Storing Your Herbs

[Cindy Tollen]

I'm sure most of you are obviously familiar with growing and drying your herbs but I found some great information on properly storing them to keep their integrity.  

 

Most dried herbs and botanicals have a shelf life of one year. However, if you do not store your dried plants properly they will degrade a lot sooner. Do NOT store your dried herbs and flowers in plastic containers. Many herbal or soap suppliers will ship botanicals and herbs in resealable plastic storage bags. You will need to remove them from the plastic bags and store them in glass or metal containers. You should also avoid wooden containers. Glass jars in cobalt, amber or frosted glass are ideal. Light will quickly degrade your dried plants, but these jars will block out the light. You will need to make some labels for the jars so you know which herbs or flowers are in each jar. Be sure to include the date harvested. Usually a supplier will provide an expiration date. You can also use canning jars or other clear glass containers. This will allow you to see the herbs or flowers, but they will need to stay in a dark room or cabinet. Avoid moisture, light and heat. Do not store these items in the freezer, as this will potentially allow moisture to form when removing it from the refrigerator, which can cause mold and ruin your natural ingredients.

 

I hope this info will help some of ya'll....

 

(Info taken from Saponifier)

[Yvone Martinez]

I thought your post was great and makes a lot of since; your suggestions on storing herbs will be heeded. In the past I have always used plastic baggies for my tea leaves. I’ll be transferring them to mason jars as soon as I get home, I’m sure it will make a noted difference in their quality. Thanks

[Rachel Butler]

wow thank you Cindy. For cooking a friend suggested freezing herbs in ice cube trays. I did a littler research and this is what I found courtesy of http://herbs.suite101.com.

Herbs that are going to be used in culinary recipes can successfully be frozen for later use. This how to guide details the steps required to create herbal ice cubes. Herbal ice cubes can be dropped directly into stews, soups or sauces as they are being prepared. The herbal ice cubes will thaw out as the recipe finishes cooking.

Difficulty: Easy

Time Required: 20 minutes
Necessary Supplies:

* Scissors
* Fresh herbs
* Colander
* Measuring cup
* Ice cube trays
* Water
* Blender
* Bowl
* Spoon
* Plastic freezer bags or plastic containers

Here's How:

1. Use a pair of scissors to cut stems of fresh herbs from the garden.
2. Place the herbs in a colander and gently rinse them under running water.
3. Remove the leaves from the stems and discard the stems.
4. Measure out the amount of leaves you have to process using a measuring cup. Place the leaves into the blender after they have been measured.
5. For each cup of packed, fresh herb material that is being used, add ¼ cup of water to the blender.
6. Place the lid on the blender and process the herbs into a fine paste.
7. Pour the herb paste into a bowl.
8. Use a spoon to fill each ice cube compartment with the herb paste.
9. Place the herb filled ice cube trays in the freezer and let set until frozen.
10. Remove the ice cube trays from the freezer. Remove the individual herbal ice cubes from the tray and put them into plastic freezer bags or plastic containers with tight fitting lids.

Tips:

The herbal ice cubes can be stored in the freezer for up to 6 months.

Herbs that freeze well using this method include basil, chervil, chives, cilantro, dill, fennel, garlic chives, mint, parsley, tarragon and thyme.

To use the frozen herbs, simply place the desired number of herbal ice cubes into the pan as the meal is being cooked. For example, 1-2 cubes of basil can be added to a pan of homemade tomato sauce.

[Bill Norton]

This was interesting. Thanks for posting Cindy and Rachel!