Preserving: Getting the best of the rest: Freezing Basil & Parsley

Before tearing down our garden this weekend, I thought about the winter ahead and looked around to see what we could still preserve. 

One item I really don’t like to buy during the winter are fresh herbs. Generally, a recipe will call for a teaspoon, or a tablespoon, of said herb, and purchasing a $3 package of basil in January just isn’t worth it.

So I found a way to preserve our basil and parsley by freezing them in ice cube trays. You can freeze many herbs-basil, chives, tarragon, cilantro, dill, parsley and chervil are just a few of the herbs that freeze well. Quick, simple and a great way to save a few dollars this winter!

Here’s how:

1. Pick any basil or parsley left in your garden and give it a quick rinse under water to remove dirt and debris. 

2. Give it a quick spin in a salad spinner, if you have one, to drain excess water.

3. Finely chop your herbs.

4. Measure your herbs out into teaspoons or tablespoons, and deposit into ice cube tray.

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5. Fill trays with water and freeze. That’s it! I placed my trays in Ziploc freezer bags to prevent freezer burn and to keep the herbs fresh longer. 

I did two trays each of basil and parsley, one tray each of tablespoons and teaspoons. When you need to use your herbs, place a cube or two in a fine mesh strainer and let the ice melt, or run warm water over the ice to melt. Enjoy!