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drying herbs| Member | Message |
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Posted: Oct/22/2008 11:23 AM PST
So I have a plethora of basil and my oregano seems to be drying out rather fast. How should I go about preserving these for cooking? |
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Posted: Oct/22/2008 1:46 PM PST
You can do it 2 ways 1.)dry them by pulling up the plants removing soil from roots and hang upside down in a dry & cool dark place. 2.) freeze the leaves in ice cubes in ice trays, or in zip lock freezer bags. I hope this helps. Just hangin out floridagirl. |
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Posted: Oct/22/2008 10:58 PM PST
Thanks. I've heard the ice cube thing before I just couldn't remember the specifics. |
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Posted: Oct/23/2008 4:07 AM PST
I have dried basil by pressing. I put the leaves in a huge phone book. When they were dried completely, I put them in a jar. It worked great. When your oregano dries completely, you can keep it clean for use by putting the leaves in a jar, too. |
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Posted: Oct/23/2008 5:25 AM PST
I've dried Rosemary, Oregano, and Thyme by tying up a bunch with string and hanging it from the kitchen window sill. Basil I did in the oven at it's lowest setting. |
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Posted: Oct/24/2008 1:10 PM PST
I like to dry some herbs but basil isn't one of them. To me it always tastes like that "Italian Seasoning" you get in the can. I don't go near that stuff, it makes everything taste like Italian Seasoning out of a can.  I'd be more likely to make pesto with it and freeze it in little baggies with the air pressed out. Or just whiz it with olive oil into a thick paste and freeze that. That way it keeps its "fresh" taste and most of its bright green color. You can do this with any herb. It's like that expensive herb paste you can get in the tube at the nice groceries.I like the pressing method for herbs I do want to dry however. Seems like it would preserve more flavor than drying them in the air. |
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Posted: Oct/24/2008 3:23 PM PST
And remember, as many will confess, the microwave is NOT the best for drying out herbs. Boy, does cilantro stink when it catches fire!!! |
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Posted: Oct/25/2008 5:23 AM PST
I thought that it worked very well for basil. The leaves were pretty in the jar and to use them, I just crumbled them up which released its flavors. I guess I'm not that persnickety. hahaha |
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Posted: Oct/25/2008 7:46 AM PST
Maybe I shouldn't have put it on HIGH for 10 minutes...almost had to throw the microwave out! |
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Posted: Oct/25/2008 10:17 AM PST
I think I'll try the pressing method with sage for sure this year, and I'll try some basil too. It keeps it's flavor well that way? Worth a try for sure. I've dried sage before and packed it in salt and that worked pretty well too. Luckily enough my thymes, oregano and rosemary stay green all winter under a bit of mulch so I don't have to worry about preserving them! I guess maybe I'm persnickety about basil but I can't help it! I ran an Italian restaurant for a couple years and after all the pesto and fresh basil I was used to having around all the time the dry just tastes so different. I just need to move somewhere tropical where I can have it growing fresh all year! Cgar -- you're killin' me. |
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