Experience and taste herbs in a variety of ways

In addition to the sun, summer also includes the unique scent of fresh herbs . The aromatic plants taste best when harvested directly and are a real taste explosion compared to frozen herbs. Well-known classics such as basil, rosemary and thyme give meat and vegetable dishes as well as salads and dips an incomparable taste experience.

Mint leaves , for example, add a special touch to summer drinks . Whether enjoyed as an accompaniment to cocktails or as a tea, fresh from the garden to the kitchen, summer drinks can be easily created. Enjoy the unique aroma now and experience the huge variety of different flavors.

But the tasty plants usually grow so lushly that it is impossible to eat them freshly. For many herbs, however, regular harvesting or pruning is important in order to be able to grow bushy.

But what to do with the aromatic leaves, blossoms and twigs from your own garden? Take the aroma with you into winter and now preserve the taste of summer. The best-known method of preserving herbs is drying , but not all herbs are ideal for preserving them. We will show you which type of preservation goes best with basil, oregano and co.

Herb recipesHere you come to delicious recipes. Get to know the versatility of herbs. Our instructions are ideal for copying. Enjoy your meal!

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Ways of preserving herbs:

1. Drying — ideal for tea herbs such as lemon balm, peppermint, sage and lemon verbena, as well as aromatic herbs such as rosemary, thyme, oregano and savory. Air-drying Mediterranean herbs is one of the most popular storage options to preserve the best flavor. To preserve them, you should carefully wash your fresh herbs and shake them to remove dust . Don’t forget to pat the branches dry. For example, their branches can be tied into small bundles with twineand hung in a warm, sheltered from the wind and at the same time dark place. Direct sunlight should be avoided, otherwise the dried herbs will burn, no longer taste good and can then no longer be consumed. After drying, you can store and enjoy your dried herbs. If you want a faster solution, you can dry your basil gently in the dehydrator or in the oven, for example. This process is much faster, but should be done at the lowest possible temperature to preserve the essential oils. When drying in the oven, you should leave the oven door ajar. Set your oven to 30 to a maximum of 50 degrees .

2. Preserve in vinegar or oil — well suited for delicate herbs such as basil or sage and rosemary. For this method, the fresh herbs are stored in a clean and airtight container such as a glass bottle or small jars. The preferred dark bottle is filled with any oil. If you want an intense aroma, use just enough oil to cover the crop. Rapeseed oil or a neutral-tasting olive oil is often used, depending on which flavored oils you want. A bottle of aromatic oil is also a nice gift. It is best to place the bottles in a cool place out of direct sunlight.

3. Freeze — great for parsley, basil, chives and tarragon. With this method of preservation, the essential oils, the taste and the aroma are largely preserved — depending on the type of herb. For this purpose, the harvest is carefully washed under cold water, dabbed dry and prepared for the preservation process. You can then chop all the leaves and twigs and place the chopped herbs in a freezer bag. We recommend using the frozen herbs within a year. Frozen basil is great for pesto. Our tip: fill portions into an ice cube tray, cover with a little water and freeze. In this way, the entire cube can be removed later and added to the cooking.

4. Make herb salt – good for celery, lovage, dill, parsley, tarragon, chervil and other herbs. With this method, a salt is made from different herbs, so you can make any herbal salt you like, according to your taste.

5. Syrup — ideal for lemon balm leaves, stevia and woodruff. Herbs, water and sugar are boiled and strained after 1 day. This is how simple and quickly refreshing spritzers are created , which are made from natural and high-quality ingredients.

6. Pesto — a tasty twist to capture the flavor and enjoy for longer. Known primarily as a basil pesto made from aromatic basil leaves , but also possible as a specialty with tarragon, parsley, wild garlic or mint. The pesto produced can usually be stored in the refrigerator for several weeks. Now make your basil or even more special varieties like Thai basil last a long time by making a delicious pesto.

Now is the time when you can draw on all herbs from the full . With sun and sufficient water, the aromatic plants grow well and the harvest for the winter can begin. Whether freezing, drying or pickling — with the right method you can make your herb garden durable.

With our tips you get the highest content of valuable ingredients:

1. Harvest only leaves, shoots or entire branches from healthy plants.
2. Ideally, harvest is late in the morning. The herbs are no longer dewy and the ingredients are at their highest.
3. Sharp, clean pruning shears are best for harvesting — ideally special herb shears. It is important that you cut and not crush.
4. The spicy crop is thinly placed in a flat basket or box.
5. Observe the correct harvest time. Thyme, lemon balm and sage are harvested shortly before flowering and oregano, wormwood and basil have the highest active ingredient content during flowering.
6.In order to get as much flavor and ingredients as possible, it is best to only harvest small quantities and process them immediately.

A rich supply of preserved herbs is a pleasure and lets you enjoy the power and special aroma of summer many months later.

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Blog posts about herbsHere you will find our blog posts about herbs. Have fun!

Blog posts about: Herbs

Sowing calendar for herbsSee the overview of when you can plant and harvest your herbs.

Sowing calendar for herbs