I refuse using black pepper unless it's fresh and I crush it by hand just before using. Found out those strange plants my neighbors dad was growing in s planter I set up for him were oregano. The neighbor had me over one day to weed his little garden and fix his fence so while there I carefully weeded out the planter and moved some other plants for him. I was allowed to take some herbs with me. Nothing better than fresh oregano minced into spaghetti with a bit of olive oil.