We talked about drying herbs in the last blog. But did you know you can successfully freeze herbs with great results? Freezing is an excellent way to preserve tender herbs, such as dill, chives, parsley, and tarragon. It is very easy to freeze herbs, and it takes much less time than drying.
While it is possible to place herbs right out of the garden into the freezer, the quality in terms of taste and color will not be quite like fresh herbs; slightly bitter flavors and drab grayish-green colors are common. Frozen herbs can be improved by blanching before freezing. They still will not taste and look quite like fresh herbs, but they will come very close. They are best used frozen, but frozen herbs can be thawed in the refrigerator; they will keep approximately one week.
To freeze fresh herbs:
- Rinse freshly picked herbs.Blanch for a few seconds using the following method:
- Hold the herbs by their stems with tongs,
- Dip them in boiling water briefly; swish around a bit.
- When their color brightens, remove them from water.
- Cool, either by holding them under running water and then blotting dry with paper towels; or by placing them on towels after taking them from the boiling water to let them air cool.
- Remove stems, chop, if desired or leave in whole leaves to chop later.
Freeze in one of several ways:
1)Place in small plastic freezer bags in amounts that will be used at one time.
2)Place in ice cube trays and cover with water; repackage into freezer bags when frozen. (Note: if boiling water is used to cover herbs, the cover not only protects the herbs from expo sure to the air, it also blanches them at the same time.)
To make it easier to separate herbs, lay the dried herbs out in a single layer on wax paper. Roll or fold the paper so that there is a layer of paper separating each layer of herb. Then, pack, paper and all, in freezer bags or wrap in freezer-rated plastic wrap. To use, break off as much as is needed, and chop if it wasn’t chopped earlier.
These can be used in cooked dishes. These usually are not suitable for garnish, as the frozen product becomes limp when it thaws.
Happy freezing!!
This is very informative and creative article. I agree with your think while it is possible to place herbs right out of the garden into the freezer, the quality in terms of taste and color will not be quite like fresh herbs; slightly bitter flavors and drab grayish-green colors are common. Frozen herbs can be improved by blanching before freezing. They still will not taste and look quite like fresh herbs, but they will come very close.