How to harvest and preserve your own FRESH HERBS

By Barb Delisio

OSU master gardener volunteer

Right now, when your herbs are growing profusely, thus it is time to think about harvesting and preserving them for winter use.

Using your own herb garden in this way can bring sunshine to your cooking during the winter months.

There are four ways to preserve your herbs: freezing, air drying, oven drying and microwave drying.

Different herbs are preserved with different methods and I will try to add the herbs along with the method of preservation for you.

Most herbs are best used fresh, but in our climate it is not entirely possible, especially with the annual herbs such as basil. I love to make basil pesto for a pasta sauce.

In the summer I simply go out to my herb patch and cut a few stems, always leaving two or three sets of leaves on the plant to produce food through photosynthesis for the original plant.

I can gather 2 cups of fresh leaves in a short period of time. The cost of making the fresh pesto is minimal. Usually the only thing I have to buy are pine nuts; the rest of the ingredients are kitchens staples, so they’re readily available in the home kitchen.

Once the frost has hit and the basil plants are gone, I have to buy the fresh basil from the grocery store, which is very costly to get 2 cups of fresh leaves.

A few winters ago a friend asked if I would bring pesto with crackers as an appetizer. The fresh basil and the smallest container of pine nuts cost me over $15.

So now, I make the pesto in the summer with the free basil and freeze it in clear plastic freezer bags.

You can do the same with your basil this summer before the frost hits us this fall.

That’s one way to freeze herbs. The leaves of basil, chives, parsley, dill, oregano and tarragon freeze well as a method of preservation.

The leaves will turn a dark green but no flavor will be lost. Put the leaves in a clear plastic freezer bag and label with the date.

You should freeze the leaves by groups, basil with basil, parsley with parsley, and so on.

Why? Because when they’re frozen, they all look the same.

You can also freeze herbs by chopping them into small pieces and put them in ice-cube trays. Fill the trays halfway with water and freeze. When they are frozen, take the tray out and fill it to the top with water. All the leaves should be immersed under the water, that’s the reason for the half and half.

When the herb ice cubes are totally frozen, take them out of the tray and place them in a labeled freezer bag.

The second and easiest way is to dry herbs: thyme, oregano, dill, fennel, coriander and cumin.

Simply gather small bunches and tie the stems together with a rubber band.

Remember, as the stems dry they will shrivel up, you’ll have to tighten the rubber bands if you want to avoid a mess.

With seed plants, it’s best to put the tied bunches in a brown paper bag and secure the top. This way as the herbs dry, the seeds will fall into the bottom of the bag instead of on the floor.

I find the best place to hang the herbs is in my garage. In this hot weather, I simply hang them up with the garage door closed most of the time.

The herbs dry in a few days.

When the leaves feel crisp, crumple them and store them in glass jars with tight lids. Any moisture will cause the leaves to mold.

Oven and microwave drying are the last methods.

In a conventional oven, I use the pilot light. I put the leaves, single layer, on a cookie sheet lined with paper towel, put them in the oven and turn on the pilot light.

It takes a few days, and I do turn the light off when I feel the oven is warm enough, then turn it on again to reheat. I never leave the light on overnight.

Other suggestions from the experts include turning the oven on to its lowest temperature, then line the cookie sheet with parchment paper. Put the tray in the oven, leaving the door ajar. Keep turning the leaves until they are dry.

Never leave the trays unattended in the temperature heated oven because the herbs will burn.

I have never been really successful with the microwave drying method.

You must watch very carefully because the leaves and the paper towel they’re lying on will catch fire and burn.

Not thinking, I placed some oregano leaves, no stems, on a paper plate and put it in the microwave. I set it on high for a few minutes and turned around to do something else. When I glanced at the microwave, the herbs and the paper plate were actually burning. Needless to say I haven’t used the microwave to dry herbs since.

The actual directions are: Place stems of herbs with the leaves attached wrapped in paper towel and seat the microwave for high heat for one minute. Keep a close watch and set for 10-15 seconds more if the stem and leaves are not crispy.

Remember to store your dried herbs in sealed glass jars and the frozen ones in the freezer. Again, be sure to label all your containers because herbs do resemble each other when dried and/or frozen.

For more on drying and other ways of preserving your herbs, go to: http://go.osu.edu/preserveherbs.