Winer will soon be here what can I do to some of these herbs to use/or save
I have basil
orengeno
parley
dill
purple basil
mints galore
borage
hyssop
catmint
rosmary-i know i can dig this one up for winter and oregano will come back and mint will
but any ideas?
herbs-winter will be here what can i do with some of these
I've had mixed success bringing these plants into the house for winter use, but I do have a couple of favorite ways of preserving that fresh herb flavor for winter use.
I'm sure you know you can freeze pesto, but I take that a step further and freeze many of my herbs by mincing them in the food processor, adding a small amount of oil, and freezing the resulting rough paste in ice cube trays. I freeze individual herbs this way as well as favorite combinations for spaghetti sauce, stir fry (thai basil with garlic & ginger), marinades, etc. It works fine to include garlic, orange zest, hot peppers, black pepper, etc in the mixtures.... about the only thing I don't add before freezing is salt. More potent herbs such as rosemary I freeze in a "mini cube" tray. Keep track of the quantity of fresh herbs that go into a batch, so you can label your zip bags accordingly (eg, 1 cube = 1/4 c. fresh basil). I think the oil helps to stabilize the herb flavors, and the cubes will keep for a couple of years in sturdy freezer bags.
Another favorite thing to do with various combinations of herbs is to make herbal vinegars. Stuff lots of fresh herbs in a jar, add vinegar (I generally use white wine vinegar), and allow to steep for about a month. Strain out the herbs, and put the vinegar into sterile bottles, adding a couple of decorative sprigs of fresh herbs if desired. You mentioned purple basil, which I love for use in vinegars because it will turn the vinegar a lovely shade of rose.
Hope those ideas are helpful!
wow critter thanks for info i have tons and didnt want to bring all of these in
as far as ice cubes you had rosemary to water freeze thats it?and add to ziplock bags or do i add oil as well?
Rosemary I do just the same as with my other herbs.... mince in the food processor and add a little oil to make a rough paste. I use the mini cube tray for the rosemary because a regular sized cube of it would be too much for most things! We love green beans (good frozen ones work fine) with garlic and rosemary, plus a little white wine or beef broth in the pan.
I think some people do freeze herbs in water (sprigs or whole leaves, even), but I believe the oil helps to keep the flavors intact. I generally use extra virgin olive oil, although I've used canola oil or some such when I really didn't want the olive oil flavor. I've also frozen mint leaves in simple syrup (1 part sugar to 1 part water) for use in iced tea, and that worked well. I posted a spearmint-onion relish recipe over in BassetMom's request for recipes thread that you might also want to check out.
I was reading on the internet and this person said they had better luck with Parsley and Tarragon if they let it go dormant in the pot for a month and then brought it in and let it grow under their grow lights. I am going to try it this year but I was wondering if anyone else had tried this.
grik... parsley is a biennial, and goes quickly to seed the second year so it's a waste of time for me to try to save it. I just plant new ones every spring.
My tarragon comes back every spring so I don't try to bring it inside for winter.
I wonder if it will go to seed indoors? I wonder which would be the better bet if I wanted to harvest some over the winter. Keep it Going or try the Dormant thing. I moved my light stand into my kitchen with the idea that I could grow my herbs there (along with a few other things).
I like to use fresh herbs when I cook. I wish I knew more tropical herbs that liked indoor temperatures.
Rats! After posting on this thread earlier today, I went out into the garden. My rosemary is dead as a doornail, and I just cut and used some less than a week ago!
Sorry to hear about your rosemary. I wonder what could kill it so quickly?
do you need more rosemary i have one for trade
Thanks, maineroses, but I will wait until I move once again! My rosemarys (3) at my old house were over 4 feet tall, and several years old.
grik, I have NO idea why it died so abruptly... but the ground there is shallow... some kind of cement pad under 5 or so inches of dirt.
grikdog, I bring my huge parsely pot into the basement in front of the glass doors during the winter. There's enough light ot keep it going until I use it up. I put it back out in the spring and it has self-seeded, so then puts up new growth every year in the same pot.
The basils and dill are annuals, so all you can do is harvest them. I do the same thing with freezing mine that critter does. I should think your hyssop would come back if you mulch it heavily, but I'm not too familiar with your zone, so maybe not. The borage is something I've not grown for a while and I can't remember if it came back the next year or not.
borage reseeds.