There is just so much with herbs that it is hard to think about covering it in a single article. Herbs increase your culinary experience in ways that are hard to describe. When we put in our raised bed garden, one of the things I wanted most was an herb garden. A few years ago I had an epiphany. I grow a huge herb garden every year. I have all the usual suspects. Basil, oregano, thyme, lemon thyme, rosemary, and so many more. Why am I buying seasonings all winter when I have so much abundance during the summer? So I vowed to make some changes. I started drying all of the herbs that I grow to make into seasoning and use during the cold dark winter. Admittedly, it was a bit of a job. It is way easier to stop by the grocery and pick up a jar than to grow, harvest, dry, grind and bottle myself. But I was rewarded with a far superior product for my efforts.
The Tools
You need only a few tools. And even some of those are optional. For me, it was worth purchasing a dehydrator. I like THIS one because of its large capacity. If you don’t happen to have a dehydrator, another option is to hang your herbs to dry in a cool dark place. I use the doorway of our shed. Ice cube trays are handy to keep around for lots of different jobs. I like to keep a good pair of kitchen shears for snipping in the garden and in the house. And lastly I like my dry vacuum sealer. It is great for keeping dry herbs fresh all winter. Find it HERE.
I use a few preservation techniques including suspending your herbs in olive oil and freezing. This is where those ice cube trays come in handy. This is a great way to keep them fresh. They almost taste like you just picked them when you use them in January. I also love pesto made from fresh basil and garlic. When finished, use a cookie scoop to portion onto a sheet pan and freeze for later use. YUM!! Recipe for that coming soon!
Getting Started
With just a bit of work on the front end you can enjoy summer all winter. If you’re the kind of gardener who grows organically you can be sure your herbs never saw the sprayer of whatever chemicals go on commercially grown plants. If you are thinking about starting an herb garden for next year, now is the time to start thinking about it. Prep your soil now and get your perennials started this fall. Leave space to put in your annuals in the spring. You will be rewarded with a plethora of culinary options you need only go out and snip snip.
Did you know we celebrated 100 episode this week. Check out our episode about it HERE
