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How To Freeze Herbs

Our basil was super late growing this year. Earwigs ate the first lot of plants, and the second lot took a while to get going. We even ended up buying several batches of basil to cook with because we didn’t have any in the garden. At long last however, the basil plants are full of leaves. Just in time for the weather to turn cold and the frosts kill them.

How To Freeze Herb-3

I wanted to save as much of the basil as possible to use over the winter months, so we picked a large bowl of basil leaves. I then pulled all the leaves off the stalks and put them in a food processor. After giving them a quick wizz, I poured some olive oil in to loosen the mix. For every cup of leaves (packed in well) add about 1/4 of a cup of oil. Once the leaves are processed, spoon the mixture into ice cube trays and freeze for several days before turning out and popping in a snap lock bag.

How To Freeze Herb-2

When you need some fresh basil in you cooking, just grab an ice cube or two and whack it in. Delicious fresh basil flavour all year round.

This method works well with any soft herb such as parsley, coriander, fennel, thyme, or oregano. Herbs like rosemary, which are woodier, still work, however their texture in the final food is sometimes a bit lumpy and woody.

How to freeze herbs

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Comments

  1. Wendy says

    April 19, 2017 at 7:17 am

    Hi Jo. Do you ever preserve basil by either just freezing them in snap lock bags or putting the leaves in ice cube trays with water? And if so, can you use the leaves as a garnish using these methods or do they change their appearance? Wendy

    Reply
    • Jo@CountryLifeExperiment says

      April 20, 2017 at 9:58 am

      Hi Wendy, I haven’t frozen basil straight for a few reasons. The leaves would be damaged by the ice crystals and would black and sludgy when they defrosted. They would still be fine to use in cooking. Freezing the individual leaves like that would not be a very space efficient method of freezing them either. If you don’t want the oil, you could try blanching the leaves quickly, and then freeze them. I imagine that they would be similar to frozen spinach in appearance and texture. Let me know how you go!

      Reply
  2. swampyankeestyle says

    May 15, 2016 at 10:23 am

    This is great. I miss my fresh herbs in the winter. This is a good way to have them longer. Thanks

    Reply
    • Jo@CountryLifeExperiment says

      May 17, 2016 at 8:53 pm

      No prob 🙂

      Reply
  3. jan2132 says

    May 9, 2016 at 7:57 am

    Pesto is another way to use it up.

    Reply

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Hi, I’m Jo

I'm a city girl turned farmer's wife, school teacher, ideas woman, and mum to three country kids. Country Life Experiment is all about simple country living, growing and making our own food, and life on our family farm in rural Australia. Join me as I give country living a try. Read more...
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We have been mulling over how to fix up the drivew We have been mulling over how to fix up the driveway and lead up to our house for a while. Currently it’s just a dumping ground for old bits of metal and a big pile of mulch, but C would like to create a turning area and put in a garden. First up though, there’s a huge old stump that needs to go. What better excuse is there to have a fire on Sunday afternoon? C and the kids jumped on the quad bike and trailer, and hauled back a big pile of sticks and logs to help the stump burn. Once the fire was going, marshmallows were found and roasted. No better way to spend time together.
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It’s been a tough few weeks on the farm. We got It’s been a tough few weeks on the farm. We got through shearing without a hitch (thankfully 🙏) but we’ve had a run of the flu followed by Covid run through the family since then. The kids and I have tested positive (this is my second time getting it 🦠) though so far C has managed to avoid it. There has been a lot of lying on the couch feeling pretty ordinary. Han had to reschedule her driving test for a 4th time due to Covid, which is disappointing for her because she wants her freedom and for us because it would be so much more convenient if she could drive herself places. Just to add in to the mix, our hot water system has chosen now as a good time to die so we’re on cold showers until we’re all out of iso. This is not meant to be a whinging post but sometimes life just sucks a bit and it’s good to be real. Fortunately, the sight of the fire going with a stack of wood next to it cheers us up. Things will improve soon. Onwards we go…

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City girl turned farmer's wife, school teacher, ideas woman, and mum to three country kids. Country Life Experiment is all about simple country living, growing and making our own food, and life on our family farm in rural Australia. Join me as I give country living a try. Read more...
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