Fresh herbs, dried herbs

Which is better? Some are advocates of using ONLY fresh and argue that substituting with dried herbs can leave your flavors flat and inadequate. To me, both have completely different qualities and therefore I don't think one is better than the other.

Fresh herbs are aromatic, fresh, grassy, zingy. All good qualities.

Dried herbs are intense, woody, hardy, savory, pungent, also all good qualities. When herbs are dried, the flavor intensifies, so you'd need only 1/3 the amount of fresh herbs required (i.e. use 1 teaspoon dried for a recipe that calls for 1 Tablespoon fresh). They last longer, and, most of the time, they are cheaper than their fresh counterparts. Yet cheaper does not mean lower grade, at least I don't think so.

So I like fresh herbs for, among other things, stocks, soups, pesto (only way to go with pesto is with fresh basil), stuffing, and for finishing dishes. I like dried herbs for things like rubs, marinades, salad dressings, breads, and scones.

Finally, if you grow your own herbs, you know that drying them is inevitable. They will overgrow and overrun your garden, and you are compelled to either use them up as fast as you can, give them away to family and neighbors, or yes, dry them and fill your empty jars for future use.

My method for drying herbs:
-Preheat oven to a very low 100-111Fahrenheit, convection fan on, if available.
-Cut as whole stalks from the plant to keep the leaves in place and in tact as much as possible.
-Blanch in boiling water for 30 seconds. Shock immediately in ice water. Shake off all excess water and line up on trays.
-Into oven for 1 hour.
-After 1 hour, check the herbs. If the stalks' thickest parts snap crisply (instead of just bending), then job's done. Remove and store as is or crush to small pieces for easy sprinkling.

Sage planted last year is still producing loads of leaves.

The rosemary is abundant

Preparing to oven dry sage and rosemary.

After 1 hour, the leaves and stalks have dried.