Preserving Herbs: Drying Herbs and Freezing Herbs

What Is an Herb?

Herbs have been each our medication and our meals for millennia! Consider an “herb” as any fragrant plant used for meals, seasoning, or medical therapy. Favourite herbs embrace Greek oregano, basil, rosemary, thyme, dill, parsley, and the various mints, in addition to the medicinals: yarrow (leaves and flowers), elderberry flowers, plantain, comfrey, heal-all, and others.

The risky oils and medicinal phytocompounds are most extremely concentrated in leafy herbs because the flower buds swell however haven’t but opened. If you happen to’re rising herbs, at all times harvest on a sunny morning after the dew has dried however earlier than the total drive of the noon solar. This needs to be after the flower buds seem however earlier than they open. 

If you happen to don’t develop or gather your individual, you could discover contemporary herbs in amount at many farmers’ markets or specialty meals shops. Typically is simply wonderful to purchase a couple of ounces of the natural herb and make the product you’ve gotten been ready to make.

Which Herbs to Freeze Versus Dry

Some herbs reply finest to freezing, others to drying, and a few will be frozen or dried! Please take a look at our chart of forms of herbs and particulars on their most well-liked preservation strategies under.

The way to Dry Herbs

There are various methods to dry herbs—in a basket, cling herbs, or use a dehydrator. Certainly, some herbs will be air-dried simply, akin to oregano, sage, and thyme. However except you reside in a really arid local weather, herbs akin to basil and parsley, which have thick, succulent leaves, are higher dried in a dehydrator. Chances are you’ll resolve how far you wish to go together with the method. Patty Sanders, a licensed herbalist, explains additional:

• Hanging in bunches: The old school methodology of tying small bunches of herbs with string and hanging them to dry in a darkish, well-ventilated place nonetheless works effectively for many leafy herbs and flowers. Rinse the herbs effectively underneath cool working water, lay them to wilt and dry within the solar, then tie them up. Take away leaves from their stems and retailer them in an hermetic jar when they’re dry.

• Strip and dry in a scorching place: To dry a big harvest of tea and medicinal herbs, I’ve had success with stripping particular person leaves or flower clusters from their stems, spreading them one layer deep on a skinny cotton sheet, and tacking the 4 corners to boards within the steeply pointed ceiling in my attic. It’s scorching, dry, and darkish up there in summer season, and the herbs dry shortly. Once they crumble simply, I sweep them right into a  clear pillow case or heavy paper bag and crush them, then retailer in glass jars in a dry, darkish place.
   
• Dehydrate: A number of years in the past I purchased an eight-tray electrical meals dehydrator to strive drying tomatoes, zucchini, and backyard fruits. I’ve discovered it particularly helpful for drying fragrant culinary and tea herbs: oregano, sage, basil, and mint. As a result of it removes moisture at such a low temperature (about 95°) with steady airflow throughout the drying racks, it preserves the wealthy flavors of those culinary herbs higher than oven or air-drying. When the herbs crumble simply, I sweep them into a big paper bag, crumble them with my fingers, and funnel them into glass containers. I like small-mouthed mason jars for storage as a result of they settle for the lids from grated parmesan-cheese containers that allow me shake herbs proper from the jar. Be sure to retailer the herbs in an hermetic container.

The way to Freeze Herbs

Freezing is one of the best ways to take care of the important oils and spritely flavors of delicate herbs akin to dill, fennel, thyme, basil, and chives (though you’ll be able to freeze any herb). You’ve gotten a number of choices for freezing contemporary herbs. 

There’s no must blanch herbs for freezing. Simply wash all herbs in cool, working water and pat dry earlier than freezing.

• Freeze in layers: The commonest option to freeze herbs is to put sprigs of rinsed herbs one layer deep in a freezer bag and freeze them flat. This methodology means that you can attain right into a bag, take away the wanted quantity of herbs, and crumble them shortly right into a salad dressing, soup, or different dish.
• Pack in ice cubes: Chop the well-rinsed herbs (create a mix in case you like), pack them tightly into ice-cube trays, add sufficient water to cowl, and freeze. You may take away the herb cubes from the trays and retailer them in a freezer bag or inflexible container.
• Make herbsicles: With out chopping, pack a handful of contemporary leafy herbs in a small plastic snack bag That’s labeled with the herb(s) inside. Roll tightly, seal, then safe with a few rubber bands to carry the cylindrical form. Pack three or 4 of those frozen logs right into a zippered freezer bag. Whenever you wish to use one, take away the log from the bag, slice off what you want from one finish, and shortly return the log to the freezer.
• Freeze in olive oil: This methodology makes an ideal option to put together herbs and herb mixtures for salad dressings, soups, and different ready dishes. Simply mix the specified herbs with sufficient oil to make a pourable combination, pour into ice dice trays and freeze. If you happen to love basil (or every other herb) pesto, puree your huge bunches of de-stemmed basil with olive oil and freeze them in ice dice trays. Run the trays underneath scorching water to take away the cubes, pop them into freezer containers or wrap them individually in plastic wrap, and retailer them within the freezer. Use herb and oil cubes immediately from the freezer or thaw within the fridge and use instantly. NOTE: Don’t pass over at room temperature due to the excessive danger for botulism.

In fact, the ice-cube methodology is an ideal option to protect your pesto, too. A few basil-and-garlic pesto cubes will enhance the flavour of almost any winter soup.

Natural Vinegar

Natural vinegars are cheap and simple to make. And contemporary culinary herbs make the most effective vinegars.  My favourite to protect in vinegar are: basil, oregano, rosemary, dill, garlic, thyme, and sage. Study extra about tips on how to make natural vinegars (“pickling”) in addition to natural tinctures and natural creams/salves*.