Hi Di,
Thank you all is well. Happy valentines Day to you too. You should know that I have never been successful freezing any of my herbs, I have tried to dry them out and they do okay but don't last too long. Here are some things I came up with at Martha Stewarts site. I know I saw a show where she shows how to preserve herbs but I can't remember, nor can I find it. Good luck.
drea
I found this on drying Thyme from martha Stewart
>>>>I pick my thyme and wash it, then dry it and let it air dry on my kitchen counter until it's crumbly then I strip leaves and put it in coffee/herb grinder and store in spice jar.<<<<<
>>>>>I make my own herb oils and vinegars all the time, and have never had food poisoning from it. Here is a good easy method- take a half cup of the herb you want to use and crush it with a mortar and pestal, or on a wooden cutting board with the back of a spoon. Add a little bit of the oil you are going to use(good quality olive or canola oil is the best), and crush it together to get the oils from the herbs mingled with the oil. Add this to 2 cups of the oil and place in a wide mouthed jar. Place this on a sunny windowsill for 2 weeks, shaking it gently every day. Check the flavor after 2 weeks and repeat if you want it stronger. Strain through cheesecloth into a clean decorative bottle and place a sprig of the relevant herb into the bottle for identification(also this looks very pretty). You can use the same method with garlic-just crush it and add to the oil, same as above. Oils will keep for a couple of months, so make in small batches, unless you plan on giving some away as gifts. All oils can go rancid after a time,just use your own common sense as far as how long you keep it. Also, make sure your herbs are fresh and disease free before you make it. As I said, I make them and have had no problems. If you want to make herb vinegar, use the same method as above, except, warm the vinegar on the stove first, then add the crushed herbs and keep on windowsill for 2 weeks. Finish as for oil. Vinegar will keep a lot longer than oil, as it is a preservative. Hope you have fun!!!!!! |
