How to Preserve Herbs

Once your herb plants begin growing gangbusters you may not know what to do with all the excess. There is only so much thyme and rosemary you can give away before friends and family start running when they see you coming with an armful. Although we will never get enough caprese with fresh basil.

So what do you do with all of it? There are two tried and true methods of herb preservation: drying it out and freezing it. We will discuss both methods.

Drying herbs works great when preserving hardy herbs like rosemary, thyme, sage, oregano and marjoram (the perfect herbs for spaghetti sauce!).

You can air dry the herbs or use a dehydrator. If you’re going to use a dehydrator refer your manufacturer’s recommendations. A dehydrator works great for high moisture herbs like mint and basil but they can still be aired dried if you don’t have a dehydrator. If you plan on airdrying the herbs first cut off how much want to preserve and rinse under cold water. Use a towel to dry off the herbs as much as possible. Next bunch some herbs together and use kitchen twine, string or anything else available to tie the bunch. We once used dental floss! After the herbs have been tied in a bunch, tie the other end of the string somewhere they can hang and have good air circulation. If it is not going to rain or be very windy we hang our herbs outside to dry. In the Arizona heat it takes a week at most to dry out, if your bunches are small enough. If your bunches are too big they won’t have enough circulation and can mold. Once the herbs have dried you can remove the stems and store the leaves in a container with a lid in a cool dark place. Herbs stay fresh in the pantry for about six months before they start to lose their potency.

What Else Can I Do?

Another option for air drying is laying them out on a screen. You’ll have to make sure they are held down by something so they do not blow away.

For more tender herbs like cilantro and parsley you can freeze them in oil or water.

First you want to wash and dry the herbs. Then cut into the size you prefer or leave them whole. Fill an ice cube tray with water or oil then add the herbs in. Place in freezer until frozen, then remove from the tray and store in a plastic bag. They will last in the freezer for several months. If you freeze in oil, you can just plop a cube or two into your pan and use it to cook your meal. It is almost like infused oil at that point.

Other options for herbs: