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Seven Super Ways to Save Your Herbs

Want a steady supply of cooking herbs year-round? Try these nifty ways to preserve any extras that your garden provides.

JM Heatherly
5 min readAug 5, 2021
Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash

So you spent all season growing delicious veggies and herbs. Finally, it’s harvest time, and you have a cornucopia before you. What can you do with the excess before it spoils to compost?

Sharing is caring, and that’s the most obvious solution to food surplus. You may still have more than you need right now, though. Fear not, because you can save those tender morsels for cooking next week or even a few months from now.

Plus, all food waste diverted from landfills decreases our carbon footprint and improves soil quality. Reducing food waste diminishes methane production; it would otherwise decompose in landfills. Avoid spoilage and make the most of your food products.

Without further ado, let’s divulge these seven clever ways to preserve your herbs. Many of our ancestors used these methods during eras when families subsisted more for themselves. The seven ways include the following: air drying herbs, using appliances, freezing, making compound butter, sugaring or salting, oil infusions, and vinegar infusions.

Herbal Preservation Methods

Air Drying

Photo by Chamille White on Shutterstock

By far the easiest way to save your herbs, consider hanging them to dry in a cool, dark place. I discussed a simple method to do so in How to Air-Dry Herbs. You can tie fresh herb bundles up with twine, and they finish drying when crumbly about two weeks later.

The best herbs to dry include the following: Basil, Dill, Fennel, Mint, Oregano, Parsley, Rosemary, Sage, Tarragon, and Thyme.

Pros: Low cost and preserves essential oils.
Cons: It takes about two weeks to dry.
Shelf Life: 3–4 years depending on storage conditions

Oven/Microwave

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JM Heatherly
JM Heatherly

Written by JM Heatherly

Blogger, Community Organizer, Ecosocialist, Entrepreneur, Gardener, Musician, Volunteer https://linktr.ee/jonmheatherly

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