How to Preserve Herbs

Preserving herbs is easy and rewarding too. Herbs can be dried frozen or mixed into vinegar. Preserving herbs helps you use the herbs throughout the winter months and can help deal with gluts (when you have too much to use at any one time).
Drying Herbs
Many herbs dry well, especially those with a strong flavours such as sage, rosemary and thyme. This is due to the low moisture content in their leaves so they dry quickly.Herbs that dry well include:
- Basil
- Chervil
- Lemon verbena
- Marjoram
- Mint
- Oregano
- Parsley
- Rosemary
- Sage
- Thyme
Frozen Herbs
Herbs with soft leaves, (such as basil, coriander, chives, mint and parsley) are ideal candidates for the freezer, as this method is the best way to keep their colour and flavour after they have been picked. Freeze your herbs as soon after picking them as possible (this avoids the loss of valuable nutrients, flavour and colour). First wash the herbs, then pack them into individual plastic bags and place in the freezer. Once frozen, they will crumble easily and can be used directly from the freezer without the need to defrost them.If you are planning to store herbs for a long period, it’s a good idea to blanch them first. Blanching helps keep the herbs in a suitable condition in the freezer for longer. Simply dip them in boiling water, then transfer them into iced water and pat them dry before freezing. Freezing herbs in ice cube trays is another great way of preserving herbs. This way you can simply pop a few cubes into a meal to bring on the flavour. Coarsely chop the herbs and place in the ice cube tray and top up with water. Then add the cubes to your meals as you would with fresh herbs.
Herb Vinegar
Herbs can easily be preserved in vinegar, which make excellent salad dressings. Rosemary and basil make particularly good vinegars. Simply wash the herb in cold water and crush it slightly to release its flavour. Then push into a tall, clean, sterile bottle and fill with warmed vinegar (wine and cider work best). Seal the bottle and leave to infuse for a few weeks before use. You can then strain the mixture through muslin or filter papers to separate the herb from the vinegar. Store the vinegar in a sterile airtight bottle out of direct sunlight.Herb Oil Herbs can also be soaked in oil to capture their aromatic flavours. The best herbs to preserve in this way are:
- Basil
- Bay
- Dill
- French tarragon
- Thyme
Preserving herbs is an excellent way of maximising their use and using them throughout the winter months. Making a herb oil or vinegar can make cooking with herbs really easy, as you have instant flavour without any fuss.
Re: Growing Rosemary
We have a mature rosemary bush 2 years old that needs trimmed.
Re: Growing Mint
Is there such a thing as Old English Mint?
Re: Growing Bay Leaves
Hi. I have just taken delivery of two 70cm high standard bays. It is possible to use the self watering wicking method on these trees? The…
Re: Growing Coriander
I’ve not been successful growing coriander. Successful when from seed them potted them in a bigger container. Unfortunately one by one they have…
Re: Growing Coriander
I tried growing coriander from split seeds . Germinated after 10 days . Stem is very thin and can’t stand being 2 to 3 inches . After few days…
Re: Growing Coriander
Hi, the coriander seeds germinated quite well and the seedlings are now about 4 inches tall. However the plants now seem to have stopped…
Re: Growing Mint
I've had a mint plant on my kitchen window sill for several years now. In addition to being a lovely addition to my Sunday potatoes, it adds a pleasant…
Re: Has My Rosemary Plant Died?
Small areas of my Rosemary plants are brown & dead looking. They are in ground & in my patio area. They are quite large a bushy but…
Re: Growing Bay Leaves
Hello I have been growing a bay tree in a pot (a succession of pots) for about 35 years, from about a foot high. It’s been moved from shade to…
Re: Growing Bay Leaves
I'm thinking of purchasing the Bay Laurel Tree - Laurus nobilis. Can this be grown in a pot?