The hardier ones (thyme and rosemary) keep for weeks in the fridge, if you first wash & dry them, roll them in slightly damp paper towels and then put them in plastic bag in your fridge.
As for herbs like sage and oregano, I blend those in a food processor with a few drops of oil and freeze those in ice-cube holders (before bagging them once frozen solid.)
I haven't done that with basil, since I grow that (outdoors and indoors) all year round, but I don't see why that shouldn't work. Though, admittedly, you would then only use it in cooked/baked meals, not in salads or drinks.....
I'm like you -- drying herbs was for ... the birds?! But I buying lemon basil trying to keep it fresh and it just would not. It may be this particular kind of lemon basil. Its stems are very narrow and woody and stiff so it just doesn't suck up water well after it's harvested.
With parsley it works best to cut a bit off the stem, put it in a jar with enough water, then put a plastic bag over it (fastened with an elastic around the base of the jar) and put that in the fridge. Parsley keeps well like that for a few weeks.
If that doesn't work, you could try the rolled in slightly humid kitchen paper in a plastic bag method, but normally that doesn't work with basil...
I just never worked with this type of basil before.
Lemon basil, like the rest of the basils, thrive in Aerogardens! Not only does basil thrives, it takes over the entire garden with its root system. If you want one I would recommend planting it in one of the smaller Aerogardens like the Sprout as the only item in it. Right now my Thai basil has taken over my Bounty, much to my dismay.
Ellen, thanks for the Aerogarden idea and recommendation. I didn't think of it. OMG... I need to get one pronto. Could be used for lemon and holy basil -- two basils with short shelf lives.
I love the gems post Andrea! as for charring eggplants, I use a cast iron pan on medium-high heat, no oil. It takes about 20 min to cook 3 large oval eggplants, turning them every 5 min or so. I keep delicate herbs wrapped in damp kitchen paper and then in a plastic bag. Also, I always have a jar of basil leaves layered with salt in my fridge. This is great for sauces as the leaves keep their flavor for quite some time and will salt your sauce too. I also blend fresh rosemary in a food processor with salt and use it on focaccia and meat. The salt method is definitely superior to dry herbs.
ciao Andrea, I cook the eggplants all the way, I also cooked sweet peppers in the same way. It's important to cover with a large lid to keep the vegetables nice and hot. As a matter of fact a couple of days ago I made an eggplant flan (sformato in Italian) with this method. After cooking the eggplants I wiped the pan with kitchen paper and made the tomato sauce in it which also retained some of that charred flavor. It was delicious and it saved me to use another pan.
For charring I use a Kozmatik too, which I got at Milk Street. It works great for peppers, anything really, fits right on the gas burner and likely works fine on electric although I haven't got one to try.
I have a Kozmatik, and use it on the gas stove or on my grill. It's really handy. For some reason I forget to use my side burner on my grill. Would probably be easier and use less gas! I don't have an electric stove, so can't comment on whether it would work for that.
Great to know that you have the Kozmatik and like it lots. I totally forget about that side burner because it seems so wimpy our our grill. But the flames would come close to whatever that's trying get get charred. Worth a try and if it's meh, the grill is ready to power up!
Forgive me for the stupid question, but how do you dry the herbs? Just leave them out? Put them in a low oven?
A valid question! I just left mine out. They took a long time but I’m in no hurry.
You can use a dehydrator or maybe put on a baking sheet in an oven set to “warm” <= but watch it in the oven.
I stopped drying fresh herbs quite some time ago.
The hardier ones (thyme and rosemary) keep for weeks in the fridge, if you first wash & dry them, roll them in slightly damp paper towels and then put them in plastic bag in your fridge.
As for herbs like sage and oregano, I blend those in a food processor with a few drops of oil and freeze those in ice-cube holders (before bagging them once frozen solid.)
I haven't done that with basil, since I grow that (outdoors and indoors) all year round, but I don't see why that shouldn't work. Though, admittedly, you would then only use it in cooked/baked meals, not in salads or drinks.....
I'm like you -- drying herbs was for ... the birds?! But I buying lemon basil trying to keep it fresh and it just would not. It may be this particular kind of lemon basil. Its stems are very narrow and woody and stiff so it just doesn't suck up water well after it's harvested.
How do you keep it in water?
With parsley it works best to cut a bit off the stem, put it in a jar with enough water, then put a plastic bag over it (fastened with an elastic around the base of the jar) and put that in the fridge. Parsley keeps well like that for a few weeks.
If that doesn't work, you could try the rolled in slightly humid kitchen paper in a plastic bag method, but normally that doesn't work with basil...
I just never worked with this type of basil before.
Lemon basil, like the rest of the basils, thrive in Aerogardens! Not only does basil thrives, it takes over the entire garden with its root system. If you want one I would recommend planting it in one of the smaller Aerogardens like the Sprout as the only item in it. Right now my Thai basil has taken over my Bounty, much to my dismay.
Ellen, thanks for the Aerogarden idea and recommendation. I didn't think of it. OMG... I need to get one pronto. Could be used for lemon and holy basil -- two basils with short shelf lives.
I have holy basil seeds on the way here! Fingers crossed
Heck yes! If you can grow them in winter, that would be a rarity. Wowza! Keep me posted.
In France, we use a steel pan with holes to roast chestnuts. It could be used to char vegetables.
Oh, I think I know what you've described. Thank you for that tip, Kat! I'll check it out.
I love the gems post Andrea! as for charring eggplants, I use a cast iron pan on medium-high heat, no oil. It takes about 20 min to cook 3 large oval eggplants, turning them every 5 min or so. I keep delicate herbs wrapped in damp kitchen paper and then in a plastic bag. Also, I always have a jar of basil leaves layered with salt in my fridge. This is great for sauces as the leaves keep their flavor for quite some time and will salt your sauce too. I also blend fresh rosemary in a food processor with salt and use it on focaccia and meat. The salt method is definitely superior to dry herbs.
Hi Letizia -- are you cooking the eggplants all the way thru or are you charring them just to get them smoky? Great tips for herbs too. Thank you!
ciao Andrea, I cook the eggplants all the way, I also cooked sweet peppers in the same way. It's important to cover with a large lid to keep the vegetables nice and hot. As a matter of fact a couple of days ago I made an eggplant flan (sformato in Italian) with this method. After cooking the eggplants I wiped the pan with kitchen paper and made the tomato sauce in it which also retained some of that charred flavor. It was delicious and it saved me to use another pan.
For charring I use a Kozmatik too, which I got at Milk Street. It works great for peppers, anything really, fits right on the gas burner and likely works fine on electric although I haven't got one to try.
https://store.177milkstreet.com/products/pazaar-kozmatik
Yeah, I think the Kozmatik needs flames to work. It's an unusual thing. So glad you use it, Kitty!
I have a Kozmatik, and use it on the gas stove or on my grill. It's really handy. For some reason I forget to use my side burner on my grill. Would probably be easier and use less gas! I don't have an electric stove, so can't comment on whether it would work for that.
Great to know that you have the Kozmatik and like it lots. I totally forget about that side burner because it seems so wimpy our our grill. But the flames would come close to whatever that's trying get get charred. Worth a try and if it's meh, the grill is ready to power up!