How to Preserve Herbs by Freezing
Fresh herbs add loads of flavor to any culinary endeavor. Not everyone has the room or the right conditions--such as lots of light--to grow fresh herbs indoors during the winter months. The only option seems to be to dry your herbs from your herb garden for future use. You do have another choice, however. Freezing herbs is easy, and frozen herbs--just like frozen vegetables--retain their fresh flavor. Learning how to preserve fresh herbs by freezing them is quite simple, and there are a couple of different ways to freeze them. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Freezer bags
- Ice cube trays
- Permanent marker
- Paper towels
- Salad spinner (optional)
Instructions
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How to Preserve Herbs by Freezing
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1
Pick your herbs. Pick the freshest and most tender herbs to use for freezing. Most herbs need to have their leaves removed and stems discarded. Sprigs of herbs such as thyme and dill, which do not have thick stems, can be frozen whole.
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2
Clean your herbs. Use as little water as possible, since too much can rob the herbs of much of their essential oils and flavor. (You can also just brush them off lightly instead of using water.) After washing your herbs, use a salad spinner to remove any excess water. If you do not have a salad spinner, simply pat dry gently with paper towels.
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3
To blanch or not to blanch. Blanching herbs is done by just pouring boiling water over herbs in a strainer. This process allows them to retain much of their green color; however, it does rob them of a lot of their flavor. There is really no need to blanch any of your herbs, except basil. Basil leaves will turn black in a very short amount of time if they are not blanched. After blanching, be sure to remove the excess water by patting dry or by using a salad spinner.
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Place your herbs in their own individual freezer bags. Be sure to label and date. Frozen herbs will usually be good for use for about six months.
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Another way to freeze fresh herbs is to chop them up and place them in ice cube trays. Fill the trays with water and freeze. Be sure to use plastic ice cube trays. Label the trays using a permanent marker.
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Tips & Warnings
When cooking with frozen herbs, simply break off the amount needed. If using in salads, just run a little hot water over them to start the thawing process. If using on the stove or in the oven, just add to your dish. Herbs frozen in ice cube trays can go directly from the tray into the dish you are cooking. Also, freeze mints and stevia and then use the ice cubes in your tea.
Never freeze herbs that have been treated with pesticides or other chemicals.
