By Gail Vanik
If you are like many of us, most of your garden has been harvested or has frozen over the past few weeks. However, I have a little patch of herbs on the south side of our house that backs up against a stucco wall, and over the weekend, I noticed that they are still bright and green.
Although I know that some of them will continue to stay green and usable throughout the winter, it’s a great time to preserve some of them for use during the coming year.
Centuries ago, drying or preserving herbs in oils were the only way to keep them from spoiling, and the methods for doing this have changed little over those years. Drying herbs is easy, and it’s a great way to enjoy fresh, homegrown herb flavor all year long. This is especially useful if your quantity exceeds your culinary needs right now. Drying at home is not only economical, but also a great way to ensure that your herbs contain no chemicals or preservatives.
There are several ways to dry your herbs, but the oldest and easiest is to air-dry them. This will work best on herbs with low moisture content like dill or thyme, but you can try it with others too. Select the healthiest branches, remove any spotted, damaged or diseased leaves and rinse with cool water. Then simply gather them in a bundle and tie loosely using twine or rubber bands. The trick here is not to make your bundle too dense or crowded or else the air won’t be able to get to all of the herbs and you could end up with mildew or mold, even in our high, dry climate. Place them into a paper bag before hanging in order to keep the bees and pests at bay. The bag will also catch any pieces or seeds that may fall when you are drying and this works particularly well for something like dill. Hang the bag in an area with good ventilation, away from direct sunlight. A garage or porch is usually an ideal place.
Check your herbs weekly until they are completely dry. You will know that they are ready when you can crush them in your hands and they crackle like cornflakes. Store them in airtight containers. Dried herbs will retain more of their flavors when stored whole, then crush or mince just before using.
You can also dry your herbs on a rack. Begin by following the same preparation steps above, but then instead of placing them into the paper bag, instead spread them out on a rack. This will make them dry faster, but can be a little more difficult. You will need to spread some kind of netting, muslin, or cheesecloth over the rack and find a spot where it won’t be disturbed. Since the key is good ventilation, but as the herbs dry this same ventilation could send them flying since they will be so light, this method is sometimes more tricky than others.
If you have a large amount that you wish to dry, consider purchasing a food dehydrator. These inexpensive machines work well and are useful for other things like apples and jerky so a small investment will give you a variety of uses. Follow the manufacturer’s directions.
Many people dry their herbs in their oven, and this works well for herbs like most mints, parsley, sage and others that you remove from their stalks before drying. Remove the leaves, spread them out on a tray in your oven, then set the oven to the lowest temperature. Turn over several times to ensure even drying. Check every 20 minutes or so to be sure that they don’t scorch.
Herbs can also be dried in your microwave. Prepare as above and separate the leaves from the stems. Place a single layer on a paper towel on a microwave safe plate. Cover then with another paper towel and microwave for about a minute on high. Check the herbs then and continue heating in 15-30 second intervals until they are dry. As with most things though, microwaving works quickly and it’s easy to scorch them without realizing it, so be very vigilant when using this method.
If you are looking for different way to preserve your herbs, consider giving them the cold treatment! Freezing herbs is another way to preserve your harvest while retaining flavor and there are several ways to do this.
The first way is to gather your herbs as previously described using only the freshest and healthiest in your garden. Separate the leaves from the stems and discard the stems. Wash, then spread the leaves out on a small tray, making sure that they don’t touch. Place the tray into the freezer. When they are frozen solid, place them in airtight containers or plastic bags, depending on the available space, and return them to the freezer. One benefit to freezing over drying is that they will be flavorful and also retain their color well.
Or, try the ice cube method. Prepare herbs as above, then place the leaves into the cups of an ice cube tray. Fill the trays about halfway with water, making sure that the leaves are submerged. After they have frozen, take the trays out, and add more water to fill the cavity so that the leaves are now surrounded. Place them back into the freezer until they are frozen solid. Once frozen, remove them from the trays and place into airtight storage containers or ziplock bags and return them to the freezer. When it’s time to use them, simply pop a cube out and add it to your soup or stew.
Dried or frozen herbs are easy to make and are a great way to preserve your summer harvest. But best of all, they are like a little taste of sunshine from your garden during the winter months!
Gail Vanik can be reached at 970-565-8274 or by email at [email protected].
