Preserving...A Great Holiday Job!
Author: Verity Webb Date Posted:15 January 2016
For those of you lucky enough to still be on holidays, we think preserving fruits or vegetables is a super way to pass the time.
There are many different ways of preserving your herbs. If you have a bountiful amount in your garden, fresh produce is best when it comes to cooking but here we explain some ways to preserve them and add flavor for year-around usage.
Air/Hang Dry method
This is great if you have the space and time. Tie small bunches together (we recommend between 4 and 5 cleaned stems), and hang them upside down in a dark, warm and well ventilated area. This process takes between two and four weeks to complete. You want to leaves to be crispy and crumble through your fingers before packing into storage containers.
Using the oven
Arrange clean stems of your chosen herbs in a single layer, across baking paper. Set the oven temperature to 85oC for about four hours. You will need to leave the over door open throughout the entire process to let moisture escape. Give them a jiggle a few times throughout the process.
Adding fresh herbs to salt or sugar
Layer fresh leaves between salt or sugar, completely covering the herbs, and leave them until they are desiccated.
Freezing whole or chopped herbs
Wash and dry the leaves of your chosen herbs then store them in bags with as much air removed as possible, and freeze! Simple!
We hope this has inspired you to try some DIY preserving.
Good luck!
Check out also our stunning Christmas gift range for some holiday gifting ideas.