Without a doubt, nothing beats fresh herbs, as they give many dishes their typical taste. In order to be able to season dishes with the fragrant plants during the winter months, they must be preserved. With our tips you can preserve the full aroma.
When and how should you harvest and preserve herbs?
Herbs should preferably be harvested on sunny mornings shortly before flowering to preserve their full flavor. Drying, freezing or pickling in s alt are suitable for preserving, depending on the type of herbs and their properties.
When is harvesting?
The timing of harvest depends on the species and the climatic conditions of the region where you live. The aroma of most aromatic plants is most intense shortly before flowering. Harvest on a sunny morning, because then herbs have the most flavor.
Edible flowers, such as chamomile, borage or marigold, are plucked when they are fully open.
Rainy, wet days, however, are unsuitable for harvesting. Wetness noticeably reduces the quality, which you can clearly smell if you break off a shoot.
How to harvest correctly?
Separate the plant parts with a clean, sharp garden or kitchen knife. About half of the leaves should remain on the plant so that it regenerates quickly.
Drying herbs
Spices and medicinal herbs such as sage, rosemary, thyme or peppermint and their valuable ingredients can be preserved by drying.
- For large-leaved species such as laurel, pick off the leaves and then spread them out on a kiln. Wooden frames with a gauze covering are suitable for this.
- The stems of small-leaved spice plants are tied together and hung upside down in an airy and dark place. As soon as the herbs feel completely dry, strip them from the stems.
Place the dried leaves in brown screw-top jars that are tightly closed.
Preserve by freezing or pickling
It is better to freeze basil, parsley, dill, chervil, chives and other herbs that have very soft leaves. After washing and carefully patting dry, the spice plants are finely chopped. Then fill these into the compartments of an ice cube maker and add a little water.
To use, you can remove one cube at a time and add it directly to the food. When preserved in this way, sensitive herbs last for months.
A tried and tested method is pickling in s alt. In order to effectively prevent the growth of microorganisms that spoil food, the following applies: lots of s alt and little herbs. Cut the herbs into small pieces, mix them with the s alt and fill the herb s alt into tightly sealing jars.
Tip
So that the valuable ingredients are not lost, never dry spice plants in a sunny, hot or drafty place.
