Cooking with Fresh Herbs

Cooking with fresh herbs can take your cooking to a whole new level. Fresh herbs provide not only amazing flavor but they have health benefits too.

How to Grow Herbs

Growing herbs is easy, all you need is some dirt, a container and a nice sunny location. You can plant them in a garden bed, a pot on your patio or a small pot on your kitchen window sill. I keep my herbs in a small raised bed in my vegetable garden area and in pots on my patio. I love having them right outside my kitchen so I can cut them right before cooking.

My favorite herbs to grow are: basil (lots of basil), rosemary (this comes back every year), oregano, thyme, sage, chives, parsley (both curly and flat leaf), and cilantro.

Cooking With Fresh Herbs

Here are my Top Tips for cooking with herbs:

1. Purchase herbs as close to the time you plan to use them as possible. When growing herbs in your own garden the ideal time for picking is in the morning after the dew has dried but before the sun gets hot. This helps ensure the best flavor and storage quality.

1. Purchase herbs as close to the time you plan to use them as possible. When growing herbs in your own garden the ideal time for picking is in the morning after the dew has dried but before the sun gets hot. This helps ensure the best flavor and storage quality.
2. Fresh herbs can be stored in an open or a perforated plastic bag in your refrigerator crisper drawer for a few days. Wrap woody stem herbs (thyme, rosemary) in a dry paper towel and then place in perforated plastic bag. Wrap soft stem herbs (oregano, basil) in a damp paper towel and then place in perforated plastic bag. Soft stem herbs such as basil, cilantro and parsley can also be stored in a glass or vase of water, just like flowers

Convert Dried Herbs to Fresh

• When substituting fresh herbs for dried herbs in a recipe a general guideline is to use 3 times as much of the fresh herb as you would use of a dried herb. If the recipe calls for 1 tsp of dried herbs you can use 1 Tbsp of fresh herbs. When substituting, you’ll often be more successful substituting fresh herbs for dried herbs, rather than the other way around.

How to Store Fresh Herbs

Fresh herbs can be stored in an open or a perforated plastic bag in your refrigerator crisper drawer for a few days. Wrap woody stem herbs (thyme, rosemary) in a dry paper towel and then place in perforated plastic bag. Wrap soft stem herbs (oregano, basil) in a damp paper towel and then place in perforated plastic bag. Soft stem herbs such as basil, cilantro and parsley can also be stored in a glass or vase of water, just like flowers.

How to Freeze Herbs

• Wash and dry the herbs.
• Remove herbs from stem.For herbs like rosemary, oregano or any herb with a woody stem, remove from the stem and chop.
• Chop soft stem herbs such as parsley, cilantro and basil along with the stem. If you prefer, you can remove the leaves of the herb from the stem before chopping and then chop. I don’t mind the soft stems.

Ice Cube Tray Method

Place herbs in an ice cube tray and top with water and freeze

Plastic Bag Method

Placed chopped herbs along with a few drops of olive oil in a freezer bag, remove all the air and seal closed.

Food Processor Method

Place herbs in food processor with a few drops of olive oil and pulse a couple of times. Place herb mixture in ice cube trays, fill with water and freeze.

Frozen herbs will last up to 3 months.

How to Use Frozen Herbs

• Place the frozen cubes in a small bowl and let the ice melt.
• Carefully drain the water and pat dry if necessary.
• If you are adding them to soups or sauces just add frozen cube directly in without thawing first.

Favorite Recipes for Cooking With Fresh Herbs

• Fresh Tomato Soup
• Small Batch Focaccia Bread
• Chicken Sausage Pasta
• Brie Crostini
• Herb Rice