Tuesday, September 1, 2015

Saving Herbs for Winter Months {Drying and Freezing Herbs}


Oh, hello September!


Was it it only 2 and a half months ago when hubby and I planted herbs in our veggie garden {posted  here}? For the last month or so, I have been snipping fresh herbs from the garden as needed for this and that recipe. I have been pampered this way and I know some good things never last. So, I am preparing to prolong the goodness of my valued herbs for the coming winter months {which by the way is just around the corner if you live in the Great White North!}

Sharing with you how I do it here at Birdsong.


Harvesting Herbs for Drying and/or Freezing:


  • The peak time to harvest {then dry or freeze} herbs is right before the herb starts flowering. This is the time when the flavourful and aromatic oil content is at its highest level.
  • Harvest in mid morning or when the dew is dry to prevent molding.

Cleaning Herbs for Drying and/or Freezing


  • Make sure the herbs are free from dirt and insects {like this beautiful baby caterpillar} by either gently rinsing them but this process may also remove essential oil from the leaves so I prefer gently shaking each stem to remove impurities.

Drying Herbs:



  • Drying herbs can be done either by air dry {practical for herbs with low moisture content like rosemary, oregano, thyme and sage} or through food dehydrator or ordinary kitchen oven {best method for herbs with high moisture content like basil, tarragon and mint}.
  • I always resort to air drying by simply tying a piece of string to a bunch of the same herb and hanging them upside down in a warm room with good air ventilation/circulation. Avoid the kitchen because of the moisture generated in the room when cooking.
  • If the weather is not too hot and there is a enough breeze outside, I hang my herbs in a partly shaded area {direct sunlight will burn the leaves resulting to discoloration} for a good 3 hours then continue drying them inside the house for most part of the day.
  • Regularly check herbs for signs of mold or mildew.
  • It usually takes 3 weeks for my herbs to be completely dry and ready for storage.

Freezing Herbs:


  • Use plastic containers for easy removal of frozen herbs. I use ice cube tray and color coded containers for easy identification specially when I am freezing more than 2 herbs.

    • For thyme. I tie small bundle of sprigs together and put 2-3 bundles in each water filled container. I do this because when I use thyme in my recipe. I normally use a sprig or two.
    • For tarragon, I remove the leaves from the stem before placing them in water filled containers because that's the way I normally use them
    • For oregano, because I use them a lot like basil. I prefer to freeze them in water filled ice cube trays. 
    • Freeze  and thaw as needed!
    I like to have both dried and frozen herbs in the winter months There are just some recipes that truly calls for fresh herbs like omelettes, Margherita pizza or simply topping a dessert with fresh mint leaves. Dried herbs on the other hand have its own uses like when I'm making soup or braising beef, for example. Don't forget, dried herbs are 3 times more potent or flavourful than its fresh counterpart {example : 1 tablespoon of fresh oregano is equivalent to 1 teaspoon of dry oregano, since 3 teaspoons = 1 tablespoon}.

    PS : For those who are wondering what happened to the cute baby caterpillar I found on a mint leaf, I relocated it from the veggie garden {where I found it} to the flower garden where I hope it will transform into a beautiful butterfly one day!


    Thank you for visiting!


    Linking with : Simple Saturdays  *  Treasure Hunt Thursday  *  The Scoop  *  Homework  *  Wow Us Wednesday  *   Inspire me Monday  *  That DIY Party
                            
                            
                            

    9 comments:

    1. I'm in the process of trying to grow my own herbs. I forgot to think forward as to how I will be preserving it. Your post was very helpful and I will be pinning it to refer back to when the time comes to dry the herbs.
      P.s. That caterpillar is a star!

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      1. Thank you for your kind words Lily! I hope you are enjoying your herbs as much as I do. Yeah, that caterpillar was a scene stealer {wink}.

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    2. Thanks for the great tutorial. Now I need to be careful of the sunlight and also my balcony is pretty breezy, maybe indoors would be the best solution.

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    3. These are all great tips, Mei Ann! I'll be sharing your project at The Scoop this Monday night. Thank you for linking up!

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      1. The pleasure is mine Suzy! Thank you for choosing my post. You have no idea how grateful I am. God bless you and the ladies from The Scoop!

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    4. Love your tips and photos and I will feature this at Wow Us Wednesdays this week. Thanks for sharing at Wow.

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    5. I have dill, basil, rosemary and chives in a large window box. Can I bring that in and keep them growing. Thanks.

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    6. Thank you!! I really don't want to let my herbs go this year, so I'm planning on drying them. (I just knew you would've relocated that cute green guy!) ~Zuni

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    Thank you for your sweet words.

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