You've found the famous Dave's Garden website! Join this friendly global community that shares tips and ideas for home and gardens, along with seeds and plants!
Check out the DG homepage for a brief overview of what you'll find in this gardening mega-site.
Login
If you don't have an account yet, visit the registration page to sign up.
You’ve been pinching your herbs religiously, and your plants are bushy and beautiful. Each harvest yields more than the one before, and you have more fresh basil than a dozen people could possibly consume. How lucky!
There are several methods for preserving herbs for later use.The simplest is to use them in pasta sauces and other recipes to be frozen or canned.But when you’re baking a chicken or simmering a hearty stew, looking out the window at a monotone winter landscape, it’s wonderful to know you have a special stash of fresh tasting garden herbs waiting to add some summer sun to your meal!
Many people dry herbs over low heat in their oven or in a dehydrator (see this post). This works as long as you are careful to get the leaves completely dry before storage.However, many of the flavors of fresh herbs can be lost in the drying process, especially under home conditions.
I prefer to freeze herbs, adding oil to protect their flavor during storage.I don’t use pesticides in my herb garden, so I don’t wash the leaves – but I do check them for hitchhiking bugs!Strip the fresh leaves from the stem, and stuff them into a food processor.Process leaves to a rough paste, just as if you were making pesto (see the previous article in this series).Add enough olive oil so the herb bits look shiny and slightly damp (about a tablespoon per loosely packed cup of un-minced leaves).
I freeze minced herbs in ice cube trays, just as I do for pesto. Basil goes into regular trays, while intensely flavored herbs like rosemary or lemon thyme get frozen in mini-cubes.Pop the cubes out into freezer bags, and they will keep for at least a year.The taste is nearly the same as freshly minced herbs and far better than dried, store bought herbs.If you measure the herbs before processing and count cubes, a little math will let you mark your bags. For example, if 2 cups of basil leaves yield 8 frozen cubes, your label would say, “1 cube = ¼ cup fresh basil leaves.”
You can freeze combinations of herbs, just as you’ll use them in your recipes.Other ingredients can be added to the herbs as you process them.Thai basil, ginger, garlic, and Thai chili peppers are a great combination for stir fry.I freeze vast quantities of herbs for spaghetti sauce according to my mother-in-law’s recipe (4 parts basil, 2 parts oregano, 1 part thyme).Thyme, rosemary, garlic, and orange zest make a nice combination for marinating pork, especially when combined with red wine vinegar and a little olive oil after thawing.
Most of my recipes use minced herbs, but if you want to freeze whole leaves, try tossing them with a little olive oil as suggested recently in this post.Some people simply put clean, dry herb leaves into freezer bags and take out whatever amount they need for a recipe.An Italian friend taught me that thyme leaves are easy to strip from their stems if you freeze a bunch of thyme in a plastic bag.Once frozen, the leaves drop right off!I freeze fresh thyme even when I plan to use it immediately, just because it’s so tedious to strip the leaves by hand.
Another wonderful way to preserve the flavor of garden-fresh herbs is to make herbal vinegars.Simply stuff a selection of herbs (stems and all!) into a clean glass jar or bottle, and fill to the top with vinegar .Let the herbs steep in a cool, dark place for 2 or 3 weeks.When you like the flavor of the vinegar, strain it to remove the herbs, and pour it into a clean bottle.You can add a couple of herb sprigs to make it look pretty, but most of the flavoring of the vinegar should be done in the first weeks.
You can use various types of vinegar to add different flavor notes, but I'd avoid the harshness of distilled white vinegar.White wine vinegar is a good choice, as its flavor is so mild.Greek oregano is wonderful in balsamic vinegar, and Italian herbs might be even nicer in red wine vinegar.For extra zing, add a clove or two of garlic, a few whole peppercorns, some strips of lemon zest, or a small hot pepper.
If you have some beautiful purple basil, now is the time to put it to use. A few sprigs will turn white wine vinegar a lovely shade of rosy-pink.Pretty bottles and decanters will show off your tasty, decorative selection of herb vinegars. Your winter salads will never be sprightlier!
The Herbs Forum is a great place for subscribers to ask questions, share suggestions, and swap everything from seeds to recipe ideas, so please drop in!
Pinch your herbs with abandon, add a few fresh leaves to every meal, and enjoy your harvest all winter long.
Whether you have an extensive formal herb garden or a few herbs in a pot by your back door, I hope you’ll get the most from your herbs this summer!
About Jill M. Nicolaus
Better known as "Critter" on DG, Jill gardens in Frederick, MD. My irises are bloomed out, but the daylilies are just getting started! Our front porch robins are busy fetching worms for their second crop of babies. I love summer!
(Images in my articles are from my photos, unless otherwise credited.)
Posted by Zonie (from Mesa, AZ) on July 06, 2008 at 08:37 PM:
I was wondering if anyone has any information on Texas Tarragon? I have one plant and it's growing great, but the heat and wind and sprinklers made it lay over on the ground and it's still growing from there. Should I trim it back, or what? I have never had any Tarragon grow before in this heat, so now I don't know what to do. Sorry I know this is way off the subject, but this is the first time I have ever posted anything and I was having trouble getting on to post anything. Is there anyone that can help me?
...
Posted by critterologist (from Frederick, MD) on July 07, 2008 at 12:09 AM:
Welcome to DG!
I've never grown "Texas Tarragon," but I'd guess you could cut it back to harvest it or just to pinch it back a bit, and it would respond by bushing out, just like most herbs do. I'd say if it's happy laying over on the ground, don't mess with success by trying to stake it up... that might do more harm than good in the midst of summer heat.
There's also an active Herb Forum here at DG, but for full access you have to be a subscriber... something I really recommend anyway to anybody who's interested in gardening! $5 will get you a 2 month trial subscription so you can check things out here over the summer... or you might decide to just take the plunge and subscribe for a year. (Dave doesn't ask me to recruit subscribers... but it's the best money I spend on my garden each year, and I can't resist suggesting it to people when I get a chance!)
...
Subject: LEARNING NEW TRICKS AT 71 AND COUNTING
Posted by docgipe (from NORTH CENTRAL PENNSY, PA) on March 24, 2008 at 08:06 AM:
We who are still alive are learning new tricks from your articles. Thanks.
...
Posted by critterologist (from Frederick, MD) on March 24, 2008 at 09:48 AM:
LOL, Doc! I've been learning a lot from you, too, my friend!
I love this quote, which I think is from Noah ben Shea's _Jacob the Baker_:
What grows, never grows old.
You're right -- while we're still alive, we're still learning new tricks! There's some circular logic in there... :-)
So... what new thing will you be doing with your herbs this summer?
...
Posted by docgipe (from NORTH CENTRAL PENNSY, PA) on March 24, 2008 at 10:11 AM:
This is only the second or third time in my life that I have played with herbs. I captured an sizable collection of the now famous stacking pots in two sizes. I shall be mixing it up in my nine sections which is twenty seven pots. I am shooting for a conservation grouping of these and other pots on our new huge patio. I plan for a mix of designed pots mixing annual flowers, spikes and herbs pinching all for a summer of close to the back door garden goodies.
My soil needs are greater than ever for pots! This week I plan to shovel in the bottom half of the assorted pots using my 18 % OM garden soil ammended for the giant pumpkins. Over that and mixed in the middle third of the pot will be purchased organic growing medium. The top third will be all purchased medium to reduce the weed factor. I will use a ground leaf mulch on the plantings.
I am not ready to send out a pix yet. Just got the new table re-engineered. It sits in our sun or doll and toy room waiting for help to take out. The umbrella is stashed in there too along with the glass top and four chairs.
I have made a slide show of the patio development start to finish for my landscaper who put in the drainage under the patio and brought it up to the fines the brick were set into.
There will be an arbor built soon. Have to! The clematis that will cover it is ordered. When the gingerbread is mostly in place I will take the finished or a "after pix" to finish the video. My son, grandson and wife all helped getting and laying in the brick around five huge. bluestone slate accents. I feel like I need a design person for the spit and polish. For now I shall muddle it all into our desire. Then I shall invite a design person whom we know for a burning of another chicken, picking of the herbs and tumbling tomato plants. That will get me a thousand bucks worth of free advise I'm sure. This monster is a major major project in hardscaping. My son is the master mind of most worth. He wants this house when we have need to consider our most difficult final years. We are trying to do our part to end this recession or what ever it may be. Thank God for our Dutch heritage that taught us to save and invest for a rainy day. Now we can play. :)
...
Posted by critterologist (from Frederick, MD) on March 24, 2008 at 10:18 AM:
Wonderful!!
You have a little time with that arbor. Clematis seems to follow the rule of thumb for perennials: the first year they sleep, the second year they creep (they'll sprawl around a little, but if you don't have a trellis they'll still be fine... unless you're talking Sweet Autumn Clematis, then stand back!), and the third year they leap! I've got some leaping clematis around the side of the house that will definitely need a trellis this year.
...
Posted by docgipe (from NORTH CENTRAL PENNSY, PA) on March 24, 2008 at 11:04 AM:
Good! You just took away one of my worry things. I shall go right out there now and fix up the fifty dollar hole for the twenty dollar Clematis. Somewhere in a pile of savings there is an order confirmation. I just peeped at the nursery listings and picked one that projected 18 - 20 foot growth suitable for my 5a growing region. Knowing your rule of thumb gives me time to tinker in a really nice trellis. I have a natural hardscape place that serves to take away line of site from the patio to hide my neighbor's house. They took out a huge white pine that makes me feel a bit like living in Hong Cong. Now but for a few Junipers and the trellis I am close to the woodland view I enjoyed for years. Five years should knock out the undesirable (not ugly) view. It will maintain and enhance an open walkway or gateway both ways between properties. In this case the grass is greener on the other side of the gateway. I just like the privacy we had before the tree came down. If he will accept it I will give him a new white pine which will serve to hide my shed from his view.
Lowe's did it again.....Their Juniper are five-six feet B & B at thirty bucks. Area nusery pricing ranges fall between $50 and $90 bucks on the lots. I bought one to check the root ball. They were dug....somewhere...not earlier than last fall. Very good condition for transplanting. The burlap indicates either re-wrapping or early spring digging. On three foot centers I believe six or seven will do the trick and close the view nicely in a few years.
I had a woodland edge view using their trees which are now history. That's the reason for this early season. Don't like fences which are ugly to me and cost much more not to mention the maintenance I need like another hole in my head.
...
Posted by critterologist (from Frederick, MD) on March 24, 2008 at 12:07 PM:
White pines do get huge! It sounds like you've got more options now with it gone... Your juniper hedge will be lovely! We put in a Serbian Spruce a few years ago that I really love... it'll get pretty tall (although not in a hurry) but won't ever get much wider than maybe 12 or 15 feet... that lets it provide a nice vertical evergreen accent without overgrowing the surrounding plants.
...
Posted by docgipe (from NORTH CENTRAL PENNSY, PA) on March 24, 2008 at 12:41 PM:
Your Serbian Spruce is a choice I made first about thirty years ago. It along with assorted Juniper were my answer to an occasional deer presence. Today we have deer nearly every day or night. They still do not feed on the Junipers and Spruce. That is the organized side. The other side is a permitted and encouraged jungle. If the deer go into that side I am not so concerned.
The jungle is a mix of rotadendron, ferns, azalia, yucca, various clump grasses, ivy, spring bulbs excluding the tulips the deer love and a red dogwood under the canopy of an english walnut. The neighbor added his adjoining beds of hosta and more azalias.
There is a mulberry about up to decision size which as of the moment I am inclined to let grow where the birds planted it. Along the house I have some foundation plantings that the deer do molest. With the projected permanent deer population I have been trying to adjust into plantings they are less likely to chew on. Some shrubs for whatever reason are less likely to be horned up when the rutt appears. So far my super great holly bushes have been left alone. Deer are not good neighbors.
...
Posted by critterologist (from Frederick, MD) on March 24, 2008 at 01:31 PM:
Deer would be fine neighbors if present in natural numbers... PA, MD, and many other states have a major problem with overpopulation and no easy solutions due to various political and social pressures that we probably can't discuss/debate here. I know there have been some good threads about deer-resistant plantings and deer repelling measures... Sounds like you've figured out some good strategies also.
...
Subject: Creative and practical suggestions
Posted by BDale60 (from Warren, PA) on September 04, 2007 at 05:49 AM:
Another excellent article, Jill. I've been told about the ice cube technique for freezing herbs, but haven't tried it. Your explanation and photos are helpful.
Any nieces or nephews snooping around in Aunt Jill's freezer for a popsicle might be in for a surprise...:)
...
Posted by bolino (from Toledo, OH) on September 04, 2007 at 06:36 AM:
Excellent! A great idea! I'll try it!
...
Posted by Dea (from Frederick, MD) on September 04, 2007 at 07:24 AM:
Nothing like your own herbs during the winter months !
...
Posted by melody (from Benton, KY) on September 04, 2007 at 09:05 AM:
Great article! love the ice cube tip.
...
Posted by McGlory (from Southeast, NE) on September 04, 2007 at 03:17 PM:
Printing out this article to go with the other two....
Thanks to Jill I MUST have an herb garden. But probably not for a couple of years. Sigh. How does she make growing and saving herbs sound like so much fun?
...
Posted by Islandshari (from Kwajalein, Marshall Islands) on September 04, 2007 at 03:41 PM:
Such well presented suggestions! I love the combinations, and dish selection...Jill another wonderful job...thank you!
...
Posted by critterologist (from Frederick, MD) on September 04, 2007 at 04:07 PM:
Thanks!
By the way, I just strained and bottled that lemon herb vinegar from the photo... and it's wonderful! I used lemon verbena, lemon basil, lemon thyme, and a few strips of lemon zest. It makes a wonderful vinaigrette (no need for added lemon juice, LOL).
...
Posted by Islandshari (from Kwajalein, Marshall Islands) on September 04, 2007 at 04:24 PM:
I have a ton of lemon basil, and wasn't really sure what to do with it, because I don't care for the texture, your vinegar sounds like a perfect solution! I found it odd that the scratchiness stays with it even in cooking...do you notice this or am I doing something bizarre?
...
Posted by critterologist (from Frederick, MD) on September 04, 2007 at 04:33 PM:
I've mostly used lemon basil fresh in salads, or added it to marinades... mine doesn't seem to have a scratchy texture, so I wonder if it's just the variety you're using? I've been growing it from saved seed for several years now, so if mine had a specific variety name, I've long since lost track of it.
You got me curious, so I went out just now and nibbled a leaf to double-check -- no scratchiness. Are you using just the younger leaves pinched from the tops of the stems? The foliage further down on the plant does seem a bit stiff.
...
Posted by Islandshari (from Kwajalein, Marshall Islands) on September 04, 2007 at 04:48 PM:
Mine just came from a seed pack - white with no info other than "Lemon Basil"....it smells divine in the garden, but has very toothy edges and is scratchy and almost what you might call fuzzy leaves. Used some in a lemon pepper sauce once, and it stayed that way even though cooked! Never got limp or soft. Serves me right for planting "bargain" seeds. lol ! I've pretty much just decided to enjoy it in the garden, not the kitchen. Ooops sorry to have absconded with your fan thread....and now back to our regularly scheduled programming......
...
Posted by critterologist (from Frederick, MD) on September 04, 2007 at 07:59 PM:
Your plant sounds more like Lemon Balm to me... maybe your seeds were mislabeled. Remind me this fall/winter, and I'll set you up with the real thing. :-)
...
Posted by bluekat76 (from Ijamsville, MD) on September 04, 2007 at 08:52 PM:
Another great article Jill!
...
Posted by Foxnfirefly (from Falls Church, VA) on September 06, 2007 at 09:44 PM:
Critter,
This is a great read! I have been making frozen pesto cubes for some time but never ever thought of freezing other herbs to preserve them. Your article is well done and very informative! I, too, like the herb combo tips. Thanks!
...
Posted by critterologist (from Frederick, MD) on September 06, 2007 at 10:59 PM:
Thanks! I had a lot of fun writing these, too.
You'll love having more herbs in the freezer this winter. :-)
BTW, this is off-topic (not to mention last minute), but there's a DG gathering and plant swap at my place this Saturday... check out the thread in the mid-Atlantic forum for more information...
...
Posted by Foxnfirefly (from Falls Church, VA) on September 07, 2007 at 07:09 PM:
I am very interested and wanted to go, but I have to work overtime this weekend so I will have to miss this one, sad to say. I am thrilled to find other gardeners in the area such as you who share my interests!! I really overlooked the regional section until now. Thank you so much for directing me there.
My garden is small at the moment and I don't have enough plants to swap at this time, either. Are you planning a swap in the Spring? I will save the Taxas Sage clump for you regardless and get it to you somehow. Frederick is about an hour's drive north from Falls Church, VA.
...
Posted by critterologist (from Frederick, MD) on September 07, 2007 at 08:41 PM:
Thanks! I'm sure we'll manage to get together at some point. I'm sorry you have to work this weekend rather than play with us (but overtime pay buys fall bulbs, right? LOL). I'm sure we'll have a spring swap, since the one at Hart's was such a blast this spring... and I'm thinking we might just have a midwinter gathering here, too, like the Sweetheart's Tea I hosted a couple of years ago... in fact, another tea party sounds like just the thing! I'll have to think of something to make with rose geranium sugar...
The regional forums are wonderful for great local info and friendly chatting. And it's cool to think that you might get to see in person some of the folks you "meet" there!
...
Posted by PatriciaDiane (from Fulton, AR) on September 11, 2007 at 06:25 PM:
Herbs are so fun, so useful, so eyecatching in plated presentations as garnishes, so healthy and uplifting (have you noticed how people grin when they are smelling mints, lavenders,etc)..........and on and on and on. They are just great! I am helping with an Open House where I work at an herb farm and we are having a food tasting (herbs have been encorporated into each recipe) and a selection of herbal teas to promote the farm. I have found that so many recipes are just made better by the adding of an herb or two. Your idea of freezing herbs in ice trays will give me plenty herbs to cook with this winter.
...
Posted by critterologist (from Frederick, MD) on September 11, 2007 at 06:31 PM:
You're right, there's something about sniffing (and nibbling) around an herb garden (or pot) that makes people smile. I had some DGers over on Saturday who about swooned over the lavender in front -- even though it's pretty well bloomed out!
...
Posted by Foxnfirefly (from Falls Church, VA) on September 11, 2007 at 09:21 PM:
Did you say tea party?? That would be so neat--especially in mid-winter which we all associate with boredom. Now laughter and tea on a gloomy day is something to look forward to.
Yes--I worked overtime again tonight. More bulb money it is and I'm looking for some new tulips and daffodils for a spring display. Maybe some alliums and more lilies, as well.
For next year's herb garden, I am want a "sensation" theme. I am looking for those that have fragrance, feel weird, or look out of this world. For fragrance, lavender comes to mind, and evening primrose. Now for touch...lamb's ears are the only thing I can think of. Do you know another?
...
Posted by critterologist (from Frederick, MD) on September 11, 2007 at 11:25 PM:
I had a tea party here the year before last and missed doing one last year... so yes, I think another tea party is in order! Groundhog's Day seems like a propitious day...
...
Posted by Brightfire (from Peoria, IL) on September 13, 2007 at 01:48 PM:
Critter you are amazing!!! So helpful in your response to the Iris questions I had and now you just opened up this whole new creative adventure with herbs for me, I grow them and well, but was quite unhappy with them dried.
The last couple of seasons, I have let them flower as the beauty surpassed the winter value of a dried harvest. Now I see the potential for lovely X-mas gifts and fresh pasta additions with snow on the ground. Love it and thanks so much!!!
...
Posted by critterologist (from Frederick, MD) on September 13, 2007 at 02:01 PM:
I know what you mean... I've tried drying them, and I've concluded that Penzey's just does a much better job than I do! (That's my favorite mail order company for herbs and spices... I have no connection other than being a satisfied customer... it's worth getting their catalog just for the recipes and suggestions on every page!)
...
Posted by BDale60 (from Warren, PA) on September 16, 2007 at 05:57 AM:
Same here with Penzey's spices, but nothing compares to the fresh herbs from the garden when in season. The best of both worlds.
...
Posted by nhbergh (from Manchester, MA) on August 07, 2008 at 04:14 PM:
Having read a number of suggestions about freezing basil, I have yet to read the one that I stumbled upon some years ago. It is by far the simplest I have seen. I just cut the leaves off the stems and gently put the leaves in freezer bags. That's it. Like Jill, I don't use pesticides so I don't wash the leaves.
When I want to make pesto months later, I take out the leaves, speedily put them in the food processor before they start to thaw and wilt. They turn into crumbles of sweet smelling basil. Then I make the pesto. The cold of the leaves turns the olive oil cloudy, but it thaws fast.
Posted by critterologist (from Frederick, MD) on August 07, 2008 at 06:32 PM:
quoted from the article, "Some people simply put clean, dry herb leaves into freezer bags and take out whatever amount they need for a recipe."
:-)
It works, but I think freezing with oil helps preserve more of the fresh flavors. Why not make your pesto with fresh basil and then freeze the pesto? Then again, if you've got a method you're happy with -- stick with it!
