Herbes de Provence: What it is and Homemade Recipe

Herbes de provence is a famous herb blend used in french cuisine. It is a dried mix of herbs used to season chicken, fish, dips, stews, soups and more.  

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The Origins of Herbes de Provence

Herbes de Provence comes from the Provence region of France. Provence is a historical province in southern France. It is famous for its provençal cooking, wine and olive oil. A place cherished by people of all ages due to the sunny blue skies, the fresh lavender fields and stunnimg beauty. It also has a rich ancient history and distinct culture. 

Julia Child and Herbes de Provence

Julia Child was the American chef famous for bringing French cuisine to America in the 1960’s and 1970’s. Her book Mastering the Art of French Cooking was published in 1961 and received great reviews. It is from that book where she used herbes de Provence and help to popularize it in America. 

Herbs found in Herbes de Provence

There are an assortment of different recipes to create an herbes de provence blend. It seems that everyone has their own take on what should be included in an herbes de Provence recipe and there is no specific blend of herbs. The following list is of common herbs used:

>rosemary

>summer savory

>thyme

>basil

>tarragon

>lavender flowers or lavender buds

>fennel seed

>marjoram

>oregano

With or Without Lavender

You may come across many recipes that omit lavender. Even your local grocery store may sell an herbes de Provence that does not include lavender flowers. I personally feel the inclusion of lavender is what makes this herb blend so special and unique. I think it is makes the herb blend really stand out. 

A Deeper Look at Lavender

I have been working with lavender long enough that at this point all I need to do is conjure up the smell of it an I start to relax. That’s right, I don’t actually have to have lavender in front of me to reap the benefits of its calming power. I need only remember its fragrance, it is that intoxicating of an herb. If you want to learn more about the healing potential of lavender check out my post How to Make Lavender Herbal Body Oil.

Recipe for Herbes de Provence Blend

Creating an herbes de provence blend from your own herbs at home is a great way to adjust it to your taste preference. Some herbs way not be appealing to you so adding what you and your family likes and omitting what you don’t is fine when making any spice blend. The following herbes de Provence recipe is the recipe I have created to use in my kitchen. Feel free to adjust it in anyway you like when making your own blend. You may also add other herbs from the list above. 

4 tablespoons of dried rosemary

4 tablespoons of dried summer savory

2 tablespoon of dried thyme

1 tablespoon of dried lavender

1 1/2 teaspoons of dried basil

Storing Your Herbes de Provence Blend

Dried herbs are best stored in glass jars with an airtight seal. Store the jar in a cool dark cabinet out of direct light to ensure long term freshness. This recipe can easily be doubled or triplesd. Since this is a rather unique spice blend I will often make up a big batch of my own personal blend to give away as gifts to friends and family. I bottle it up in little jars with a pretty label and bring them for holidays or other gatherings we are invited to.  

Fresh Herbs vs. Dried Herbs

You may be wondering if it best to use fresh or dried herbs for your herbes de provence blend. And I think it depends. If it is the height of summer and you have access to fresh herbs from either your garden or from the farmers market, then I think fresh herbs are a great way to go for a specific recipe. However if you are wanting a spice blend to grab from the cabinet at a moments notice to season the meal you are preparing then definitly choose dried. A dried homemade herbes de provence blend can last at least a year when stored properly.  

Where to Buy Herbs for an Herbes de Provence Blend

If you are not interested in making your own herbes de provence blend then your local grocery store should carry it in the spice aisle. I recommend this French blend by Frontier Co-op to try! However, if you would like to experiment with creating an herb blend on your own then I always recommend Mountain Rose herbs. Their herbs are organic and sustainaby harvested. They also carry a very wide collection to shop from. As well as lots of herbal medicine making tools like herb choppers, pantry jars, cheesecloth, tea infusers and so much more. 

Food as Medicine

Using herbs in cooking is an ancient practice. It is definitly not a mistake but an intentional gift. Herbs and food belong together. Having both an intimate relationship with food and an intimate relationship herbs holds great healing power. Both food and herbs invite us to reconnect, nourish, heal and comfort ourselves and others.