Thursday, September 7, 2006

Freezing Fresh Herbs

Every year I freeze some chives for winter use. It is so easy to do and they taste so wonderful during the cold winter evenings. Here is how I do it:

Cut a big handful of chives


Pick through them to remove any old brownish hard stems.

Rinse and dry before freezing. (I have also picked some basil and some sage, neither of which I have ever frozen before so I can't vouch for those two -- it's my initial test freeze)


Take a smaller handful of chives and cut off both ends with scissors so they are all the same size. You will have a nice sturdy bundle.

Roll very tightly in plastic wrap.

I like them about this size which works well when I unwrap and use scissors to cut off small pieces from th end, then rewrap for further storage.


I have put lables on my sage and basil so I don't confuse them this winter.

Put all the herbs into one container so they will be easy to find when you want them. I like to use a tin. It seems to protect nicely against freezer burn.



I put a nice label on the tin itself because I have 3 or 4 of the same color. Stick it in your freezer and forget about it until the big blizzard of '06-'07 when you will want some nice homemade tomato basil spaghetti sauce with cheddar biscuits and fresh chives to remind you of the warm summer weather that is still 6 months away.

10 comments:

  1. I freeze my herbs, as well. We eat lots of soup in the winter, so I just chop my chives and put them in a freezer container. They stay nicely separate and I just have to take out a handful when needed. I didn't get much basil this year, so I won't have enough to freeze, but the sage - well, that's another story! "-)

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  2. I have basil that is huge! (My sage, oregano and rosemary grow like weeds year round!)
    I was going to dry it, but maybe I will try freezing it...

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  3. I froze basil last year and it did really well. I froze my leaves whole. In the winter, we make tomato-mozerella-pesto bread and I use the frozen basil leaves on it. Definitely reminds us of summer!

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  4. Each time I check in I marvel at your zest and enthusiasm AND that you share it with us. Thanks

    P.S. I made your mac/cheese for my 16 year old - very much a hit. Thank you for that too.

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  5. Giddy, I hear that sage can get quite big. This is the second year for mine. It's not big. I did not even know it was perennial.

    Sue, How nice that you can grow them all year!

    Tracy, I am glad to hear it freezes well. Thanks for letting us know.

    anon - Are you Pat? I am so happy to hear that someone made a recipe of mine and enjoyed it! I think you are the first to let me know you tried one. I should be sending you a prize! LOL

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  6. Okay Zooey again with the food. How long would it take to drive from Toronto, ON to Michigan? I'll be at your door if you keep this up. I tried the mac and cheese recipe as well but wasn't too successful. I think I added too much liquid so it didn't look so nice and firm and gooey as yours. But I will persevere!! I am determined to get it right (okay I'll find any excuse to eat cheese and pasta. Actually I'll find any excuse to eat anything that isn't good for me, sigh) TWT.

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  7. Oh, TWT, so sorry it didn't turn out! I hope it tasted pretty good even if it was more liquid. Like you said, it's hard to ruin cheese/pasta.

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  8. You are so CLEVER!
    I love the tin. What a great idea.

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  9. Wow, I didn't know it was possible to protect against freezer burn. I never know what I will learn when I arrive at your blog, Zoey.

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  10. Karen, it will still eventually get freezer burn. It just takes longer.

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