Preserving Summer Herbs

We are two weeks into September, PSL is out and all over the place, football has started, and Fall is slapping us in the face. I say that like it’s a bad thing, but if you know me you know that is the farthest from the truth: I LOVE FALL!!!! My Bitmoji has changed her outfit, and she is dancing. Give me all the PSL, all the sweaters, and all the changing colors!

But as summer comes to an end, that means I am retiring my herb garden, and saving the remaining leaves for later this year. I love having an herb garden in my window sill all summer long. They give me a little baby to tend to, and it’s so fun to prune leaves right from the plant while cooking. I feel SO FANCY. Fancy may not be the word, but I do feel super cool and resourceful, for some reason. However, when the summer ends, I find I have other things to tend to, like my house cleaning which seems to be avoided during the busy summer months, and I need to say good-bye to my herb garden.

There are a number of ways you can preserve herbs, so that you can enjoy them into the fall and winter. First, and recently featured on TheKitchen on Food Network, is drying them. You can cut them off the plant, bundle them, and then hang in a window to dry. But I prefer another method. I want my herbs to be more on the fresh side when I reuse them later. We also flash freeze our tomatoes instead of canning them so they are fresh for soups and sauces to keep us warm later on. That is why we are making herb…ice cubes!

The process is super easy and all you need is a couple of tools and about 20 min of your time (depending on how many herbs you have). First, you need an ice cube tray. The size of the ice cubes doesn’t matter all that much, because you won’t fill them all the way full anyway.

The process:

First, start by pruning your plant. Carefully cut down your herbs and group them by type in different piles. Then, cut or pick off all of the leaves.

Next, working in groups, cut down your herb leaves. I have Basil, Sage, and Parsley.

Starting with the Basil, stack 4-5 leaves on top of one another, then roll. Cut the roll of Basil into thin strips. Stacking, rolling, and cutting until you have cut them all. Place aside in a pile or bowl.

Next, I have sage. For my sage I have stacked 3-4 leaves and then sliced them into small strips. Again, in a pile or bowl- set aside.

Last, I have parsley. This, you just do a fine chop of. I didn’t have very much parsley left, but I didn’t want to waste any!

Ok! Now take your ice cube tray (s) and evenly disperse your herbs. How much you put in is up to you. You don’t want to fill it too full because when you use these for cooking later you will be using one or two ice cubes for a recipe. My ice cube tray has silicone bottoms for easy release so I decided to fill up to that line.

The next step is completely optional. I decided to sprinkle a half teaspoon of Italian seasoning into a couple of my basil compartments. I will be able to see which have extra seasoning in them even after freezing and will most likely use these cubes for marinara sauce later. Salt, and pepper are other options of what you may want to add.

After you have your herbs and optional seasonings added to the ice cube tray you will be filling them with Olive Oil. I used about a tablespoon to 1 ½ tablespoons.

When you add in the oil gently press down on the herbs to coat completely. Then add more if needed. I like to just cover the herbs. Repeat on all compartments with herbs, and freeze!

After about 4 hours or the next day pop the herb ice cubes out of the tray and place in freezer baggies. If your herbs are easily distinguishable you can put them all in the same bag. If not, its best to place them in separate bags and write the herb and date you froze them. If the cubes are difficult to get out of the tray, set in warm water for 60 seconds. They will pop out easily!

These will last 3-6 months in the freezer. When you are ready to use, take out a cube or two and melt in a skillet, and cook in your recipe as it calls for oil.

 

How will I use?

Basil: I will use in Pasta sauces, and when cooking chicken breast in a skillet. Parsley: I will use in casseroles, and creamy sauces. Sage: Thanksgiving stuffing!

You can also use this method for preserving herbs you buy at your local Farmer’s Market, or grocery store. Often we buy a bundle of herbs and we need about two stems, so preserve them now to save you later!

Recipe!

xoxo,

birdbelly