Top 5 Ways to Preserve Your Herbs

Ever wonder what to do with the abundance of basil, rosemary, cilantro, and sage growing in your garden, especially when the season comes to an end?

Instead of letting them go to waste, preserve your herbs to enjoy throughout the year.

Dry

How: The National Center for Home Food Preservation suggests tying clean, hardy-stemmed herbs (rosemary, sage, thyme, and parsley) in small bundles and hanging them indoors. For herbs with tender leaves (basil, oregano, tarragon, lemon balm, and mint), hang them inside closed paper bags (with a few holes punched in them). Store dried herbs in an air-tight glass jar in a cool, dark place for about 6 months.

Good to Know: Drying herbs intensifies the flavor. When substituting dried for fresh, use about ¼ the amount the recipe calls for.

Freeze

How: Place clean, chopped herbs in an ice cube tray (filling about half of each slot), add water as you would to make ice cubes, and freeze. This method works well for parsley; not so much with basil, which turns black when frozen (instead, see Make Pesto). Once frozen, pop out the cubes and store in a freezer bag. You can also wrap a few cleaned leaves or sprigs in freezer wrap and place them in a freezer bag.

Good to know: You don’t have to defrost the herbs before using them. Just add to soups, stews, or sautés while still frozen.

Make Butter

How: It doesn’t get much easier than this: simply mash up herbs with softened butter and store in the fridge or freezer.

Good to know: Have fun experimenting with different herb combinations. To start, check out this recipe from Gourmet magazine.

Make Pesto

How: While the most common form of pesto makes use of basil and pine nuts (in addition to garlic, olive oil, and hard cheese), you can include everything from arugula and parsley to walnuts and asparagus. Stick to the basics or try something new.

Good to know: A little pesto goes a long way. Not sure what do with the leftovers? Freeze them in ice cube trays and defrost (on the countertop or fridge, not the microwave) whenever you get the craving.

Infuse Oil

How: At a low heat, sauté herbs with extra virgin olive oil for a few minutes until bubbles start to form. Remove from the heat and let the mixture sit overnight. Try combining different herbs and get the right ratio of herbs to oil (via Whole Living magazine).

Good to know: Sauté herbs whole to make them easier to strain. Note: Prevent the infused oil from becoming rancid by storing it in the fridge.