How to Preserve Herbs

I'm holding aloft my Favorite: Lemon Verbena, and wondering

when to start taking cuttings for the fall...

10 Easy Ways To Preserve Herbs
Enjoying a big bounty of fresh herbs from the garden this year? Fresh is best when it comes tocooking with herbs, but here are ten easy ways you can preserve them for year-round use.
10 Easy Ways To Preserve Herbs
1. Air Dry Herbs: If you have the space
and the time, you can tie small
bunches of cleaned herbs together
(about 4 or 5 stems) and hang them
upside down in a dark, warm, well
ventilated area. The drying time is
about 2 to 4 weeks–you want the
leaves to be crispy and easily crumble
between your fingers before you pack
them. Store them in airtight containers
once fully dry.
2. Oven Dry Herbs: Arrange cleaned
herb stems in a single layer on a
cookie sheet with temperature set at
180° F. Heat for about 4 hours,
keeping the oven door open the entire
time (to let moisture escape). Stir
herbs occasionally during this heating
process. Store herbs in airtight
containers once fully dry.
3. Dry Herbs With A Microwave: Here’s a
quick & easy method to drying them in
the microwave if you need dried herbs
fast…but watch while you’re heating to
make sure they don’t smoke or start
on fire. Since microwaves heat differently, the times may vary for you. Instructions are
here: How to Dry Herbs With a Microwave.
4. Cool Air Drying: Wash and dry herbs. Layer a cookie sheet with paper towels and then
arrange herbs in a single layer. Place in the refrigerator and remove once herbs are
completely dried (check daily). Store in airtight containers and jars. Does not work in
crisper bins.
5. Salt or Sugar Drying: Layer fresh herbs between salt or sugar (covering completely) and
leave them until they are desiccated. Remove leaves and store in airtight containers.
Choose salt or sugar depending on the flavor of the herb and which would be better
suited to it.
6. Freeze Herbs In Ice Cubes: Chop herbs then sprinkle them into ice cube trays (measure
into each cube the most common amount you use in cooking). Cover with water and
freeze (can also cover with stock or olive oil). Pop them out once they’re frozen, package
in freezer bags and store in the freezer (remove as much air as possible from the bags
before freezing). When needed for cooking, just take out a cube and pop it in the dish
that’s cooking (thawing first is optional–remember to account for the frozen liquid in your
recipe). Tip: Try mixing your favorite blends of fresh herbs before freezing.
7. Freezing Whole & Chopped Herbs: Many herbs freeze well without added liquid. Wash
and dry herbs then store in freezer bags with as much air removed as possible. Freeze.
You can also lay the herbs in a single layer on a cookie sheet, freeze, then pack in bags
(easier to remove singly when frozen). See this handy tip for crushing frozen herbs
quickly: Crush Herbs Fast & Easy. You can also chop them first before freezing.
Tip: Search online with the word
"tipnut" to find the good stuff fast!
{see Conquer the 'Net
for more ideas}
Tipnut Holidays
10 Easy Ways To Preserve Herbs : TipNut.com
http://tipnut.com/preserve-herbs/[8/30/2011 5:52:35 PM]
8. Bulk Herb Pastes (Pesto): Chop fresh clean herbs in a food processor then add enough
oil and blend to make a paste (approximately 2 cups fresh herbs to 1/3 cup olive oil).
Freeze in small containers (remove all air first by shaking and tapping the container then
top with a fine layer of olive oil to seal paste against air). When needed, remove container
from freezer and allow to thaw. Spoon out the required amount needed for cooking then
store the rest in the refrigerator. The most common pesto is made from basil, but you can
use other herbs too (and combinations of herbs).
9. Bulk Herb Seasoning Salt: Have a ready supply of herbs & seasonings at your fingertips
(create your own signature blend), whipping up batches only once a year and freezing
until needed. Instructions: Make Ahead Herb Seasoning Salt.
10. Bulk Herb Butters: Chop herbs and mix with butter to taste. Freeze in single serving
butter pats or in cube sizes appropriate for cooking (just add the herb butter pat while dish
is cooking–remember to account for butter in recipe). Thaw before using. See Make
Ahead Fresh Herbs & Butter for more details.
Tips:
One teaspoon of dried herbs is equivalent to 1 tablespoon of fresh herbs.If you prefer fresh herbs over winter, consider growing herbs indoors: How

Garden & Gardener Profiles

Each garden shows choices in how to use space, how to support plants, what and when to plant and how to keep out the critters..

You have to have courage to garden---trying new ways of growing different plants with differing conditions. Each of our Garden Club of Teaneck members show such courage.

Patrick Taafe, Leonard Schwartz, Odessa Turner, Marty Steeil, Ho Wan Ching and Fred Dolch have gardens on the Herb Harvest Tour, August 31, 9:15 AM to 12 PM at the Teaneck Greenhouse. The public who enrolled in the Herb Harvest workshop will go through the Garden Club Greenhouse Gardens.This post concentrates on the five gardeners who volunteered to have their gardens inspected.



Look around---there are others with beauty in their plots.Look at the lush Borage plant in Despina Metaxatos' garden, as well as the large white moonflowers in Jane Furman's garden.





Ho Wan Ching's garden has large bamboo and wood tri-pole frames for supporting plants, as well as planters to increase productivity in a small space; in this case, the pathways. She shared her process with us:

" I am Ho Wan Ching; basically this is what I do at my garden.
I got this plot last year as a Greenhouse member. I had to clear all the weeds and dead plants. I turned over the soil with a hoe as soon as the ground was workable.
Then I made trenches. The trenches serve the purpose of drainage so that the plants’ roots will not rot in times of heavy rain. Some I the plants I left on the ground as cover as well as compost.

A couple of weeks later, I started the seeding process: tomatoes, corns, beans, lettuce and peppers. The tomato and corn take longer to bear fruits while lettuce is planted while the weather is cool. Some of the peppers from last year have re-seeded and I got many extra plants this year.I bought some eggplants, squashes, jalapeno pepper and kale plants from our own club sale. I planted my melons from seeds later to avoid the chill which could destroy the seeds. I also planted my cucumbers and long beans.

I rotate the planting location each year to avoid overusing or depleting the soil nutrients. I also ensure those plants that need the sun most will be planted in a sunny spot. During the first year, I did not know what plants do well where, this year I knew more so I planted different plants at different locations.

I tried watering daily in the early morning or late evenings so that the plants will not get scorched by the hot sun. If you need to keep them moist on extreme heat days, try misting them and not watering. Misting will disperse the heat and help the plants stay healthy.I checked on the plants’ progress every now and then. If I see the leaves are chewed on, I sprayed some soap water around the plants but not directly on the leaves; the soap may destroyed the leaves.

This year I have added some granulated cow manure which provided much nutrient to the plants. I put baking soda around my garden to deter the slugs and snails. I also put them around the tomatoes plants’ roots; baking soda helps to de-acidify the soil and makes the plants grow better.I read that planting marigold or geranium around squash and cucumber to deter beetles that destroy these plants.

I also try to weed out whenever I have time while the weeds are small and few. DO NOT wait until they have overgrown to weed them out. By then it is a lot of work. "

Ho Wan Ching, Garden Club and Greenhouse member


Odessa Turner uses a vertical framing support system ("basket weaving" at Johnny's Seeds. ME) for his vegetables. He reclaimed the land from long disuse in one season.


Fred Dolch's garden shows a classic economy of space---he has densely planted his produce for a long time, and usually has an excellent crop. His gardening methods are traditional (straight rows, contained definite areas per vegetable, and well-maintained plot, with few if any weeds). Fred's hoe chases them away. Note the crops planted as companion plants, the closeness of tomatoes, corn, cabbage, basil, flowers and fall vegetables.You will see raised beds, made from aluminum recyclables, in his garden.


Martin Steeil's garden is a one-plant (zucchini) operation, with flowers happily punctuating the vegetables.According to his gardening neighbor Fred, he has given away at least a hundred of the zucchini this summer. The picture was taken earlier this summer, when the zucchini were in flower.One popular outlet for all that succhini is zucchini bread. Try it at this time of year, don't give it all away!



Leonard Schartz exhibits diversity---in this case, stepping out of "flowers and vegetables" to growing bonsai trees. Never a quibbler, Leonard insists that they are "pre-bonsai" trees: and range from well-cared for specimens to rescued bushes (boxwood)that he has hopes to train into good shapes. Pitch Pine, Black Pine, Apple, and Boxwood are some what you will find here. Make sure to ask him what his philosophy of "edibility of the garden" is--- be prepared to be rocked by the answers.
Learn more about the classical art of bonsai.

Patrick Taaffe's garden shows a comfortable, "lived in: look. There are architectural elements to this space, such as the plants supports and the arch, as well as a mulch that changes the coloring of the garden. The yellow straw, when first laid, gives a light carpet on the ground level. His plants include Asiatic Lilies as well as tomatoes and a full array of vegetables. Learn the basics of building bamboo trellises as Patrick and others has done.




Hope you had a chance to meet these gardeners in person. If not, there will be other workshops in which you will get a second chance to exchange garden wisdom.

Use That Herb! Lemon Tarragon Chicken

Young sprigs of Tarragon from my garden in August. They are being used in everything exceopt Vanilla Ice Cream

Lemon Tarragon ChickenIngredients
2 skinned,boneless chicken breasts, halved (vertically)
Flour to coat chicken breast pieces
2 tbsns butter.
1 cup chicken broth
1 lemon (juice and one tspn. lemon zest)
1 to 1 1/2 tablespoons of tarragon (fresh) or
1 1/2 teaspoons dried tarragon (the recipe is best with fresh tarragon)
Preparation
---Rinse chicken breasts--pat dry with paper towels.
---Halve chicken breasts vertically (meat is thicker when cut vertically)

Using a paper bag, place about 1/3 cup of flour in the bag.
Place one chicken breast at a time in the bag, shake bag
to coat breast with flour.

--Saute’ the breasts in 2 tbspns butter.
--Remove chicken breasts to plate.
--Saute minced shallot in remaining butter, to golden color.
--Return chicken to pan with the shallots.
Add lemon juice and zest..
Gather up shallots, pan juices with the lemon added.
---Add chicken broth, a bit at a time, scraping and stirring to mix lemon juice
This addition is to make a good sauce, and the flour coating is to enhance the thickness of the sauce.
--Cook at least ten minutes so the chicken is tender, not dry.
--Finishing touch is to add the tarragon reserving about 1/2 teaspoon. Stir into sauce, cook at least one minute.
Serving--Add the reserved tarragon as garnish. You could always add about one half lemon, cut into slices as garnish, also.

This recipe multiplies well, up to 6 chicken breasts. Simply make sure you have a large enough pan.
DISCLAIMER:

The statements made here have not been approved by the Food and Drug Administration. These statements are not intended to diagnose, treat or cure or prevent any disease. This notice is required by the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act.

Books, Links and Videos:Herb and Jam Preservation

Rodale’s Illustrated Encyclopedia of Herbs (any edition). Check each herb you want to harvest and preserve---methods for each one are in the entries.

Tucker and DeBaggio’s Encyclopedia of Herbs: A Comprehensive Reference to Herbs of Flavor and Scent. This book has the chemistry of herbs, as well as the rate flavor would be lost in preserved herbs, articles and charts on kinds of herbs and drying methods

Homegrown Herbs, Tammi Hartung. Charts and information on harvesting and preserving for most culinary herbs as well as conditions for herb propagation and use.

Herb Companion. Recipes : herb jellies.
http://www.herbcompanion.com, search

Rodale’s WikiHow.com, LeGourmetTV.com.

---The Harvest Workshop: Gardens, Jams and Herbs Teaneck, NJ: Garden Club of Teaneck, Greenhouse. .(August 31, 2011)

Herb Harvesting Notes

Herbs are best when fresh---or so it is said. But given today’s budget crunch (winter time fresh herbs cost about $3.00 for a small amount), putting aside some for yourself is wise.

When to harvest? Generally, that is “ in the morning, before the flower emerges, and prior to the loss of flavor oils.” A number of herbs differ---check a harvesting chart (see Homegrown Herbs.)

What do you do with the herbs? Decide how much space you can allocate to storage and what method you will use per herb.

-Drying can involve drying racks (a laundry rack will serve), paper bags (to catch seeds) Use rubber bands for contraction of the herb to tie and hang h he herbs. Use screens (to ensure all sections of small herb are dry so mold does not set in. Crumbling the herbs is the next step. Then, store them in amber bottles and place in a dark, dry place.

Freezing herbs can involve freezing the whole herb in plastic bags, in ice cube trays with oil or water. How much can your fridge---or freezer-hold?

Shiso and Salad Burnet cannot be preserved---use while in your garden!

More Information:

Five Culinary Herbs to Preserve

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Bolivian Coriander next to my plea for justice from the skies.


1. Basil: Freeze it in water-basil cubes, use it in vinegar or oils, or dry it .All methods have one danger: the possible darkening of the basil.. Do not put into plastic. This herb loses its volatile oils very rapidly.

2. Rosemary: Dry it, freeze it (in whole branches—pick the needles you need).

3. Tarragon: Dry it, keep in vinegar or oil.

4. Oregano. Dry it ---freeze minced oregano with basil , the better to put in tomato sauce.


5. Thyme: Dry it. Use paper bags or drying racks.

Preserving Seeds
You can also preserve seeds for use in next spring’s planting: be sure that the seeds you are saving are not hybrids. Ones that work well include parsley and fennel. Use rubber bands to wrap the branches together, hang them upside down in a dry, dark place and place a paper bag over the plant head to collect the seeds. Make sure the specimens you collect are not weather beaten.
(Check Seed Savers Exchange: Susanne Ashworth's book Seed to Seed for ideas. www.seedsaversexchange.org)

---The Harvest Workshop: Gardens, Jams and Herbs Teaneck, NJ: Garden Club of Teaneck, Greenhouse. .(August 31, 2011)