Freezing Herbs with Hefty Slider Bags
With summer comes a full set of herb plants on our deck. I don’t start by planting huge bushes of herbs, but they certainly grow into huge bushes of herbs by the time we hit the end of June. I do my best to use them nightly, adding them to just about everything I make, but sometimes I just can’t keep up. So, to preserve their delicious freshness, I freeze the herbs and use them all winter long when my herb pot is long gone. (For the record, I try to keep my herbs going all winter long, but there usually isn’t enough sunlight.) This may sound complicated but I can assure you it is not – freezing herbs is so easy!
Here is how I freeze herbs in simple Hefty Slider Bags. This works well for Rosemary, Basil, Sage, Thyme, Lemon Thyme, Oregano, Mint, Parsley, Cilantro, Tarragon:
1. Pluck the full herb leaf or sprig (like rosemary) and rinse it well in warm water. Pat the herbs dry with a kitchen towel and lay them as flat as possible on a clean kitchen towel until they dry completely.
2. Label your bags with a sharpie pen and use big bold letters (so much easier to read once the bag has been frozen!). Place the herbs inside their designated bags and use your hands to sandwich as much air out of the bag as possible. Place the bag flat in the freezer and you are done!
3. When you want to use your frozen herbs, simply retrieve some of the herbs from your bag, thaw, and use!
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Nice! Every summer I grow my favorite herbs (cilantro+basil!!) because it’s so much easier and cheaper than buying them but I’d never thought of freezing them before. Great idea, now I will be set next winter
Just started my own herb garden–perfect timing for this post! thanks so much!
I grow sage (which is awesome in Thanksgiving stuffing!) and this will be perfect way to have “fresh” sage this fall!
Great idea!! I always use herbs over the summer to make guacamole, so I’m glad I can store these herbs now to use later on!
I always feel like my wife’s herbs grow like crazy at the end of the summer. I hate for them to go to waste, so I’ll definitely have to keep this in mind.
All these great ideas for hefty bags is seriously making me consider starting my own herb garden!
I wouldn’t imagine cilantro retaining that fresh, clean taste after a few weeks in the freezer, but seeing that it’s getting to the end of the season, it looks like I have no choice!
I suppose if it comes down to throwing them away or freezing them, you might as well freeze them.