Preserving Herbs

Rosemary, Sage, and Oregano tied in bunches

 My last post was about prioritizing in the garden. This is a great follow up as it's the best time of year to be harvesting your perennial herbs. 

First off, if you're into gardening but not into herbs, you're missing out on a great source of culinary wonderment. Nothing beats fresh grown herbs in the garden mixed in with your supper. For more information on herbs, check out this post. 

Right now we're talking about perennial culinary herbs like rosemary, oregano, chives, thyme, and winter savory. Late Spring/Early Summer is the best time to harvest them, before they go into flower. Just take a clean pair of scissors into the garden on a dry morning and selectively cut longer pieces being careful not to cut off more than a third of the plant. Then bring your cuttings in and give them a good wash in the sink. 

Thyme, rosemary and winter savory on a tray

Finally, I take the longer pieces and tie them in bundles to hang in the basement. Any cool, dry, dark place with some air circulation is best. The shorter pieces I place on a paper towel lined try to dry above my kitchen cabinets. Check on them a in a few weeks and when they are completely dry, place them in clean, dry glass jars with lids and labels. Don't crumple them up as that will release some of the flavor. I like to give them their last bit of crushing right before adding them to my food. 

A few special notes. First, don't bother drying chives as they will lose all their flavor. Chives are much better frozen. Second, basil also doesn't dry well. I'm going to try some experiments with basil this summer and I'll let you know what I find out. Finally, be sure to remove the leaves from the stems before eating. None of the stems are good. 

Do you like growing herbs? What do you grow and how do you preserve them? Feel free to write in the comments below.