Preserving Garden Herbs

Cooking tips, tricks, and recipes from Gwynn’s Island and Mermaid Cove Publishing

Preserving Fresh Herbs…

As summer is ending and autumn is upon us, now is the time to preserve the last remaining herbs in your garden. Having fresh herbs to cook with is one of the best things about spring and summer. And for those of us that are lucky enough to have them in abundance, we don’t like seeing them go to waste. Preserving fresh herbs is a great way to enjoy our favorite herbs all year.

Harvest: The best time to harvest is in the morning. Cut, shake off, pat dry, and let them dry to touch on the counter before preserving.

Air Dry: This method preserves more of the oils and flavors and is the easiest. Combine in small bundles, tie the stems together with twine or string, and hang in a cool, dry spot. Air drying takes several weeks. Herbs can be stored when they easily crumble.

Dehydrate: Dehydrating your herbs in a dehydrator is faster than air drying. Preheat the dehydrator to 95-115 degrees F. Lay leaves and stems flat on the trays, leaving space between each stem. Drying will take 1-4 hours.  Cool before storing in sealed containers.

Freezing: Another easy way to preserve herbs is to freeze them for up to a year. Fill an ice cube tray with fresh herb leaves, cover with water or olive oil, and freeze them. Once the cubes are frozen, you can transfer the cubes to a freezer bag. You can also lay fresh herbs on a baking sheet and place in the freezer overnight. Once frozen, place the herbs in a freezer bag and put them back in the freezer until you need to use them. Frozen herbs will stay fresh for 2 to 3 months.

Refrigeration: Refrigerating your herbs is a great option if you will be using them within a few weeks. For woody herbs, rinse them, wrap in a damp paper towel, and place in a resealable plastic bag. For tender-stemmed herbs, place the stems in a jar with a few inches of water and cover with a plastic bag. Refrigerated herbs will stay fresh 1-3 weeks.