, and then taste them side-by-side. This is also a fun thing to do with your spouse and/or kids, friends or significant others.
Making cooking one of your social activities is a great way to enjoy good home cooked food. Extend it into a social occasion with your favorite wine, and watch the good times and conversation blossom like your cooking skills!
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Basic 5 Herb – Herbs de Provence Recipe
Simple Herbs De Provence Recipe – 5 Basic Herbs
Ingredients
Instructions
- Add all ingredients directly to your spice jar, leaving room to gently shake the spice jar to blend.
- Alternately, you can mix it all in a bowl, preferably one like this mixing bowl measuring cup with pour spout. The bowl makes it easier to stir to blend the herbs thoroughly, and the spout makes it easier to pour into your spice jar.
- We use a mixing bowl measuring cup with pour spout like this by OXO.
Superb Herbs de Provence Recipe
This one has everything in it! All the wonderful Mediterranean herbs.
Superb Herbs de Provence Recipes
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons dried Basil or 2 parts
- 1 teaspoon Bay leaf powder
- 1 Tablespoon Fennel seed or 1 part
- [1 Tablespoon Lavender or 1 part]
- [2 Tablespoon Marjoram or 2 parts]
- 1 Tablespoon Oregano dried (or 1 part)
- 2 Tablespoons Italian Parsley dried (or 2 parts)
- [2 Tablespoon Rosemary or 2 parts]
- [2 Tablespoon Savory or 2 parts]
- 1 Tablespoon Tarragon or 1 part
- [2 Tablespoon Thyme or 2 parts]
Instructions
- This is a large herb blend recipe that yields 1 cup (+ 1 teaspoon) of Herbs de Provence. So you’ll need a larger (8-10 oz) spice jar, or else make it in a large mixing bowl measuring cup with pour spout like this by OXO.
- Since this makes a large quantity, it’s best to mix it in a bowl to facilitate easy blending. Then pour into one large or two small spice jar/s and label them.
Notes
Making Herbs de Provence With Fresh Herbs
If you’re growing herbs, then make it using fresh herbs for the very best flavor. In which case you’d moderate the quantity to be something you can use up for a meal or within a few days max.Fresh Herbs to Dried Herbs Ratio is 2 to 1
Whenever using fresh herbs, you’ll need double the amount of dried. While the fresh have a more potent flavor, dried herbs are a more concentrated quantity and flavor because the water content is removed but the flavor remains concentrated and undiluted. It’s the same way a raisin is more intensely sweet and flavor packed as compared to a grape.Don’t forget the wine! Or… if you don’t do wine, try this sparkling orange cranberry spritzer.