You have produced a bumper "crop" of herbs this year, you have used them in your cooking, and you have shared with your friends and neighbors. What do you do now? Four good ways to store your fresh herbs are as follow:
- REFRIGERATE: Stick stems of fresh herb bunches in water, cover with a plastic bag, and refrigerate.
- FREEZE: Place fresh herbs in tightly sealed plastic bags and freeze. The color may fade but the flavor remains. You can also mince into ice cube trays and add water to freeze in cubes.
- DRY: Clean and pat dry fresh basil leaves, then layer with coarse (kosher) salt in a wide-mouth glass jar.
- MICROWAVE: Place a layer of leaves on paper towels in the microwave. Then place another paper towel on top and microwave on high heat for 1 or 2 minutes. Strip the leaves off the stems and place them in a clean jar with a tight-fitting lid. Store the jar in your spice rack away from light.
Carol Snodgrass Reeves, Smith County Master Gardener
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