Preserving Fresh Herbs

This is the time of year that so many of us are busy planting our gardens or watching our springtime efforts already sprouting depending on where you live...and with great joy!  We welcome you warm weather : )

Towards the end of the beautiful weather though, when so many of us have an abundance of extra herbs, some of us are left wondering in a panic what to do with all of them.  Sharing is great and our neighbors and friends greatly appreciate it, but quite often there is too much and for that, there is another option.

I find sometimes as well when I purchase fresh herbs that are out of season or herbs I don't grow that if I don't use them quick enough...I start to worry.  Not any more!  Preserve your fresh herbs for later use instead of watching them slowly wither away in the fridge.

Preserving Fresh Herbs is Easy!

One fabulous way to do this is to freeze them.

Place herbs in the cups of your ice cube trays...I measured 1 teaspoon in each.

Add 1-2 teaspoons of olive oil in with the herbs and place in freezer for 24 hours.

Pop the cubes out of their cups and place flat in a freezer bag or container.  Label the container so you remember later what they are and in what measurements you've stored them.



I measured 1 tsp of Thyme, be sure to wash and then strip the leaves from the stems.



Tear the basil leaves into pieces.



I used the thyme for Lemon Sticky Chicken and just didn't have plans for the rest.



Instead of throwing away green onions or
any stalks, I just toss them into water to watch
them regrow.  I did the same with the basil on the
left here and have quite a nice root ball now.  I'll plant
it and see what happens.

 

After tearing the basil leaves, add 1-2 teaspoons of olive oil in with the herbs.



In various stages of re-growth, I use
them over and over again for certain things.
I still of course have to pick them up at the
market, but I enjoy watching them grow.

  

 I'm not sure if the flowering on the basil in the glass is a good thing or not, I'd have to look it up...either way, they're pretty to look at : )









 Ah, but I digress : ) back to freezing my herbs...

After freezing, pop the cubes out and place them flat into a container or a freezer bag.

You can use these with any recipe you are going to make with olive oil and the selected herbs.  I used a light olive oil here but you can use extra virgin, a mix of melted butter and olive oil or even stock.  You can choose a larger size container and mix a variety of herbs with your preferred stock if you think you may later make a soup.

Thanks for stopping by today, be sure to swing by Friday to see what fab dish I served up today to my family for the Rites of Spring Cooking Contest hosted by O Olive Oil and eRecipeCards.

Until next time, Ciao & Happy Cookin'

My inspiration for these cute cubes came from: The Gardner's Eden