The Healthy Kitchen: Storing Herbs

 Fresh herbs are always better than dried. However, I find a lot of times if I buy fresh herbs at the store, they go bad before I can use them up. If you can grow them that is great, but I have cats that like to chew on them and I a lot of times use the herbs up before they can grow back. So, what's the alternative? Dried is an option for some but for others not. My favorite herb is cilantro and dried cilantro just is not great. It does not have the same taste when dried. 

There are some things you can try to make your herbs last longer. Some are in the fridge, and some involve freezing herbs. Below are different ways you can try to make your herbs last longer. 

1. Store in the fridge

This is best if the herbs will be used up quickly. If left too long they will either dry out or mold. 

You can use an herb keeper, but make sure you get a good one. I had one I could never open, so my herbs went bad. 

You can also place them like a bouquet in a glass or water or use a mason jar and cover them with plastic (like a Ziploc bag).

Tips when refrigerating:

Do not wash before putting them in the refrigerator.

Wrap them loosely in plastic wrap.

Store in the warmest part of the refrigerator. 

Use them within 1 week for best flavor. 

2. Preserve in the freezer

This is super easy and doesn't take up a lot of space. Frozen herbs retain their flavor better than dried herbs. 

Most herbs freeze well including parsley, cilantro, chives, rosemary, sage, and basil. You can use whole leaves or chop them up first. 

The methods used are flash-freezing, putting them in ice cube trays, or using an herb freezer tray. 

Store them in a freezer-safe container or bag and they will be ready for use when needed. 

To freeze in ice cube trays, you will chop the herbs and place in the cubes (1 TBSP per cube) and add water or olive oil the rest of the way in the cube. Freeze the tray. Once frozen store in a freezer bag. Herbs will last 12 months or more in the freezer. This is a great way to use herbs in recipes that you would already be adding oil to. 

3. Dried herbs

This is the easiest way to preserve your herbs but they do lose some of their flavor when dried. 

You can use a food dehydrator, hang bundles upside down, or use a drying rack. 

Some of the best herbs to dry are basil, rosemary, mint, sage, lavender, and oregano. 

Once dry, store in baggies, mason jars, paper bags, or any other container. 

4. Preserve in Vinegar

Herb-infused vinegar is tasty but looks beautiful on the shelf. It also has a great shelf-life. 

It's best to use white vinegar because it really brings out the flavor of the herbs. 

There are two methods:

-mix fresh herbs with room temperature vinegar and wait a couple weeks prior to use.

-dry the herbs first then mix with vinegar and heat it up to infuse the flavor. 

Store infused vinegars in a glass bottle in a cool, dark place or in the fridge. You can use in any recipe that calls for vinegar. 

5. Preserve in Oil

Making your own infused oils is a great way to save herbs. There are a lot of ways to infuse oils. One of the easiest is freezing them as mentioned earlier. 

Oil infused herbs on the shelf is another way. You will dehydrate the herbs and place in a jar and add olive oil. You will need to store it for two weeks in a warm place. You will then strain the oil like in an oil jar. This is good for 3 months after the infusion date.