How You Can Use Organic Herbs
by
John Wishley
If you are a successful organic herb grower, you might be wondering what to do with your bumper crop. Perhaps, you can’t use or give away all the herbs you have grown, and the last thing you want is to see your organic herbs go waste. There are five wonderful options of what you can do with your excess organic herbs.
Drying
Organic herbs dry well and easily, even in a relatively humid environment. Harvest the herbs early in the day, when it is cool. Use scissors or a sharp knife to cut fairly long stems. Wash the herbs carefully and lay on a clean towel to absorb excess moisture. Then bundle them together with pretty ribbon, and hang them somewhere out of the way where it is relatively dry (not in a laundry room or bathroom, for instance). Avoid hanging them in direct sun, otherwise they will lose some of their color. After your organic herbs become completely dry – crinkly dry – put them in jars. They will last for about a year.
Freezing
Freezing herbs is another wonderful option they will be just like fresh when you use them. Harvest the herbs as above and wash thoroughly. Lay them on towels to dry, turning occasionally to make sure there is no excess water on the herbs. Don’t remove the leaves or flowers from the stem; herbs are best frozen on the stem. Place them in freezer bags and label. They can be kept in this way for six months or so. To use frozen herbs, remove the package and crumble off a few leaves, then put the package back in the freezer.
Making Herb Vinegar
Organic herb vinegars taste great on salads and cooked vegetables. They make great gifts, too. Experiment with different organic herbs to find the flavor combinations you like best. To make organic herb vinegar you will need:
Clean glass jar with lid.
Organic herbs including the flowers for an extra pretty color.
Vinegar: white vinegar works well, but you may have to look around to find organic white vinegar. Wine vinegars are also a good choice. Cider vinegar is the old stand-by, if you are ok with its strong flavor. Fresh organic herbs are best for herb vinegars. Harvest and wash as above, then fill the jar with them. Add vinegar and cover; set aside for several weeks, then strain the herbs out.
Making Organic Herb Oils
Similarly to herbal vinegars, herbal oils can also be used on salads. They are also great for dipping bread into and cooking with. You can use your organic herbal oils even as bath oils and skin moisturizers!
Important: Herb oils must be refrigerated. Storage time is less when fresh herbs are used. Flavored oils are an ideal environment for the growth of certain bacteria, so it is absolutely necessary to follow storage directions carefully. Oils made with fresh organic herbs should be used within two weeks. Oils made with fully dried organic herbs can be stored for up to a month in the refrigerator.
To make organic herb oil you will need:
A glass jar with lid
Organic herbs dried or fresh
Oil extra virgin olive oil is best, but actually you can use almost any oil.
Fill a glass bottle about half full of oil. Add the herbs, fill up with oil and cap.
Your organic herbs and products you made with them can be a wonderful gift to somebody. You can tie a pretty ribbon around a bottle of bay oil or chive vinegar, package it with a loaf of bread or a salad set and a unique gift is ready. You will really stand out and get a lot of appreciation.
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Organic herbs
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Article Source:
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