While you can get herbs packaged all kinds of ways, there's simply no substitute for fresh herbs.
Gourmet Garden offers a series of tubed herb pastes, which I will admittedly sometimes use when making burgers, etc. as the liquid nature of the paste helps bond the patties.
When writing this entry, I considered how much I need of the paste, and really, it's quite a lot when compared to a fresh substitute. I have to use about 1/3-1/2 a tube of garlic in burgers, or the same amount of parsley. If I were using their fresh, natural counterparts, I wouldn't need nearly as much!
McCormick and many other brands sell the pre-packed, dried herbs you can buy in shakers.
These both are commonplace at grocery stores, and this isn't to say they don't each have their rightful place in your kitchen because they do.
While these may be useful for certain types of cooking, or in the event that you only need the teensiest amount of an herb, these alternatives to the fresh, natural versions lack the depth of flavor their fresh counterparts always contain.
Rather, this entry is meant to advocate for the use of fresh herbs whenever possible. There is nothing greater than the fresh jolt to a dish that real, fresh cilantro adds, or the earthy, rich goodness of fresh rosemary sprigs.
While fresh herbs may cost more or come in quantities that are less likely to keep in the long term, their flavor properties are undeniable and unmatched by the dried or paste alternatives.
You can almost always get fresh herbs at your local grocer and farmer's market, and since we live in a globalized society, there's never a shortage of variety. Whether your herb is a summer or winter one, you'll be sure to find a fresh version of it near your produce.
There's simply not a shortcut to rich, full flavors: fresh is just the way to go.
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