Preserving Herbs

Hello there foodie. I don't know about you but I get really frustrated during winter when I cannot get fresh, tasty, juicy fruits, vegetables, and herbs. Grocery store produce during that time tastes watery and bland to me. At the same time, trying to to eat healthy can be quite expensive especially when I add "organic" into the mix. So over the years I have been searching for alternatives without having to burn a hole in my pocket.  

Welcome farmer's markets and farm picking!!!!

Purchasing fresh vegetables from local farmer's markets has been such a joy and pleasure. This summer I also picked fresh fruits from several farms in the area.  Let me tell you, there is nothing like eating fresh fruit directly from the tree. It gives me a sense of awareness of what is going into body and I feel great!! (See why here Natural/Organic Fever). I feel like the grocery stores have been ripping me off and keeping me away from the sweet delicacies. 

At my last farmer's market haul, I went all crazy and bought quite a bit of fresh herbs (cilantro, dill, tarragon). I soaked the cilantro and dill with the other purchases in a vinegar/water solution. 

 

I then hang the tarragon bunches onto the kitchen cabinets using paper clips. Using paper clips is a perfect solution for those who do not want to make holes in their walls or cabinets.

After the tarragon dried (weeks later), I crushed it in a bowl, placed it into an empty spice bottle, and relabeled the bottle.  

TIP: Save your small, empty containers. They come in handy in the long run.

Relabel me!!!

As for the cilantro, I dried it thoroughly after soaking and chopped it up into semi-fine pieces. The sweet aroma that filled the house was so pleasant. They (whoever they are) should make a room freshener from it :D. 

When it came to how I would preserve the cilantro, I was torn between storing it in olive oil or just using water. At the end I decided to test both ways and see what happens. 

So I placed the chopped cilantro into ice trays and added extra virgin olive oil to some and water to the others and threw placed them into the freezer. 

The next day, I took out the perfectly formed cilantro cubes and noticed that the ones with water had some brown residue. Could it be freezer burn? I am not sure. The ones in olive oil came out so cleanly.

I placed the cubes in freezer bags and back to the freezer they went. Now I am stocked up with cilantro for those boring, dreary winter months. How are you stocking up for winter?

COOKING: So far, I have used the cilantro in olive oil to start off my cooking without any need to add any more oil. The cilantro in water is perfect for finishing off stews and baked dishes. I don't mind the water too much as it adds some flavor to the dish. Enjoy!!