Conscious Choice: Preserving Herbs for Winter

September 1996 | Herbs for Health

Preserving Herbs for Winter

by Meg McGowan

Arriving soon with the crisp air of autumn is the time to take stock of what we have and where we are going; it is time to make sure we have enough set aside to last through the approaching winter. We may stockpile summer memories as our ancestors amassed jars of jelly or actually freeze some extra basil or berries, but still, we are part of the continuum. By putting by the offerings of summer, we create rituals of remembrance out of everyday meals, preserving the sacredness of mealtime along with the food itself.

It is not necessary to fill the larder to feel blessed by a bountiful harvest. A few favorite herbs prepared for use through the winter months can offer sustenance for both body and soul. Herbs may be preserved simply by drying or freezing, or they may be transformed into pestos, vinegars, or jellies by the more ambitious. Some are better suited to one method than another.

If you don’t have an herb garden in your backyard or on your patio, don’t despair. Those who can peaches and freeze blueberries don’t necessarily have orchards of their own. Fresh herbs may be found at a farmer’s market, farmstand, supermarket, or from a friend who has grown more than she can use. Ask around,find an accomplice, then offer to supply the vinegar, or the bottles, or the olive oil and pine nuts in exchange for herbs.

The optimum time of day to harvest herbs is early morning, after the dew has dried. Ideally herbs should be gathered just before they bloom, a window of opportunity which can be extended by snipping off flower buds as they appear. If your herbs are beyond this point, a taste test can determine whether they are destined for the cupboard pr the compost pile. All herbs should be rinsed well in tepid water, inspected for dirt or insects, and allowed to dry thoroughly.

Herbs with strong fragrances and flavors usually dry well. Rosemary, lavender, scented geraniums, lemon verbena, oregano, and thyme all retain substantial flavor and scent when dried. After making sure plants are moisture-free, tie stems into a small bundle in a brown paper bag (tie neck of bag around stems). The bag will keep herbs clean and contained. Hang in a warm (70-90 degrees F), dry, airy spot until crisp.

Alternatively, herbs may be folded in a layer of paper towel and dried in a microwave oven on high. Exact drying times vary, so check at 30-second intervals until herbs begin to dry slightly. Then check every 15 seconds until crisp.

Dried herbs should be stored in opaque, airtight containers, in a cool, dark location. Stems may be removed, if desired, but work carefully to avoid unduly crushing the leaves. Rub herbs between fingers or bruise with a mortar and pestle before using. Unlike fresh herbs, which should be added to recipes during the final ten minutes of cooking time, dried herbs should be added early for maximum flavor. Steep dried herbs in boiling water and sip as a tea or submerge yourself in their heady essences. For a bath additive, allow four tablespoons of herbs to steep in four cups of boiling water for thirty minute, then strain into tub. Try chamomile, calendula, rose geranium, or lavender to soothe; lemon verbena, rosemary, or fennel to stimulate.

Delicate herbs, like cilantro, parsley, and dill are excellent candidates for freezing. Basil, which does not dry well, can be frozen successfully, though it may darken. Tightly pack clean, dry leaves into small plastic freezer bags, forming a compact brick. Chop frozen herbs as needed with a sharp knife, and return the unused portion to the freezer.

Olive oil prevents basil from losing its green color. Easy to use basil cubes may be made from basil paste or pesto. For a paste, puree two cups of fresh packed basil leaves, then slowly add one half cup olive oil until mixture has the consistency of a smooth paste. Pour into plastic ice cube trays, cover with plastic wrap, and freeze until solid. Store cubes, double-bagged, in the freezer and add to soups and sauces for an instant flavor boost. Prepared pesto may be stored in the same manner. Vary types of oil and herbs, using one third to one half cup of oil to two cups herbs. Delicate herbs require a bland oil, try corn, safflower or sunflower. Herbal pastes and pestos are highly concentrated, so use sparingly.

Although pesto is traditionally made with basil, pine nuts, olive oil, and parmesan cheese, any or all of these ingredients may be changed to create new flavor combinations. As you begin experimenting, use the proportions in a basic pesto recipe as a guide and alter one or two ingredients. Try tarragon, mint, or lemon balm pesto. Combine two herbs, or temper a strong flavored herb by combining it with fresh spinach or parsley for a total of two cups of leaves. The Best 125 Meatless Pasta Dishes by Mindy Toomay and Susann Geiskopf-Hadler has a wonderfully imaginative chapter on pestos, including recipes for cilantro, rosemary, and oregano pestos. Subsequent chapters suggest uses such as Pasta al Pesto Frittata and Pesto Tortellini Soup.

Pastes and pestos may also be frozen in sterile, dry jars. Remove air bubbles by drawing the handle of a spoon through the mixture. Drizzle surface with oil to create a seal. Capped tightly, labeled, and dated, pesto will keep in the freezer through the winter. Once thawed, do not refreeze. If oil seal is reapplied after each use, pesto may keep for months in the refrigerator.

Herbs preserved in vinegar can enliven winter menus and add a dash of zest to life as well. Thyme vinegar is a powerful antiseptic. Splash it, or sage vinegar, under arms as a deodorant. Rose-petal vinegar can be added to baths, used as a hair rinse, or applied as a facial astringent. A combination of rosemary and mint in cider vinegar, rubbed into the scalp twice a week, controls dandruff.

Although there are several ways to make herbal vinegars, the slow-aging process, using room temperature vinegar poured over fresh herbs and set in a cool, dark spot for about a month, allows flavors to develop fully. Use sterile, non-metallic containers, lids, and utensils. After aging, strain vinegar into bottles, and seal with corks and wax or plastic screw lids. If lids are metallic, separate from vinegar with a few layers of plastic wrap. Decorative sprigs of fresh herbs may be added to bottles before sealing, provided they are clean and dry. As vinegar is used and herbs are exposed, remove and discard. Kept away from light and heat, the finished vinegars will last from six months to a year.

A bit more effort can add a neat row of herbal jellies to the bottles of vinegar lined up on your pantry shelves. Use an enamel or stainless steel pot to prepare basic fruit juice jellies, infusing juice with one cup of fresh herbs before adding to the recipe. Add a few drops of vegetable food coloring before boiling, and place a few sprigs fresh herbs in each jar before pouring jelly. Phyllis Shaudys offers jelly recipes and suggests juice and herb combinations in The Pleasure of Herbs. An attractive gift that needs no more wrapping than a complimentary shade of ribbon, herbal jellies can also make an artful appearance on the holiday table, topping any manner of bread or cracker—cream cheese optional.

Only by acknowledging what has been and what will be, can we fully experience the present. Reviving the art of food preservation encompasses all three perspectives, allowing us a few moments to breathe deeply and find peace amidst the pressures of day-to-day life.

DISCLAIMER: Choosing a holistic approach to medicine means choosing personal responsibility for your health care. Herbs for Health offers a doorway through which to enter the realm of herbal healing, an invitation to further investigation on the part of the reader. It is in no way intended as a substitute for advice from a health care practitioner.

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