Dry, freeze and preserve herbs
They are delicious, they are healthy and they are cheap on top of that? Anyone who pulls herbs in the garden or on the balcony can not refine their food alone, but also makes a major contribution to health and well-being. Not only the fresh green is wholesome, but can extend the shelf life with the following methods.
That's why you should dry herbs
If you want to use the beneficial effects of medicinal plants more often throughout the year, you should conserve them. Common options would be freezing in the freezer compartment, immersion in oil or mixing with salt. The most flavor of the herbs but keep only when they are fresh? So shortly after picking? washed and then dried. Almost all ingredients and the essential oils are retained. If you use the natural product weeks or even months later, you can still feel its unique aroma.
So the herbs are dried in the air
A very simple variant of preservation consists of air drying. For this you pick the herbs in the morning, bind them together to small bouquets and hang them for a day or two in a dark, dry and airy place. Here, the cellar or the roof storage is particularly suitable. If there are wooden shelves, you can also put the plant bundles on it. Just keep in mind that there is not too much water left on the green after cleaning, as this may cause molds to become moldy.
The drying in the oven
If you do not have any space with the aforementioned properties, you can also do the drying in the oven. Place the individual plants or smaller bouquets on a baking sheet with baking paper. The stove should be set to a low 40 to 50 degrees Celsius, leave the flap slightly open and allow a period of two to three hours. Turn the herbs over and over again to get a dark green complexion. Then you can crush them and store them in glass or plastic containers. Shelf life easily reaches several months.
Freezing is also possible
Another variant of preservation is the freezing. For this you wash the herbs after picking. Cut them directly into those portions you want to use later for salads and other meals. These can now be filled in a freezer bag, in ice cube molds or smaller boxes and put in the fridge. The advantage of this is seen in the preservation of all ingredients, since? unlike drying? no loss of ingredients and oils is recorded. However, the taste suffers noticeably during freezing.
Other options for a long shelf life
Finally, it pays to experiment a little: put individual herb stems or even a whole bouquet in a tall, lockable glass and fill it with good oil. There are no limits to your taste. Likewise, you can shred the plants and then process them fine in a mortar. In an almost powdered state, they can easily be added to salt or other spices. In this way, the active ingredients are preserved and all ingredients can combine to a unique flavor. So, with which herbs do you enjoy spring? and how do you keep these for the later seasons?
