Freezing Herbs

 

Many herbs can be stored temporarily in zip lock bags in the refrigerator for up to two or three weeks. But freezing is a better method.

Basil for example freezes well but does not do well in refrigerator cold. Wash and thoroughly dry the leaves, place flat on a cookie sheet or pan with a flat bottom in the freezer. When the leaves are completely frozen, place in zip lock freezer bags for up to six months storage. Another method is to place up to a teaspoon of chopped leaves in an ice cube tray with unfrozen water. Then freeze to make basil ice cubes. Or mix with a bit of oil in a food processor to make basil oil and then freeze flat in plastic bags. Break off only what you need for your recipe. Try the log method for Basil and see how it goes. See Parsley below for the log method.

Dill can be cut with the long stems and leaves into sections short enough to fit into one quart freezer bags. Frozen dill keeps about six months.

Garlic can be frozen in oil in containers and frozen, mixed with butter and frozen, place chopped garlic in plastic and freeze. See this Yahoo answer for some excellent other methods to using including how to acidify garlic to make it safe to store. http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20060901200809AAkSqIY

Parsley logs will store for a year in the freezer as will parsley pesto cubes
http://awaytogarden.com/growing-and-storing-a-year-of-parsley This is an excellent article with slide shows. The parsley log is the most unique and useful way to store parsley that I ran across. And the same idea should work for some other herbs that can be frozen in plastic freezer bags.

Marjoram can be stored in plastic bags in the refrigerator for several weeks. But it stores better frozen mixed with a little oil or butter and made into ice cubes. You can also spread the cut stems and leaves on sheets in the freezer and freeze. Then strip the leaves and put in freezer bags to store for several months. While the leaves may look limp and unattractive the flavor is fine. Some references call for storing marjoram in damp paper towels in the refrigerator, I would just store the unwashed leaves as dampness promotes decay. Add the marjoram to cooked dishes shortly before serving.

Rosemary may be stored in a variety of ways. I have read that rosemary should be rinsed before storage in the vegetable drawer for up to two weeks. And I have seen not to rinse it before storing in paper towels in plastic bags in the vegetable drawer. I am going to go with the not rinsing method as moisture promotes mold and decay in the fridge. In any case, change out the paper towels every couple of days. If you see any mold, throw out that batch of herbs.

Rinse with water and roll into a log in moist paper towels in a plastic bag open at the end. Store the bag in the vegetable drawer for a couple of weeks. Check the towels every couple of days to keep moist (not sopping wet). Wash the sprigs before use. 

To freeze, cut the sprigs, wash, spin dry or paper towel dry thoroughly before freezing. Place the sprigs in a layer in a freezer bag and place in freezer for a couple of weeks. Take the freezer bag out and use a rolling pin, jar or similar item to roll over the bag. Most of the leaves should fall off. Pick any remaining leaves manually and return the bag to the freezer. Frozen this way, rosemary should remain usable for up to one year. You may want to double bag the herb to reduce air infiltration. Or put them up in rubber containers with an airtight seal and return to the freezer.

Thyme may also be frozen in the same manner as Rosemary.

Summer Savory can be stored loose in plastic bags in the refrigerator for several weeks. Make sure no mold is on the leaves before you use them. If you see mold, discard the entire bag. Although I have not tried any of the freezing methods used for basil or the log method for parsley, I would think the same methods should work. Just make sure you are freezing dry and not moist herbs in plastic bags.

Sage is similar to other Mediterranean herbs in that it can be stored in plastic bags in the fridge for a couple of weeks. But freezing is the preferred method other than drying. Strip the leaves from the stems. If you wash them before freezing, make sure the leaves are totally dry. Then place loose leaves in freezer bags and remove as much air as possible from the bags. Lay the bags flat in the freezer. Frozen this way, sage should last up to a year. However frozen sage will not look as attractive as fresh or dried leaves. So it will go best in recipes where flavor is more important than appearance.

French Tarragon looses a lot of flavor when dried. It is best stored as loose leaves or sprigs frozen in freezer bags.