It’s garden season! For those of you who are growing herbs, it can be tricky to keep up with all of them! Although the trainers at Renovo are ALWAYS accepting donations of foods of any kind, here are some other ways to preserve your herbs when they get out of hand.
1) Make herb-oil cubes. Fill an ice cube tray with whatever cooking oil you prefer and submerge your herbs in the oil, then pop them into your freezer! When you are ready to cook, pop a cube out into your pot or pan for sautéing, drop into a soup, or thaw completely to use in a salad dressing. Suggested herbs to use: rosemary, sage, oregano, and thyme.
2) For a similar effect, you can make herb-infused oil. Drop a few springs of your favorite herbs into a jar of olive oil that has a good seal. Let sit for 1-2 weeks. Now you have ready to drizzle, infused oil for bread, salads, marinades, whatever!
3) Make herb-infused vodka for a fun spin on your cocktails! Add 3-4 springs to a jar and pour vodka over the herbs. Put the lid on and shake well. Let sit for 3-4 days. After the 4th day you’ll want to sample the vodka every day until you reach the desired flavor level. Then remove herbs and enjoy! Suggested herbs: mint, lavender, basil, thyme. Use in vodka sodas, Tom Collins, Gimlets, etc.
And of course, you can always dry them! But give some of these a shot and see if they aren’t more exciting than dried herbs!