There's nothing better than fresh butter-unless it's herbal butter! To make it, add one teaspoon lemon juice and four tablespoons finely chopped fresh herbs to two sticks unsalted, room-temperature butter. For a zesty herbal quartet, use basil, marjoram, chives, and rosemary. A tasty trio: parsley, chives, and tarragon. Refrigerate or freeze (wrap tightly) until you're ready to use it on fish, chicken, baked potatoes, or hot biscuits. Yum!

And if you haven't planted your parsley yet, better hurry. People used to say that parsley had to go to the devil and back seven times before it sprouted. (Translation: germination is slow and only about two-thirds of seeds actually germinate.) But don't rush the basil. The seeds like warm nights (above 55 degrees). If you start basil indoors or buy the plants from your nursery, transplant them at the same time you put in your tomatoes.