Now that I have a little herb garden growing on my deck, it’s time for me to start trimming and preserving some of them. You see, my mint is growing faster than any weed I know. I’m fairly confident if I sat and stared long enough I could literally watch it grow in a day. I was warned, which is why I planted it in a pot of its own but H-O-L-Y it a fast little plant. I’m growing mint for my hubby and his love of a good mojito (I’ve been told he makes a pretty mean one too, I don’t drink rum so more for him to share if anyone wants to come over!)
Growing up, we use to grow basil and freeze it, I will be using this technique for all my ”leafy” herbs (basil and mint in my case). There are differant techniques for preservation of hardier plants such as rosemary.
First, trim the leaves off the stem and soak in cold water for approximately 15 mins (if the water is too warm it may cause the leaves to limp):
Next, take the leaves and place on a cookie sheet lined with paper towel and lightly dab excess water only leaving them slightly damp:
Place in freezer for at least an hour and remove, the leaves will now be frozen:
Once frozen quickly place the leaves in a freezer safe container and place back in freezer. Once leaves are individually frozen they will not stick to each other and you can remove them from the freezer on an individual basis depending on how many you need:
Once frozen, herbs like this can be stored for up to four to six months in the freezer, after this time they seem to loose some of their taste.
As for the rosemary, I trimmed the rosemary and stored it in a 1/2 glass of water in the fridge (for up to two weeks). Dried rosemary, no matter for fresh, loses some of the aroma and taste that fresh rosemary provides. I will store it this way (trimming and refrigerating) until the end of the summer when only then will I dry the rest so I don’t waste it.
Rosemary and basil are my favorite herbs, what are yours? What are your favorite things to cook with them?
