My herb cabinet is a repurposed fold out VCR cabinet..
Tuesday eating from your yard tip~ If you haven’t already done so this is a good time to fill your herb cabinet with your favorite kitchen herbs for cooking this winter. As a general rule it is best to harvest herbs mid~morning after the dew has dried and before the heat of the day, so 10AM. This is when all the goodness of the herb is at the peak. These kitchen herbs are all easy to dry and retain their flavor pretty well: basil, oregano, mint, marjoram, lavender, nettles, winter savory and sage. Thyme could probably be added to the list, but while I know it is has many beneficial qualities I find the flavor repulsive, so I haven’t dried it. To dry these herbs just tie them in bundles and hang them upside down somewhere warm with good air circulation and out of direct sunlight. Once they are completely dry put them in a sealed jar in a dark place. I use a repurposed VCR cabinet with shelves that fold in on themselves. Chive freeze well chopped and mixed butter, rolled into logs and wrapped in wax paper. Basil chopped with olive oil freezes well in ice cube trays or made into pesto and frozen. Herbs can also flavor vinegars by covering the herb in vinegar and letting them sit for four weeks. Cardinal rule is to label the container with the name of the herb and the month and year it was harvested. What are your favorite methods of preserving herbs for cooking?
- Jill Kuhel
