You love fresh herbs in tasty soups, crisp salads or spicy dips? If you have a glut of herbs in your garden, or you have bought too many, you can easily preserve parsley, rosemary and the like to use later.
Here are some of the best ways to do this for six popular kitchen herbs.
Three hacks for your herb supply
1. Dry marjoram and rosemary
Take 2 to 4 sprigs of marjoram or rosemary, depending on their size, and then tie them into a small bouquet with thread or string. Leave a longer piece of string at the end for hanging. Then hang the bouquet upside down for example to a wire coat hanger.
Let the herbs dry in a dark place for about one to two weeks. In the best case there is a little bit of air - then the drying goes all the faster. Once the herbs are completely dry, remove the leaves from the stem and then store them in an airtight container such as a jam jar.
Don’t crush the herbs until you use them - this will retain most of the flavour.
2. Freeze chives and parsley
Wash the herbs under cold water and pat them thoroughly dry. Then chop them finely with a sharp knife. You can place the herbs in an ice cube tray right away, filling the small compartments almost up to the top.
Cover the herbs with a little water and put the tray in the freezer! You can then simply remove the herb ice bombs as needed and use them directly when cooking.
Good to know: Alternatively, you can also fill a glass jar with the herbs and place it directly in the freezer. Simply remove the required amount as needed.
3. Preserve basil and sage in oil
First wash the herbs and then pat them dry. Then pluck the leaves from the stem and put them in a sterilized preserving jar.
Add chili peppers, peppercorns or garlic cloves if you like it hotter and spicier.
Finally, fill the jar to the top with rapeseed oil, olive oil, or even vinegar and set aside until you want to use the herbs. The oil or vinegar will preserve your fresh herbs for a long time. The great thing here is that the oil takes on the flavour of the herbs and can be used as a delicious topping for dishes of all kinds.
Recipe for the ultimate herb vinaigrette
You want to use your herbs right away? Then here’s a recipe for the best salad dressing ever.
Ingredients (enough for a salad for 4 people):
- 1 shallot
- 80 ml vegetable stock
- 2 tbsp herb vinegar
- 1/2 tsp medium hot mustard
- 190 ml rapeseed oil
- 1 sprig of parsley
- 1 sprig of basil
- Other herbs of your choice, eg. tarragon or chives
- Some salt & pepper
- 1 tbsp honey
Method:
- Add vegetable stock, mustard, honey, herb vinegar, salt and pepper and all the herbs to a tall container.
- Mix the ingredients well with a hand blender and add the oil drop by drop until you have a slightly thick vinaigrette.
- Finely dice the shallot and stir into the vinaigrette.
- Add the dressing to the salad just before serving.
