When I began picking snow peas last week, it was a symbolic moment in my annual gardening cycle. One of the main reasons for having a vegetable garden is to be able to eat fresher and better-tasting produce than can be had from the supermarket.

Having access to vine-ripened tomatoes is the most common argument that gardeners make for the hard work that gardening is. Being able to eat unstarchy sweet corn is probably the second. But being able to eat fresh snow peas surely belongs on that list, too.

Snow peas fresh from the vine bear no comparison to the limp, rubbery things sold in the produce section. In fact, during the past week I have been eating them fresh, as snack food and a salad ingredient, rather than stir-frying them, in order to get the greatest benefit from their sweet flavor.

Having the luxury of walking out the door to pinch fresh herbs for cooking is another reason to garden. In the past few weeks I’ve been fielding a lot of questions about herbs, and one topic in particular struck me as important. Once you have a good stand of herbs, you might think about drying some for later use.

Cut sprigs from the plants and tie them in small bundles. Hang them in a well-ventilated place. When the stems snap, the herbs are dried. The process can be hurried along by placing the sprigs on a cookie sheet in a 200-degree oven for 5 minutes. If herbs are stored before they are fully dried, they will mold.

I also fielded a question about marjoram, which is an annual herb that is a sweeter relative of oregano. I suspect marjoram doesn’t receive the recognition of oregano because it doesn’t have the edgy flavor that comes through in oregano-laced Italian cooking, but marjoram certainly is a versatile herb in the kitchen.

In fact, many recipes that call for oregano easily can accommodate marjoram or a blend of oregano and marjoram.

Following is an easy recipe for doing exactly that. It’s from Carolyn Dille and Susan Belsinger’s “Herbs in the Kitchen,” which remains one of the finest cookbooks on the topic.

Marjoram Corn Bread

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1 1/2 cups cornmeal, preferably stone-ground

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup wheat germ or oat bran

2 tablespoons chopped fresh marjoram or 1 1/2 teaspoons crumbled dried marjoram

2 cups milk

2 eggs

1/4 cup vegetable oil or melted butter

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Sift the cornmeal, whole wheat flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt into a large bowl. Add the wheat germ or oat bran and marjoram and mix the ingredients lightly.

Combine the liquid ingredients in a small bowl and whisk them for 1 minute.

Add the liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients and blend well. Pour the batter into a buttered 12-inch pie plate and bake for 30 minutes or until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Let the corn bread cool in the plate on a rack for 10 minutes before cutting. Makes 8 servings.