FOOD: Dry or freeze your garden’s herbs to use year-round

By Maria Noel Mandile
Associated Press

August 24, 2007 05:10 pm

— If your garden is overflowing and you want to preserve a lot of herbs quickly, you don’t need any fancy equipment. Here’s what to do:
DRYING
One easy technique is to strip the leaves from the stems and place them loosely into a brown paper bag closed with a clothespin, says Jim Long, herbalist and author of “Growing & Using the Top 10 Most Popular Herbs.”
Place the bag in a warm spot, such as your car or attic. Herbs take one to 10 days. The herbs are ready when the leaves crumble easily between your fingertips. Remove them from the bag and store in glass or plastic containers away from heat and light.
Any herb can be dried, but oregano, sage, rosemary, thyme and marjoram do particularly well.
FREEZING
More delicate herbs, such as basil, fennel, dill, chives and cilantro, are best preserved by freezing. Place chopped fresh herbs (no need to remove delicate stems) in freezer bags. Frozen herbs keep up to one year.
The herbs also can be diced or pureed and mixed with water or vegetable oil, then frozen in ice cube trays. The latter technique is great for using in soups and stews. Use about 1/3 cup water or 1/4 cup oil per cup of chopped herbs.