Maximize the flavour of your herbs for months
Herbs and spices bring our cooking to life, but unfortunately in Canada, we can't grow fresh herbs all year through so we must preserve what we can. If you're growing herbs in your garden this year, here's how to maintain optimum flavour long after the growing season is done.
Basil
Flowering and chilly weather both rob basil of some of its intense flavour, so pick it at its peak. Don't rinse unless necessary. Pack leaves and generous pinch salt into food processor or blender; whir, adding just enough olive oil to make a thick purée. Freeze in ice cube trays. Wrap each cube in plastic and keep frozen in airtight container. Add to sauces or make pesto with fresh nuts and cheese (much better than frozen prepared pesto).
Basil
Flowering and chilly weather both rob basil of some of its intense flavour, so pick it at its peak. Don't rinse unless necessary. Pack leaves and generous pinch salt into food processor or blender; whir, adding just enough olive oil to make a thick purée. Freeze in ice cube trays. Wrap each cube in plastic and keep frozen in airtight container. Add to sauces or make pesto with fresh nuts and cheese (much better than frozen prepared pesto).
Dill and parsley
Dried dill is useful, but dried parsley is tasteless. Both, however, retain maximum flavour when frozen. Rinse and dry the fresh herbs completely in a salad spinner, then chop and pack into airtight jars. Freeze for use in soups, sauces and cooked foods all winter long.
Mint
Dried mint often loses most of its taste, so choose only strongly-flavoured mint grown in full sun for drying.
Oregano, marjoram and thyme
These perennial herbs retain strong flavour when dried; harvest most of the leafy part of your plants, leaving at least 3 inches (8 cm) of growth. Hang stems in bundles to dry -- it's easy to then remove the leaves. Greek oregano is always harvested and dried with its flower heads, which have especially intense flavour.
Rosemary
Fresh rosemary is always nicer than dried, so pot up the plants and bring indoors to a cool, bright windowsill; keep moist but do not overwater. When snipping off, always leave at least 3 inches (8 cm) of soft stems with green leaf growth.
Dried dill is useful, but dried parsley is tasteless. Both, however, retain maximum flavour when frozen. Rinse and dry the fresh herbs completely in a salad spinner, then chop and pack into airtight jars. Freeze for use in soups, sauces and cooked foods all winter long.
Mint
Dried mint often loses most of its taste, so choose only strongly-flavoured mint grown in full sun for drying.
Oregano, marjoram and thyme
These perennial herbs retain strong flavour when dried; harvest most of the leafy part of your plants, leaving at least 3 inches (8 cm) of growth. Hang stems in bundles to dry -- it's easy to then remove the leaves. Greek oregano is always harvested and dried with its flower heads, which have especially intense flavour.
Rosemary
Fresh rosemary is always nicer than dried, so pot up the plants and bring indoors to a cool, bright windowsill; keep moist but do not overwater. When snipping off, always leave at least 3 inches (8 cm) of soft stems with green leaf growth.