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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:
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
Leslie says
Basil is my all time favorite to use in cooking and for its fragrance. I also love to use rosemary in breads.
Michelle Wilkes says
Next year I plan on adding an herb garden. Now I know who to ask when I have questions! Thanks!
Leigh Anne says
@Melanie:
Lemon basi sounds lovely! I’ll have to look for some here. I’ll share a couple of recipes this week that both use basil. I think you could use the lemon and sweet basil interchangeable – you will just get a slightly different flavor. One of my favorite things to make with basil is bruschetta. I have a recipe on the blog for it here – https://www.yourhomebasedmom.com/tomato-time-bruschetta/
It is so yummy – we make it all summer long during tomato season.
I have had troubles with cilantro too – just make sure it is getting enough sun and keep the slugs away from it!
Thanks for taking the time to comment!!
Melanie says
I’ve never commented before (waving from Mississippi), but I’m a long-time reader, and I really enjoy reading your posts.
This is the first year I’ve ever grown a garden, and I made one raised bed for herbs. I just found some sweet basil to plant today, but I have some lemon basil my husband found. Do you have any good recipe ideas for that? And I don’t know how to deadhead basil. Is there a secret?
Love cilantro, too, but I’ve managed to kill two of them now. I’m all open and eager to hear any herb hints you’ve got!!
Stephanie says
I have several herbs growing now but I think the only one I will use is the Basil. I just like the way it smells and looks !
Thanks for the helpful hints however 🙂