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For anyone who cooks, fresh herbs are in constant demand. But buying fresh herbs can be expensive. At the grocery store, herbs go for a couple dollars a bunch, and usually don’t store very well… sometimes not even long enough to use in another recipe.

The solution? Growing your own herbs. Many herbs, like basil, oregano and thyme are very easy to grow from seed. Parsley is also easy to grow, but needs a deeper pot and is prone to aphid attacks. Packets of seeds cost a couple dollars each, and will last your for years.

To stretch your growing season, start the seeds indoors in the early spring. They can be moved outdoors once the risk of frost is over (think Victoria day to be safe), of if you have a sunny windowsill, that will work too.

If you don’t have a green thumb, an easier solution is to buy plants from a garden centre. Not quite a cheap as growing from seed, but arguably easier. But for slower-growing herbs (like rosemary and sage), this is definitely the way to go.

By growing a variety of your own herbs, you ensure that you always have fresh herbs on hand… fresher than anything you could buy at a store, and nothing goes to waste.

The benefits of consuming olive oil are well known. Olive oil contains a high proportion of monounsaturated fats, which is linked with lower risk of coronary heart disease. It also has a pleasant flavour, which acts as a great base for most dishes. This is why most recipes start with extra virgin olive oil.

Extra virgin olive oil is the top grade of olive oil. It is the least acidic, and has the most pronounced flavour. Top grade, however, also means most expensive. For salad dressings, bread dipping, or other recipes where it’s a central ingredient, definitely stick with extra virgin.

But in general cooking, I switch to pure olive oil. Pure olive oil is a combination of refined olive oil and virgin or extra virgin olive oil.

Heat destroys part of the flavour profile of extra virgin olive oil, and deep within a recipe, you’ll never discern the difference anyway. So why pay for top quality olive oil when you’ll never know the difference?

Keep a small bottle of quality extra virgin olive oil on hand for salads and dipping. But for cooking, decant lower quality olive oil from a larger bulk bottle. You’ll save quite a bit.