Preserving herbs: our best tips and tricks
You’ve probably planted one or two pots with herbs in your garden or on your balcony yourself. But it’s not always clear how you can keep these herbs nice and fresh. There are lots of different ways for you to keep enjoying the full flavor of your herbs long after they’ve been harvested. Read on to find out how you can easily create something delicious with your herbs.
The key points
- Dry herbs: hang herbs in bundles in a dry, well-ventilated place to make them last longer.
- Keep them fresh in the refrigerator: herbs will stay fresh for up to 13 days if they are stored correctly.
- Freeze them: freeze herbs in portions so they are easy to access at any time – without losing any of their flavor.
- Instant processing: whether it’s as herbal oil, herbal salt, ice cubes or pesto – there are a variety of ways to preserve herbs.
Preserving herbs – list of contents
Preserving fresh herbs
To preserve garden herbs for the autumn and winter months, they can be harvested and allowed to dry. The best way to do this is to hang the various bundles of herbs upside down in a dry, well-ventilated space and let them dry. When dried herbs are stored, it’s important to make sure they are also nice and dry in the middle. This will prevent any mould from forming.
So as you can see, you don’t always have to buy your herbs from a shop. Season your dishes with the herbs you’ve harvested yourself and add a new taste experience to your kitchen.
Preserving herbs – what you need to do
If you want to preserve your herbs rather than process them straight away after you harvest them, put them in a refrigerator. This will normally keep them fresh for up to six days – or maybe even longer with the right technology. The safe featuring BioFresh from Liebherr provides the perfect conditions for this. With its precise humidity regulation and low temperatures, herbs can even stay fresh for up to 13 days. This means they won’t lose any of their valuable ingredients or their fresh appearance.
If you want to preserve herbs for longer, you can freeze them. Besides technologies like NoFrost and FrostProtect, the herb and berry compartment from Liebherr is a really convenient feature. The advantage of it is that the herbs inside do not stick together and are easy to divide into portions. In addition, the shape of your herbs is preserved and they don’t lose their appearance, which is particularly important for basil or nasturtium, for example.
Preserving herbs – ideas for instant processing
Making your own herbal oil
It’s really easy to give oil a fine taste of herbs such as rosemary, thyme or tarragon. Simply pour the oil (preferably high-quality olive oil) into a bottle with the herbs you want to use and leave the bottle standing for 4-6 weeks. The essential oils from the herbs will release their aroma to the oil. This will give you delicious herbal oil that will last a long time.
Freezing herbs as ice cubes
One option that is a great way to preserve nutrients is to freeze the herbs. Chop up the herbs into small pieces and place them in an ice cube tray, then cover with water and place in the freezer. Parsley, chives, dill, basil, thyme, tarragon and lemon balm are particularly suitable for this. Another refreshing idea for preparing a Hugo cocktail – mint and ice cube in one!
Herbal salt
As salt is a natural preservative, herbal salt is also really easy to prepare at home, with the advantage that the salt will preserve the herbs, just like with herbal oil. Here too, you can combine ingredients to reflect your personal taste. Simply chop up the herbs you want to use into small pieces, mix with the salt and place in a container.
Preparing fresh herbal pesto
What could be more delicious in summer than spaghetti served with fresh pesto genovese? Simply blend basil, pine nuts, Parmesan, garlic, pepper and olive oil into a fine paste. You can also add a little chili, depending on your taste. Preserve your herbs and you’ll then be able to quickly rustle up a summer dish whenever you want.
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