Keep On Enjoying Your Herbs Several Preservation Methods Extend Herbal Freshness For Months

Giving up fresh herbs for the winter becomes a kind of withdrawal for a gourmet gardener.

In the summer, we wallow in the sumptuous scents of fresh basil, mint, cilantro, tarragon and fennel. In September, when they are full and bushy, their heady aromas mingle deliciously as they are brushed during forays into a garden or herb plot.

But season’s end doesn’t mean the end of the garden.

The same oils that give herbs their lovely smells and flavors allow gardeners to preserve favorite varieties for the winter kitchen.

The stems of woody plants such as rosemary or thyme are cut, then steeped in bottles of olive oil. The flavors are imparted to the oil, and the herbs themselves retain their texture, color and aroma.

Basil, cilantro and parsley can be blended with other ingredients to make dense, flavorful pestos. Small amounts of these concentrated herbal mixtures are added to soups, stews and sauces for an exquisite burst of taste.

A third kind of preservation is freezing, a method many gourmets favor: Remove the foliage and chop it into small pieces or long strips. The herbs can be frozen in zip-type plastic bags.

Perhaps the most ancient and still the best method of preservation is to dry them. Those who know dried herbs from small jars at the supermarket might scoff at this notion. Many commercially packaged herbs are flavorless.

But herbs that are picked fresh from the garden, dried immediately after harvest, stored in airtight containers and used before next spring are nearly indistinguishable from their fresh counterparts.

Now is the time to harvest mint, lemon balm, oregano, French tarragon, basil, rosemary, sage and thyme for drying. Cilantro and dill also can be harvested for drying, or they can be left to continue producing a little longer, as they thrive in cooler weather and will put on a good burst of new growth.

Parsley also lends itself to drying, although it, too, will remain green and lively for many more weeks of fresh picking.

With any herb, plunge cut stems into a bucket of water and leave for a couple of hours before drying. Take three or four stems of larger herbs such as mints or basils, half-a-dozen or more of smaller ones such as thyme or oregano, and make bunches by tying them together at the bottom. Remove any flowers but keep the leaves intact.

Carefully place a brown paper bag over the bouquet, gather it at the base, and tie with a string, leaving a long strand to hang the bag. The bags can be attached to coat hangers and hung in a closet or some other out-of-the-way place that is dry but with some air movement.

Attics are better than basements. Garages are suitable as long as the herbs are removed before freezing temperatures arrive.

The paper bag allows the bouquet to breathe and dry but keeps out dust. It also contains any leaves that drop.

After about three weeks, check a bag and see if the foliage is crisp and crumbles when rolled between the fingers. If so, take the herb bags down and tear them away from the fragile, dried stems within.

Strip the dried leaves from the stems into plastic food bags. Add any foliage that has fallen into the paper bags during the drying process.

Dried stems, which also secrete herbal oils, can be reserved to use as skewers for grilling soft foods, such as vegetables or scallops. Store the herbs in a pantry or cupboard, away from heat and light.

Herbs begin to lose their flavored oils after six or eight weeks, but the loss is gradual. There is a noticeable difference between freshly dried basil or cilantro and the same herb six months later. However, the gourmet gardener will find that even 6-month-old home-dried herbs have more flavor than those in store jars.