How to Preserve Herbs is something that is useful to know if you have an herb garden.
I like knowing that there are uses for the herbs that I grow in my garden no matter what time of the year it is.

How to Preserve Herbs
This is a simple guide for preserving herbs.
Preserving herbs is a great idea especially if you enjoy using herbs in your cooking.
Did you see my article on How to Start an Herb Garden?
Growing your own herbs is not as hard as you may think it may be.
While you can use the herbs fresh, you can also preserve them for later use with the methods that I will share.
Whether you store your herbs fresh or preserved, having the right storage container can make a huge difference. You can find a selection of herb container here.
This article is for anyone asking how do you preserve herbs for the future.
If you are like me and you like adding seasonings besides salt to your recipes, gowning your own herbs makes a lot of sense.
This is why knowing how to make those homegrown herbs last is so important.
Preserving herbs is easy to do.
There are many easy methods of preserving herbs so as ell.
You can choose the method for preserving according to your needs.
How to prepare herbs for preserving.
When selecting the plant parts that you wish to use, it is best to cut them early in the day.
Also, select plants that are full enough to continue growing after being cut.
Most herbs are best before they begin to flower.
Depending on the herb you are preserving, some can be rinsed off.
The plants with the larger leaves or stems (such as chives) can be rinsed off with water to remove any dirt etc that may be on them.
Tips for preserving herbs.
Before harvesting your herbs, make sure that they are free of pesticides.
Also, it is a good idea to avoid using herbs that are buggy or are in areas where pets may have been recently.
More tips for you
- I like to rinse my cut herbs in water. Then I allow them to dry on clean kitchen or paper towels.
- Larger cuts or bunches can be tied together using simple twine. Doing so keeps them together in small batches and makes it easy to hang them for drying if needed.
- Dried herbs should be stored in a dark location. When properly stored, they should keep for up to two years.
Air drying herbs.
This is my favorite method of preserving herbs.
I tie them loosely together and then hang them to dry.
Steps for air drying herbs.
- Tie the herbs together (four to five stems for a bunch).
- Hang the tied up bunch upside down in a dark and ventilated locations.
- The herbs should be dried within two weeks.
- If you want to use the seeds simply tie a paper bag (with a few holes on the sides for ventilation) around the herbs and the bag will collect the seeds for you.
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Other air drying methods.
You can use a dehydrator or an oven to dry herbs,
For the dehydrator, simply follow the directions provided by the manufacturer.
Steps for air drying herbs in an oven.
- Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and preheat the oven to the lowest temperature (150 f).
- Evenly spread out the herbs on the baking sheet. You can discard bad looking pieces as well.
- Place the herbs into the oven for 20 minutes. Open the oven to slightly (ajar) and continue to bake until dry. This can take a few hours depending on how many and how thick your herbs are.
- Allow the herbs to cool before storing them.
Freezing herbs for later use.
What is so nice about freezing herbs is that they can be frozen in an ice cube tray.
Once the herbs are dry, simply pop them out of the tray and store them in the freezer in a zip top bag.
Steps for freezing herbs in olive oil.
- You will first need to remove the leaves from the stems.
- Chop the herbs then place them into the ice cube try, packing them in (⅔ full).
- Pour olive oil over the herbs.
- Cover with plastic wrap and freeze until hard. Then transfer to a zip tip bag.
- You can use properly frozen herbs for about a year.
Steps for freezing herbs in water.
- Remove the stems and then chop the herbs.
- Place the herbs into an ice cube tray, packing them in about ¾ full for each cube.
- Cover the herbs with water.
- Freeze the ice cubes before transferring to a zip top bag for storage.
Microwave herbs.
I like to make celery salt using the leaves from celery.
To do so I dry them in the microwave.
How to microwave herbs.
- Remove the stems from the herbs. Place the leaves on a clean paper towel in the oven.
- Microwave for on high for 15 seconds.
- Check the herbs and toss them as need.
- Repeat this process until the herbs are dried.
- Note that drying times can vary because of microwaves.
Storing your preserved herbs.
Dried herbs should be stored in an airtight container in a cool dark location.
Herbs stored using these methods can usually last up to a year.
How to Preserve Herbs, a simple guide for preserving herbs grown in the garden for later use in recipes and more.