Why not use the last few Indian summer days of Fall before frost hits to harvest your herbs. Harvesting your herbs and freezing them for the winter will save you some money at the grocery store later as well as make some tasty, winter meals for your family. Surprisingly, it is easy and well worth the hassle.
When I grew herbs in my garden a few years ago, I found an old cook book, The Herb and Spice Cookbook: A Seasoning Celebration, that explained how to freeze and save your herbs over the winter. I tried it, finding it to be a simple way to add flavor and dressing up my boring winter menu, that I have been doing it since and saving some money at the same time.
Perhaps you did not grow your own herbs this year. You can still use the leftover herbs from the bunches you bought at the store or farmers market, preparing them to freeze, before letting them go bad and throwing them out as we often waste them.
1. To get started, take your bunch of herbs (whether cut from the garden or from the store), and remove bad leaves, roots, large sticks, etc.
2. Soak the herbs to clean in a large container of lukewarm water. Never wash under running water as this will crush the leaves but rather immerse them in water to remove dirt.
3. After soaking for some time, remove a small amount at a time and place on paper towels, even laying them. Pat dry and shake slightly any access water. Let sit to finish drying.
4. Tear off individual leaves and spread out onto a cookie sheet so leaves do not stick together.
5. Place cookie sheet into freezer.
6. Transfer frozen leaves into freezer bags and place back into freezer to save in a spot they will not get crushed.
7. Label and date bag.
8. Pop the amount needed to into the dish. When ready to cook, use frozen as the heat of your dish will defrost them quickly. For cold salads and recipes, defrost before adding them.
Herbs will keep from six to eight months frozen. My example in the pictures is oregano. Likewise, for basil, sage, mint, and any other herbs with large leaves, remove them from the larger stem freezing the individual leaves. For rosemary, cilantro, chervil, tarragon, dill, thyme, and marjoram, retain the thinner stems. For chives, chop before freezing.
For a seasonal dish using your harvested thyme, try Sauteed Pork Chops with Thyme and Apples!
For more frugal tips, visit Learning the Frugal Life Tip Tuesday.
I love doing this. similarly, you can also freeze dry. I'll have to get a link to Abby's blog to explain. Thanks for linking this week.
ReplyDeleteI'm going to try. I have basil and cilantro. Will the cilantro work in the freezer?
ReplyDeleteI never realized you could freeze herbs. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteYes, I have done cilantro before.
ReplyDelete