Preserving Herbs

This past spring, my husband built some raised beds to start a small garden. I planted mostly herbs with a few tomato and pepper plants (I tried to start small, this is my first gardening on my own). I love using fresh herbs so I planted as much as I possibly could. Now that fall is upon us, I need to preserve some of the herbs for the winter. We had our first small frost last week so I was busy preparing all my herbs before it hit.

Herbs from left to right: Basil, Oregano, Parsley, and Rosemary

To prepare herbs for drying, line cookie sheet with parchment paper, wash and dry the herbs, and spread the herbs in an even layer on a cookie sheet. Store in a dry place for ample drying time. I placed mine in a dry corner in the kitchen that is close to a heat vent and sunny window.  You can also dry herbs by tying together in a bundle and hanging them in a dry place.

Dried Oregano

I also made some lovely basil pesto and froze tablespoon amounts in ice cube. Once the cubes of pesto are frozen, pop them out and place them in a Ziploc bag. These are great to add to a sauce for an extra pop of flavor.

I got a little messy with the pesto...

Here's a run-down of what I did with each herb:

Using a strong pair of kitchen shears, harvest herbs from the garden. Cut stems at the base of the plant or as close as possible.

Carefully wash and dry herbs (a salad spinner works great for this). Lay out on paper towels to dry thoroughly.

Oregano: Remove oregano leaves from stem. Spread out on a cookie sheet to dry. 

Basil: Basil is a soft herb and is hard to dry so I opted for keeping it as fresh as possible. Use basil to make pesto and freeze in ice cube trays. Or freeze chopped basil leaves in olive oil. Once the cubes are frozen, remove and put in freezer safe containers or bags.

Parsley: Remove leaves from stem and finely chop the leaves. Spread in an even layer on a lined cookie sheet. You can also freeze parsley in olive oil as you do with basil.

Rosemary: Lay the stems out to dry. Once dry, pluck the leaves off of the stem.

Store all dried herbs in Ziploc baggies or spice containers or jars.

I also have some potted herbs that I plan to keep indoor this winter. This way I can use fresh herbs all year around!

Ranch Dip

We had a family get-to-together over the weekend. Our town has a huge fall festival and my husbands family always has a big family reunion. One of my contributions was a veggie tray and dip. I wanted to use fresh herbs from my garden for the dip so I scoured the internet for a good recipe. I came across Pioneer Woman's ranch dressing recipe. It was exactly what I was looking for. Of course, hers is for a dressing but I left the milk out and it made the perfect dip. It's a very versatile dip, as you can add the herbs you would like. I kept it simple with parsley, chives and a pinch of dill.  It was bright, fresh and the perfect compliment for the tray.



Ranch Dip
From Pioneer Woman Cooks

1 cup real mayonnaise
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup flat leaf Italian Parsley, finely chopped
2 tablespoons chives, finely chopped
1 clove of garlic, smashed and finely chopped
Dill to taste*
Salt
Pepper

Smash and chop the garlic until a fine paste. Finely chop the parsley and chives. In a small bowl, mix garlic, herbs, mayonnaise and sour cream together. Add salt, pepper, and dill to taste.


*I didn't have fresh dill so I used dry. I added two pinches of it and it was perfect. You will have to adjust accordingly for fresh dill.
Note: To make ranch dressing, mix all ingredients together and stir in milk or buttermilk until desired consistency.