22 / 56
W
hether you are just starting
to use fresh herbs in your
cooking or need a refresher,
here are some tips to help
lead you in the right direction.
Herbs come in various forms.The
most common are fresh and dried.
)\EQTPIW SJ LIVFW MRGPYHI FEWMP XL]QI
sage, rosemary, dill and oregano. Herbs
EVI ER IEW] [E] XS EHH ¾EZSV [MXLSYX
EHHMRK I\XVE JEX WYKEV SV WSHMYQ
BUYING FRESH HERBS
It is best to buy herbs close to the time
XLI] [MPP FI YWIH XS QE\MQM^I JVIWLRIWW
ERH ¾EZSV 0SSO JSV LIVFW XLEX EVI VMGL
in color and aroma.They should not
smell musty nor should they look wilted
or discolored.This is not the time to
take short cuts; freshness counts.
CLEANING OF YOUR HERBS
Always wash herbs before cooking
or storing.Wash small amounts of
LIVFW YRHIV GSSP VYRRMRK [EXIV SV ½PP
a clean sink or deep bowl with cool
water. Place the herbs in the water
and move them around to remove the
dirt. Remove the herbs from the water,
drain and change the water, repeat
the process until the water is clear.
Remove clean herbs from water
and either shake gently or lay on a
dry paper towel and pat dry gently
with another paper towel. Pressing
too hard with the paper towel will
bruise the herbs, and they will lose
XLIMV ¾EZSV ERH [MPP RSX PEWX PSRK
STORING OF YOUR HERBS:
8S I\XIRH XLI JVIWLRIWW GYX XLI WXIQW
diagonally and place the newly cut
stems in a jar or tall glass with one to
two inches of water. Cover the herbs
with a plastic bag, leaving space for air
to circulate. Never crush your herbs.
If herbs are for later use: chop, place in
MGI GYFI XVE]W ERH ½PP IEGL GYFI EFSYX
2/3 full. Pour virgin olive oil over them or
melted butter. Cover tightly with plastic
wrap and freeze. Remove the frozen
cubes from the tray. Store in freezer
containers or bags and remember
to label what is in the container.
Why olive oil and not water? Olive
oil will preserve the color and
the taste of the herb better.
If short on time, chop the leaves, pack
lightly in a plastic bag and freeze. For
larger quantities, skip the chopping and
freeze whole leaves. Spread them on a
Cooking with Herbs
22
harvest