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Post by restless on Aug 11, 2015 20:12:43 GMT -5
I will definitely try the frozen method. Sounds like a good idea to me!
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Post by desertwoman on Aug 11, 2015 20:29:51 GMT -5
Maybe it's an Italian thing. Dried basil, oregano, marjoram, rosemary are so good in tomato sauce! It's how my mama made it, and I do too!
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Post by pepperhead212 on Aug 11, 2015 20:31:24 GMT -5
I'm with restless - there are many herbs that I either eat fresh, or don't eat them. This is why I grow basil, Thai basil, chives, garlic chives, and parsley indoors in the off-season. The basil and Thai basil I take cuttings of, the two chives I dig up some clumps of them and separate them, and the parsley I start from seed around. 9-1. Cilantro I still haven't mastered, but, fortunately, it is available year-round. But I'll keep trying!
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Post by desertwoman on Aug 11, 2015 20:43:29 GMT -5
I agree- cilantro chives parsley have to be fresh. You and restless do a lot Far and South East and Middle East cooking and it seems fresh is essential.
I do a lot of Native New Mexican. In the winter I buy organic fresh cilantro. And I do a lot of Italian. Summer sauce is made with fresh tomatoes, onions garlic and basil leaves tossed in at the end- I freeze a few jars of it for winter, but it's not quite the same as fresh picked. So most of my winter sauce is with frozen tomatoes and dried herbs.
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Post by brownrexx on Aug 11, 2015 21:21:53 GMT -5
I am not a fan of dried basil, dried chives, dried cilantro, or dried parsley. These are herbs that I eat fresh or not at all. I feel the same way although I have never tried freezing chives. I may give that a try. I usually have a pot of parsley indoors until about January when it gives up.
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Post by OregonRed on Aug 12, 2015 17:07:51 GMT -5
pepperhead212 I love the thai basil flowers for my bouquets :~) (you gave me the seeds)
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Aug 12, 2015 17:33:23 GMT -5
I freeze basil. I know it takes up a lot of room but the flavour remains unlike when dried. I dry all the rest.
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Post by claude on Aug 13, 2015 8:42:49 GMT -5
I love the way frozen in oil spices keep their flavor..I make a pesto place it in freezer gal bags..flatten it out thinly and freeze. Snap off what I need...when I use cubes there is too little or too much. I also dry herbs...but they are used more in the winter when all the frozen is gone. How do you keep summer savory? The same way?
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Post by claude on Aug 15, 2015 17:23:16 GMT -5
Blue do you just freeze the leaves or do you use water or oil?
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kew56
Sprout
eastern SD zone 4
Posts: 25
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Post by kew56 on Oct 13, 2015 1:41:17 GMT -5
We grow and dry several herbs,thyme, sage,oregano,tarragon... The ones grown in the garden and dried, still taste way better than the "floor sweepings" you get at the grocery store. We also like to freeze parsley, basil and chives because they taste better. We freeze the dill heads but dry the fronds, because it comes before the cuc's are ready.
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Post by claude on Oct 30, 2015 17:41:03 GMT -5
I have a wide mouth flask that's 8" tall...I cut basil, oregano and thyme, strip the lower leaves off and pop them in some water..leave them there, change the water...and if I'm lucky, they will all root and I'll have fresh into January.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 1, 2015 7:19:08 GMT -5
I freeze basil whole, it tastes fresher. But of course, one needs the freezer space for those bags and some years I don't have much in my apartment sized freezer.
I dry sprigs of thyme by hanging in a paper bag. When dry, I shake as much off into the bag as possible and strip what's left after the fact. It is one of my absolute favourite herbs. I use it in stews, soups, with roasts, and sometimes in place of bay leaf. Oh and of course, as a hot tea to break up congestion for a cold.
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Post by ahntjudy on Jul 10, 2016 0:37:52 GMT -5
@bluelacedredhead...How do you freeze your basil?
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Post by Deleted on Jul 10, 2016 5:51:42 GMT -5
ahntjudy , I put the leaves on a cookie sheet so that they freeze separately, then into the freezer for a few hours (or until I remember that they are in there ;) ). When I remove them from the freezer, I just transfer them to freezer bags and back into the freezer they go. I've made pesto as well but for the most part, that just ends up somewhere in the bottom of the freezer, forgotten. I know, how could I? Hubs won't eat it and so I think I just put it to the back of my consciousness like the back of the freezer. Save
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Post by Deleted on Jul 10, 2016 5:56:33 GMT -5
And claude, my apologies for not seeing that you had asked the same question of me about freezing basil way back in August. Now to make myself look even worse, I must admit that I still have Summer Savoury hanging from a wall ornament in the kitchen in a paper bag from last year around the same time as this thread started. I've only ever dried it; usually in a more organized fashion though, hahaha
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