Herbs

[Gourmet_Mom]

Not only will I be putting up tomatoes next week, I may as well harvest my over abundant crop of herbs in hopes of getting a second crop later in the summer. After looking around for ideas....didn't really want to to dry any this year..I found a site called Preserving Your Harvest.

After looking at all the possibilities, I've decided to go with the vacuum seal idea. At first I thought you would vacuum seal in small batches, but that seems like a waste of bags. I guess I could save them for use for next year? But then I hit on the idea of doing a whole bunch per bag and just break off what I need and reseal.

I'm sure I'm missing something here, so I'm coming to you guys to help me find the flaw in this concept.

[DFen911]

I on the FB for Preserving the Harvest, great group of folks there!!!

I'm going to chop and freeze mine in ice cubes. Each cube will either be 1 tsp or 1 Tbl depending on the herb. Then the cubes will go into big baggies.

So thyme and oregano will tsp, parsley and basil will be Tbl.

Here's another neat idea - http://www.listotic.com/36-genius-kitche...tricks/30/

And yet some more ideas http://www.simplycanning.com/freezing-herbs.html

[Gourmet_Mom]

So you have no opinion on the vacuum freezer method, Denise? I had seriously considered the ice cube method. But then I saw that method. It seems so brainless! Not to mention the note that this is supposed to be the best way to preserve them in their natural state? At least best for sage? Unless some one comes on to dissuade me, I think I'm going to go for it. Last year I only preserved my Basil. But everything is doing so well this year, I can't bare to let it go.

That said, I think I'll go with the vacuum idea for most of it...unless someone dissuades me. I have limited freezer space, so I feel this is my best option. I will do some pesto, but with the price of pine nuts these days, I won't be making much! If you consider I haven't had an abundance of Basil, sage, parsley, oregano, and thyme to save before, I figure I have nothing to loose?

[Cubangirl]

I'd do it the vacuum seal way too. Just make sure you leave extra on the bag, so you can reopen and seal several times. Make sure the herbs are not wet. My sage plant does ok in the winter, so I never bother with sage.

You can make pesto with walnuts, almonds, pistachios and hazelnuts too. Most recipes call for half that and half pine nuts. But I'd try one small batch with just 1/4 pine nuts to 3/4 other nut and see if you like it. Our favorite is pistachio.

[Gourmet_Mom]

Thanks, Alina. I have tried almonds in pesto and didn't particularly care for it. But I will give pistachios a try in a small batch. But I like the idea of preserving the herb in its natural state, too. I'm looking forward to see how this works.

[cjs]

Daphne, I have used the vacuum seal for herbs many times and like it. Altho, you said you want to stay away from the freezing, I did keep mine in the freezer - vacuum sealed.

I love using different nuts in pesto, Daphne, here's I think my favorite next to pine nuts.


Cashew Basil Pesto

The original pesto recipe went with:
Sweet Miso Corn Cakes with Basil-Parsley Pesto (using cashews instead of pine nuts -it's wonderful!!) 3/26/14
Original from Saveur newsletter, 7/17/13

1 cup packed fresh basil leaves
1 cups packed fresh parsley leaves
2 cloves garlic
1/3 cup cashews
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup olive oil

1. Add all pesto ingredients except olive oil to food processor; pulse until chunky.

2. With the motor running, slowly stream in the olive oil, stopping to scrape down sides with a rubber spatula as needed.

3. Adjust salt to taste.

---------

[Gourmet_Mom]

No, I was saying I WILL be freezing. Good to know you two endorse freezing using vacuum method.

I have plenty of Basil and parsley to play with, so I will now be experimenting with other nuts. I think what turned me off of the almonds was the mouth feel. This makes sense because of the nature of the nut. Since I LOVE pistachios and cashews, I'm thinking I will enjoy both.

[DFen911]

The only reason I don't use the vacuum seal bags is, the cost. I can justify it for meats which are expensive, but I can't justify it for herbs. So go for the ice cube method. I don't do big cubes just enough water to cover them.

[Lorraine]

I don't vacuum seal, because I don't have one. I have tons of basil this year> I process it in the Cuisinart, with a bit of oil. I don't add garlic or nuts, as I may not want them in a future recipe, I can always add them later. then, I freeze them in bags. I did the same last year, and I used it all winter.

[Gourmet_Mom]

I may do that with the next harvest, Lorraine. All the herbs did great except the basil. Some leaves browned a little. I guess I'll see this winter how much damage was done.