Growing herbs in your garden, and you are likely to harvest plenty when fall comes around. So, it comes to a concern. How to best use these herbs as you cannot consume all fresh? Preserve them. Nothing is better than that. You can store them to use all winter long. Their flavors are remained. Some are even great to decorate the home. Place your dried herbs in pretty jars and they will do the work.
And, here are 7 best ideas to preserve garden herbs I would like to share you guys. If you grow herbs in your garden or in containers, these surely help. These ways are easy and fun to follow, so you can definitely let your kids involve in. They will know more about how to harvest and preserve herbs that’re familiar with them. As a homemade food lover, I just love these tips a lot. They always work and do not require much effort. Let’s check them out!
#1 Dried Herbs
The most common way to preserve herbs is to dry them. Dried herbs are easy to use, easy to store, last a long time, and taste great in all kinds of recipes.
To dry herbs, simply hang them in small bunches in a warm, dry indoor location and let them dry naturally. Or, you can use food dehydrator. It can dry large batches of herbs at a time all in a nice, vertical stack. After all, you just need to store them in sealed bags or in jars.
#2 Frozen Herbs
There are several ways to freeze herbs. If done properly, freezing preserves much delicious flavor of herbs than drying. The way I often use to freeze hard-leafed herbs like rosemary, sage, and thyme is here. Store them in bags and freeze for a few weeks until the leaves easily fall off the stems. Then, transfer them in jars to store long term in the freezer. This retains their fragrance and flavor effectively.
#3 Herbs Frozen in Oil
A more effective idea for frozen herbs is to freeze them in oil. This best retains the essential oils in herbs for maximum flavor. It also keeps the fresh, green color that herbs can lose over time in the freezer. There are 2 ways to do it. One is to drizzle oil over larger sprigs and leaves, and the other is to blend together oil and herbs in a food processor. Then pour them in ice trays and keep in freezer.
You can use olive oil, coconut oil, and butter for this method. Just toss a cube into soups, stews, or a frying pan as a flavor-packed starter for any meal.
#4 Herb Infused Vinegar
Infusing herbs in vinegar is also a great way to preserve herbs. Choose a good quality vinegar, like apple cider or white wine, pour it over a handful of fresh herbs in a jar. Let it sit for a few weeks, or until it suits your taste, then strain the vinegar into a sterilized bottle. Easy, right?
This herb infused vinegar is used to marinate meats, drizzle over salad or cooked vegetables, add in stir fry, or pretty much whatever else you want to add a punch of flavor to.
#5 Herb Infused Honey
Along with vinegar, you can also infuse herbs with honey. It can be used as a sweet treat or medicinally – orally or topically. Both dried and fresh herbs work with this recipe.
#6 Fresh Herb Salt
Add fresh herbs, garlic, and coarse salt into a food processor and blend until well combined. Transfer it to a glass jar and store in the refrigerator for months. That’s how to make herb salt. Easy, right? If you want to use dried herbs for this recipe, just give it a go.
#7 Herb Extracts
You can make extracts out of any herb right at home. They’re useful in the kitchen and make great gifts. Soak your fresh herbs in vodka for several weeks. And, your herb extracts come. Some even reportedly have valuable medicinal properties.