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Freezing herbs

post #1 of 9
8/30/10 at 4:37pm
Thread Starter 
Has anyone tried this? Was it successful in that the herbs retained most of their flavor? Or did the softer ones end up a mushy mess? I'm thinking mostly about basil, rosemary, thyme, chives and dill and perhaps cilantro if I can actually get it to grow.
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post #2 of 9
8/30/10 at 4:46pm
with basil & cilantro it will definitely turn to yuck unless you make some sort of pesto. "drier" herbs like rosemary & thyme would also turn to yuck, but you can just strip the leaves off the branches (or you can leave the leaves on the branches if you like), dry in a shady, dry place and put in a airtight container in your cupboard, there's no reason to freeze. chives i'm guessing would turn to mush. how are you trying to grow cilantro?
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post #3 of 9
8/30/10 at 5:07pm
Thread Starter 
I live in Northern CA so it gets way too hot here for cilantro to be successful. I tried last year and it just immediately bolted. Talked to a lady at the local farmer's market and she agreed that this isn't a good area to grow it because of the heat. I may try this winter when it cools off and see what happens.
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post #4 of 9
8/30/10 at 5:13pm
I do this with ginger. It works but it is not as good as fresh.
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post #5 of 9
8/30/10 at 5:14pm
yep, cilantro definitely doesn't like the heat past a certain temp. it does grow fast, so maybe once it cools down a little you can try again.
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post #6 of 9
8/30/10 at 5:18pm
Thread Starter 
The unfortunate thing is, I want the cilantro for salsa but it won't grow at the same time the tomatoes and peppers do. There's still a lot of stuff I like to use it for but still, it's annoying. LOL
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post #7 of 9
8/30/10 at 5:21pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by jeanine123 View Post
The unfortunate thing is, I want the cilantro for salsa but it won't grow at the same time the tomatoes and peppers do. There's still a lot of stuff I like to use it for but still, it's annoying. LOL
never thought about it this way!!! nature should've planned better with this, cilantro IS the perfect companion for tomatoes & peppers. i'm in Va. and it's too hot here as well for cilantro by the time the tomatoes & peppers are coming in.
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post #8 of 9
8/30/10 at 10:21pm
I do chives in an ice-cube tray with a tiny bit of water and snip the chives- I throw them into soup with no problem

I do basil as pesto and freeze it with no problem.

the others I dry-I bring in my plants (they are in pots) and keep them over the winter
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post #9 of 9
8/31/10 at 10:12am
You can blanch them a bit before freezing
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