How to Preserve Herbs by Freezing

How to Preserve Herbs by Freezing

• 1

  Pick your herbs. Pick the freshest and most tender herbs to use for freezing. Most herbs need to have their leaves removed and stems discarded. Sprigs of herbs such as thyme and dill, which do not have thick stems, can be frozen whole.

• 2

  Clean your herbs. Use as little water as possible, since too much can rob the herbs of much of their essential oils and flavor. (You can also just brush them off lightly instead of using water.) After washing your herbs, use a salad spinner to remove any excess water. If you do not have a salad spinner, simply pat dry gently with paper towels.

• 3

  To blanch or not to blanch. Blanching herbs is done by just pouring boiling water over herbs in a strainer. This process allows them to retain much of their green color; however, it does rob them of a lot of their flavor. There is really no need to blanch any of your herbs, except basil. Basil leaves will turn black in a very short amount of time if they are not blanched. After blanching, be sure to remove the excess water by patting dry or by using a salad spinner.

• 4

  Place your herbs in their own individual freezer bags. Be sure to label and date. Frozen herbs will usually be good for use for about six months.

• 5

  Another way to freeze fresh herbs is to chop them up and place them in ice cube trays. Fill the trays with water and freeze. Be sure to use plastic ice cube trays. Label the trays using a permanent marker.