Saving herbs for later use
           (Posted: September 2011)

Running out to the garden to snip herbs as you need them and then using them immediately can't be beat. It's the perfect way to use herbs, and I love to do it when I can. It ensures that the herbs are at their best in terms of flavor and appearance, and it's very satisfying to cook knowing that the ingredients couldn't possibly be any fresher.

But, as the growing season in this area nears its annual end, I'm reminded that we can't always cook this way. There are a few herbs we can take inside and keep in pots on the windowsill to snip throughout the winter, but most herbs are now approaching the point where they need to be harvested before the plants die or fall dormant for the winter.

The good news is: there are a lot of herbs we can harvest. The bad news is: cutting and bringing in the harvest is only the beginning of what needs to be done to prepare those herbs for future use.

You can read about several ways to preserve and store herbs in our 3-page handout titled An NKHS How-To Guide: Storing and drying herbs. Here, I'm going to talk a little bit about freezing.

Most herbs can be frozen and kept for a year. -- Basil, chives, cilantro, dill, and all varieties of parsley are particularly good herbs to freeze because they retain so little of their flavor if they are dried and preserved that way. -- Freezing helps them maintain their color and flavor as well as most of the nutritive value in their fresh young leaves.

There are four different approaches to freezing herbs you may want to experiment with. In all cases, you can freeze one herb at time and keep each one separate from the others, or you can combine two, three, or more herbs to create your favorite flavor blends. You can store your herbs "in bulk" and measure them out as you use them, or you can pre-measure them and store them in smaller, single-use containers.

1. Put the herb leaves and stems in a plastic bag; remove all air from the bag, seal it, and place in the freezer. Alternatively, after sealing the plastic bag, you can place the bag in a rigid container to protect the herbs from being damaged and to make them easier to stack in the freezer.
2. Finely chop the herbs and spoon them into ice cube trays; fill the trays with water and freeze. When completely frozen, empty the cubes into a resealable plastic bag where they can be stored for up to a year. Take cubes out as needed and drop into soups, stews, or sauces.
3. Put the herbs in a blender, add oil, and blend into a paste; pour the paste into ice cube trays and freeze. When completely frozen, empty the cubes into a resealable plastic bag where they can be stored for 3-6 months (less than water-based cubes). Take out and use these cubes for sauteing meats or veggies.
4. Finely chop the herbs and mix with butter that has been warmed to room temperature at a ratio of 8 tablespoons of herbs per stick of butter (1/4 pound). Reshape the herbed butter into a stick or cylinder on a tray and place uncovered in the freezer. When completely frozen, place in a resealable plastic bag. Salted butter can be stored for 3 months; unsalted butter for up to 6 months. Use to saute, cook omelets, or top freshly-cooked hot veggies.

Green tea and black tea don't come from different plants.
           (Posted: January 2011)

Did you know that all true tea - although not every beverage we sometimes call "tea" comes from the leaves of the same plant (cameliia sinensis)? Despite what some people think, there are not green tea plants and black tea plants. There are just tea plants whose leaves become black or green depending on how they're processed. Drying tea leaves produces green tea; fermenting them produces black tea.

Did you also know that both green tea and black tea can help prevent heart diseases and cancer but only green tea has been shown to reduce the risk of breast cancer?

Five quick and easy ways to use fresh-snipped herbs.
           (Posted: July 2010)

Cool mint fruit salad – In a large bowl, combine ¼ cup each of dry white wine, orange juice, and chopped fresh mint plus 1 tablespoon of honey. Halve, seed, and cube 2 fresh, ripe cantaloupes. Hull and quarter 2 cups of fresh strawberries. Add the fruit to the liquid and toss to coat. Refrigerate at least 4 hours (overnight is better) before serving.

Herbed marmalade glaze – Combine chopped fresh rosemary leaves and marmalade in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on high power for 1 minute, then let stand for 15 minutes. Brush over grilled chicken or pork.

Better vinaigrette dressing – Pour one bottle of low-fat vinaigrette dressing into a blender. Add fresh oregano or thyme leaves. Blend for no more than 20 seconds. Transfer back to the bottle and use as needed. It may be kept refrigerated for up to two weeks.

Bagel heaven – Spoon fat-free, plain yogurt into a sieve lined with a coffee filter. Set over a bowl and refrigerate overnight to drain. Stir in chopped fresh dill and chives. Spread on bagels. Keep remaining spread refrigerated and use within a few days.

Herb seasoning log – Mix chopped fresh tarragon, dill, and/or other herbs with softened butter or margarine. Transfer onto a sheet of waxed paper and form into a log. Wrap well and freeze until needed. To use, cut off ¼ inch slices of the frozen log and toss with hot, cooked vegetables.

January is the ideal month to plan and dream, plot and scheme, and read seed catalogs. It is also the ideal time to select all we want to grow in the spring and the time to plan our herb gardens and vegetable gardens. It's also a perfect time to drink warm and comforting herbal teas made from the herbs we grew and saved last summer.

Mints are my favorite herbal teas. Mints can be grown anywhere. And, if planted in a container and then inserted in the ground, they will not spread as fast. They need to be kept clipped in order to make more leaves and be shared with friends and neighbors.

And, don't ever think you have to limit your tea to one kind of herb. Blends of herbs or combinations of herbs and fruits can be particularly tasty and tantalizing.

For instance, rosemary and mint is a wonderful yet very simple mixture. Or, try combining six parts of peppermint with one part each of sage and rosemary.

Another peppermint combination involves equal parts of lemon verbena, lemon balm and peppermint with a pinch of dried grated lemon or orange peel.

Among my other favorite herbal tea blends are equal parts of sage, thyme, marjoram, or oregano with chamomile flowers.

Also remember that herbal teas offer more than a refreshing taste. If the crisp taste and heady aromas aren't enough to convince you to drink them, remember the long history of herbal teas being used and valued for their cleansing and healing powers. Here are a few of the most widely accepted and least controversial uses of herbal teas for health care.

For headache relief, try a tea made of equal parts of lavender, rosemary, and thyme.

For relief from colds and flu, mix equal parts of peppermint, lemom balm, and ginger. Or, drink teas made from each of these alone.

To calm the nerves, use equal parts of sage, thyme, marjoram, and camomile.

And, to slow the aging process and halt wrinkles, drink sage tea.
 

Fall is a bitter-sweet time of year for herb-lovers.
           (Posted: November 2009)

The annual transition from late summer into fall and then on into the holiday season brings mixed feelings and moments of pensive reflection every year. This year is no exception.

I'm always sad in late summer and early fall when I have to put my gardens to bed for the winter. That's the time when I clean all the debris from my herb beds, get rid of any diseased plants, and begin making plans for next year's planting. -- And, that's a sweet note. -- Making those plans always brings happy dreams of the herbs I'll be planting in the spring.

Another happy note is that I'm usually able to take some of my herbs indoors where they winter over just fine. If you haven't done this before, you should try it. Take some cuttings of your favorite herbs, rosemary and basil seem to work particularly well, and plant them in small indoor pots. Place them in a sunny south or southeast window and watch them thrive.

If you didn't bring pots of basil inside for the winter, consider planting some. It's fairly quick and easy to grow from seed, and planting it now will let you enjoy having fresh basil leaves to cook with all through the winter.

Right now I'm thinking about the wonderful herbs I can use for the holidays. -- Rosemary, oregano, sage, thyme, chives, and are my favorites; I love using all of these herbs in my holiday cooking. -- Sage, oregano, and thyme are wonderful in my turkey stuffing. Rosemary cookies and punch are a distinctive treat. And basil pesto can be used in whatever strikes my fancy.

I hope you have dried and put away a sufficient supply of herbs to last you through the winter.

The history of herbs is as long as the history of mankind.
           (Posted: July 2009)

The Bible speaks of herbs used to flavor food and to preserve bodies for burial. The Romans used herbs for medicine for themselves and their animals. They used herbs to disguise the flavor of meat that had gotten rancid and to flavor stale fish. They covered their floors with herbs to sweeten the air in their homes and layered herbs among their clothes to make them smell better. Herbs were used for cosmetics, to dye clothes, and for medicine. ...

People have used these plants since earliest times. For many, herbs were a livelihood or money-making project. ... Today herbs are so plentiful we take them for granted.

Monks were the first to have organized beds of herbs and the first to catalog them according to medicinal purposes or for cooking. They also published books on the use of herbs.

Values have changed as societies were formed. Cities were built. People found better ways to preserve food, make cosmetic and dye cloth. We have synthetic drugs now. So some of the old wisdom became suspect as primitive and unreliable – people were called witches if they dispensed herbs.

But, when I was a youngster, my grandmother taught me about herbs and gardening. I had to help pick them, weed them, and scour the forest for wild herbs. She dosed us for all our illnesses, colds, flu, coughs, headaches, cuts and bruises. We had early salads, even before our garden was ready. We gathered wild beet, leeks, wild onions, wild lettuce, and water cress. She used willow for headaches (aspirin,) and wild cherry bark for cough syrup.

Now times have changed again – herbs are back in favor and they are a great money making enterprise. The Astors gathered ginseng during our pioneer period and converted it to barrels of silver dollars and made their fortune.

My husband had to take a drug for gout and was very allergic to it, so the doctors gave him a herbal drug called Colchicine and August Crocus. I had some in my garden at the time and offered to dig some roots for him, but he opted to use the doctor's prescription. There are herbalists who have a herb for every ailment known to man. There are many courses in college and on television available to us.

Just remember, that coming from nature does not mean a plant is safe. Check with a knowledgeable expert to find out if an herb is edible or toxic before you sample it. Herbs are not regulated by the FDA.

You can grow herbs in sunny windows, formal beds, containers or flower beds. Scented geraniums, lemon balm, pennyroyal help keep the bugs away if planted around patios or in a vegetable garden.

The main thing about planting an herb or an entire garden is to enjoy it and have fun. Try something new, if it doesn’t work out - do it another way. There is no right or wrong way if you provide plenty of light and water and food for your plants.