Save it for later when you can savor the flavor. Homegrown herbs can be harvested now and dried (or frozen) for later use.
Photo by L.A. Jackson
With autumn approaching the garden gate, it’s time to bid farewell to all the tasty goodies that have been coming out of the herb patch. Or is it?
There are several ways to extend your herbal harvest through the winter, starting with what I call The Ice Cube Trick: Finely cut up some of the special herbs you have grown to add more zip to soups and stews, place them in an ice tray, fill with water and freeze. Simple. After the cubes solidify, put them in sealed bags so they won’t take on that nasty freezer taste while in cold storage. Then, when you are brewing a bubbly dish, just plop in a cube or two for extra flavoring.
If you want to try your hand at drying herbs, tie up small bundles of picked herb sprigs that have been washed and patted dry, and hang them upside down in a warm spot indoors but not in direct sunlight. In about two weeks, check to see if they are crackling dry, and if so, take them down for storage.
For go-go millennial types who like fast results, herbs can also be dried in the microwave oven. Place the herbs (with or without stems) between two paper towels and nuke ’em at full power for one minute. Turn the leaves over and microwave for another minute or until the leaves turn brittle.
To prevent fresh air from robbing flavor from dried herbs, store them in airtight jars or plastic bags. Light can also take some of the tasty twang from these saved seasonings, so tuck the containers in a cool, dark place such as a cabinet or food closet. Properly stored dried herbs will easily retain their tastiness until the garden gets back into full growing mode next spring.
Some herbs—chives, basil, parsley, tarragon, fennel and dill, in particular—tend to hold their flavors better if they are frozen rather than dried. Pick and wash sprigs the same way you would if you were going to dry them, and then, either with or without stems, put the herbal helpers into airtight plastic bags or freezer containers and chuck ’em in the ol’ icebox. Then, when you need special seasonings for culinary creations this winter, just thaw them out or add frozen herbs while the meals are cooking, and enjoy!
September in the Garden
- Ornamental grasses should be coming into their pretty prime now, with many showing off dazzling inflorescences that can be used to add extra visual gusto to indoor arrangements this fall.
- Most lawn and garden centers now want to move out garden equipment to make room for holiday merchandise, so watch for sales on trimmers, tillers, mowers, weed eaters and other such outdoor handyman helpers.
- Strange, cobweb-like tents beginning to show up in your trees? No, they are not from giant spiders. Instead, they are fall webworms (actually caterpillars), which love to munch the leaves from trees. An easy way to control them is to rip open the tents to expose the webworms to eager predators such as birds and wasps.
Tip of the Month
If you added lots of new plants to your garden this year, it means you probably also accumulated plenty of plastic pots over the growing season. Since they can be useful for future planting projects, to store these handy containers, soak them in a solution of one part bleach to nine parts water for at least an hour. Then, wash with a brush or sponge and wipe dry. This extra autumn chore will help assure that the containers will be free of overwintering diseases, fungi and bad bug eggs that could spoil your potting garden party next spring.
L.A. Jackson is the former editor of Carolina Gardener magazine. Contact him at lajackson1@gmail.com.