Since the hot weather is coming to an end, it is time to start harvesting those herbs to be used year-round.
I grow rosemary, thyme, basil, oregano, flat-leaf parsley, mint and chives. The rosemary, oregano and thyme live in the garden all year so I don’t fool with harvesting them, but once the heat is gone the basil, parsley, mint and chives die.
Here is my previous post on harvesting basil to make pesto.
In order to harvest herbs that I would like to use “fresh”, here is what I do:
How to Flash Freeze Herbs
I put about 4 packed cups of the herb (washed and stems removed) into the food processor, add about 1/2 a cup of water and pulse until finely chopped. Then I put them into ice cube trays, then I filled them up with enough water to cover the tops. Once they froze, I just popped them out onto the counter and put into a freezer bag.
I can pull those out anytime to use as I would fresh parsley or cilantro, especially in pastas, or hot dishes. They can even be used in fresh salad dressings, just thaw and measure out how much you need. I am going to do the same thing with my mint and chives. You can do this with any herb you like to use “fresh”.
I freeze my herbs too. I love to have them in the winter. I usually wash them and then spin them in my salad spinner. I put plastic wrap on a big cookie sheet and flash freeze them. I have saved big empty spice containers from Sam’s club and put frozen herbs in them in the door of my freezer. Then I can just use as much or as little as I want. Works wonderful with chives, flat leaf parsley, tarrogan and basil.
Wow, what a great idea. Seems like a lot less clean up too! Which I love.
Kelly, I am just courious about the Rosemary. We have just moved into a house with an exciting herb garden. Do I need to do anything with the rosemary plant and will it survive the winter? We are in Jackson. There is also a Lavender plant. Any clue about it? Thanks for your help.