Nothing says spring like tender, fresh herbs. For many of us, however, the spice cabinet is woefully devoid of anything but dusty old tins containing dried out flakes of parsley or a few brittle bay leaves.

Yet, herbs are surprisingly easy to grow; they're a crop that even an urban farmer can harvest year round. Just place your flowerpots on a sunny windowsill, water twice a week, and soon, you too can be snipping homegrown herbs, tossing in that fragrant green confetti, which will enhance your best culinary creations.

And there is no better starting point for the dauntless windowsill grower than the Santa Fe Farmers Market.

Sunstar Herbal

During a recent visit, I encountered dozens of uncommon varieties of herbs, in all their varied forms, from starter pots, to cut herbs such as the pungent chives I saw still topped with their frilly purple flowers, to jars of dried leaves, ready to be sipped as tea for medicinal purposes.

I spoke with three herb growers, starting with Becky Thorp of Sunstar Herbal in Cerrillos.

Just the week before, I looked outside my window in Eldorado and saw her daughter on horseback in the greenbelt, managing a motley but hard working crew of goats who were busy eradicating non-native plants with their indiscriminate appetites.

Becky Thorp, a very knowledgeable herbalist, offers many wild crafted herbs that have come up year after year on her property. These include chimija, a parsley-like herb with a celery-esque flavor (great on eggs); and cota, a cleansing herb, good for the kidneys.

While Thorp offers certain fresh herbs in the summer, such as stinging nettle, her strong point, however, are the healing varietals.

Throughout the year, her booth at the farmers market is lined with jars of these herbs that she harvests then dries on screens in her farm.

She has custom blends, "women blend," for example, which features lemon balm, chamomile, red clover, nettles and calendula. At Sunstar, I learned, each part of the herb — be it the roots, stems or flowers — has a purpose for the body as well as the palate.

Cedar Grove

It was the sunlight hitting the glossy purple leaves of the Aristotle basil that beckoned me to Cedar Grove's spot.

At their nursery and greenhouses in Stanley, Joel Daeschel and his crew grow some unique and tasty herbs.

Lined up in a pretty circle among their many flower offerings was a veritable United Nations of herbs: Greek oregano, English thyme and French tarragon, which imparts a light, licorice flavor to everything from quiche to chicken.

No ordinary sage is found here, but rather tri-colored sage.

The mint varieties, I saw, were also delectable hybrids. Imagine a sprig of orange mint in your lemonade this summer, or even an iced tea made from orange mint leaves.

Also new to me was lovage, another herb with a flavor reminiscent of celery. I leaned in for a closer look at the sweet marjoram with its reputation as "one of the most fragrant and popular of all herbs," and was told it was sweeter and milder but similar in flavor to oregano, its cousin, hence it's great on pizza or lamb.

When I asked the woman about my windowsill herb garden, she told me that I could combine different types of herbs in each pot and they would coexist happily. "Except for mint. Give that one its own pot, as it tends to take over."

She also said I could plant some of the hardy perennial herbs — lavender, rosemary, sorrel, chives, sage, tarragon, mint, thyme and marjoram — directly in the ground. The more tender annuals, suited for your window box garden, would include: nasturtium, (peppery, leaves and flowers are edible) basil, chervil, (milder than parsley) coriander or cilantro, cayenne, summer savory and chamomile. It's fine to move pots with these herbs outdoors in the summer months.

Chef's Edition

Paul Cross of Chef's Edition Herbs sells his "mega greens" and herbs to chefs all across the state. He grows over 80 organic varieties of herbs, flowers and vegetables. Cross likes to "mix things up" in his own garden, saying: "Many people separate ornamentals from edibles in their gardens but I think they look great together. And why grow just one type of basil when you can grow four? My favorite is the Thai basil, great in stirfry or even as tea." I ran my hand over a lovely golden oregano and tasted the wonderful, lemony tang on my tongue from a sorrel leaf I had plucked.

"It's great to toss a few leaves of sorrel in a salad. Really livens it up."

He also showed me summer savory, an herb whose spicy/clovey flavor is an important part of the classic mélange that makes up a bouquet garni, that bundle of culinary herbs so prized for its use in soups and bean dishes.

I left the market well equipped with plants and many great suggestions. I just had to decide on the specifics: Sun or shade? Perennial or annual? Indoor or outdoor?

These are dilemmas that any budding herbalist welcomes. I would just have to experiment ... and toss out those dusty old tins.

ON THE WEB

• www.sunstarherbs.net

• www.cedargrovesnursery.com

• www.chefs-edition.com

• www.santafefarmersmarket.com