Preserving Herbs is Easy

Preserving herbs is easy and a great way to access their flavours and health benefits throughout the year, especially during the off season. Growing your own herbs and preserving them allows you to retain more control over your family’s chemical exposure while providing your family with delicious flavourful herbs and spices. These seemingly small steps allow all of us to live a more sustainable life and reap many health benefits not often discussed. Many foods and products are routinely found contaminated with bacterias, unsafe chemicals or deemed safe chemicals in excessive and unsafe amounts. Growing your own herbs allows you to be certain on the quality of the herbs you use in your kitchen and home.

Whether you’re growing herbs and spices for meals or just growing your own chamomile and mints for teas, preserving herbs is easy. Here’s a few ways to preserve your herbs and keep the flavour all year long.

Preserving Herbs is Easy Top 4

1. Drying

The most common way of preserving herbs is simply by drying them. Some herbs can air dry by tying them together and hanging them upside down in a well ventilated room. Herbs can also be laid out on screens with adequate air flow to dehydrate. You can even speed up the drying process by using a dehydrator. Once the herbs are fully dehydrated, store them in an airtight container away from sunlight.

2. Freezing

Another simple way of preserving your herb harvest is by freezing. After washing and drying your herbs, either chopped or left whole place on a baking sheet and allow to freeze. Once frozen transfer to airtight container or freezer bag. This allows the herbs to freeze individually preventing a clumpy block of herbs. Some herbs are also frozen in ice cube trays with olive oil or water as a convenient and quick add in for sauces and soups.

Pesto is another great way to preserve some of the herbs from your harvest. Simply blending your herbs and garlic with nuts, cheese, and olive oil you can freeze in portion sizes or keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

3. Infusing

Infusing your herbs into oils, vinegars and even alcohols provide you with a variety of flavours throughout the year. Often used in cooking, baking and cocktails, infused herbs provide a complexity and depth to your drinks and dishes. Oils and vinegars are also used in simple things like salad dressings. Oils are commonly used to infuse herbs like rosemary and basil, while vinegar works better for herbs like thyme and tarragon. Place your herbs into a sterilized sealed jar and cover with the oil or vinegar. Allow to sit for a few hours or even to the next day and strain. Some other recipes are stored for up to a few weeks in a cool and dark place. Providing seemingly endless flavour combinations infusing herbs is a simple way of preserving your harvest.

4. Salting

The most traditional method of preservation commonly used in the mediterranean and middle eastern cuisine is salting herbs. Used for herbs like rosemary, thyme, and sage. After a thorough washing and drying, simply layer the herbs and salt in a clean sealable jar. Adding pressure as you layer to help release their juices. Store the jar in a cool dark place for several weeks. The salt draws out the moisture from the herbs preserving the texture and flavours. Salting herbs is an amazing way to extend the shelf life of your herbs for several months. Just refrigerate after opening and add to your favourite soups ,stews and sauces.