Harvesting, Drying and Freezing Herbs

For the fullest flavor, harvest herbs before they flower. If you’ve been harvesting stems all season, your herbs have probably not had the chance to flower. However, by late summer, even the herbs that haven’t flowered will start to decline as the weather cools. This is a good time to begin harvesting and preserving your herbs.
Cut branches mid-morning, after the early morning dew has dried but before plants are wilting in the afternoon sun.
Use sharp pruners or garden scissors and cut stem at a 45 degree angle.
Do not cut the entire plant back unless you plan on replacing it. You should never cut more than 2/3 of the plant or more than 1/3 of the plant’s branches at one time.
Use only healthy leaves and stems. Any that have dried on the plant, have yellowed or show signs of disease should be disposed.

What You’ll Need

How to Dry Fresh Herbs

After cutting stems, remove any dry, yellowed or diseased leaves. Shake stems to remove any soil and insects.
Make sure stems are dry. If necessary, rinse with cool water and gently pat dry with a paper towel. Wet herbs will mold and rot if not dried quickly.
Remove lower leaves from the last inch of the stem.
Bundle 4-6 stems together and tie the ends with string or rubber bands for hanging. As the herbs dry, they will shrink and your ties will loosen around them, so check periodically and tighten your ties as needed.
Cut air holes in a paper bag. If drying more than one type of herb, label bags to keep track of what’s in each bag.
Place herb bundles upside down in bags. Make sure that the bags aren’t crowded; herbs need good airflow in order to dry. Tie the ends of your bundles and the opening of the bag with string or rubber bands.
Hang bags in a warm, dry location and monitor, if any herbs begin to mold or rot, immediately throw away the entire bundle before it can spread. On average, it takes 7-10 days for herbs to dry.

How to Store Dry Herbs

Once herbs are dried, remove from bags and remove the string or rubber bands. Discard any stems that are unusable.
Store herbs in an airtight container. Small canning jars, Tupperware or Ziplock bags work nicely. You can store whole stems or just the leaves. Dried herbs retain more flavor if their leaves are stored whole and crushed when they are being used.
After labeling and dating your containers store them in a cool, dry location away from direct sunlight.

Using Dried Herbs

1 teaspoon of a dried herb is equal to 1 tablespoon of fresh.
Dried herbs are best if used within 1 year. Keep an eye on the color of your herbs, as the color begins to fade so does the flavor.

What You’ll Need

How to Freeze Herbs

After cutting stems, remove any dry, yellowed or diseased leaves. Shake stems to remove any soil and insects. If needed, rinse and dry with paper towels.
Remove leaves from stems and lay flat on a tray or cookie sheet.
Set in freezer and freeze for 6 hours or overnight.
Once frozen, removed from tray and place in Ziplock bag labeled with herb variety and the date.

Using Frozen Herbs

What You’ll Need

How to Freeze Herbs in Oil or Butter

After cutting stems, remove any dry, yellowed or diseased leaves. Shake stems to remove any soil and insects. If needed, rinse and dry with paper towels.
Mix herbs with oil of your choice or butter to make a paste. You can chop up your herbs before you mix them with the butter or oil.
Add paste for ice cube tray and freeze for at least 4 hours or overnight.
Store your herb cubes in Ziplock Bags labeled with the herb and the date.

Using Herbs Frozen in Butter or Oil

Remove a cube from the freezer and toss into a pan to melt.
Cook with meat, veggies or pasta.
Mix herbs together before freezing for delicious flavor combos like basil and oregano or rosemary and thyme.