How To Harvest and Preserve Your Garden Herbs

Before you throw your hands up and figure that herb season is over with the first frost, read these tips on how to harvest herbs, and clever ways to preserve them so you have fresh from the garden flavor all year long.

1. Drying Herbs

Drying herbs is pretty self explanatory, but the most space intensive way to preserve herbs. If you choose this route, you must have a warm, dry indoor area to hang the herbs. Hang them in small bunches, cover them to keep them clean, and when dry, strip the leaves off the branches and seal in bags or jars. Make sure they are crispy dry before you seal them up. You can also dry herbs in the microwave or a food dehydrator. Check out this great tutorial from ‘Food52’ on how to dry your herbs. Nice photos below from James Ransom.

2. Freezing in Water

Freezing fresh herbs in ice cube trays is pure genius as in this idea from Ladies Health Magazine. Simply pop the ice cubes straight into the cooking pot. You can also simply place chopped herbs into a ziploc bag, squeeze out all the air, and freeze. Break off a piece when needed.