Clean herbs before freezing to
rinse off any chemicals.

Wash the herbs and pat them dry, spread them in a single layer on a pan, and put them in the freezer.

 

Chop herbs into preferred sizes
before freezing.

Chop chives and lemongrass before you freeze them. These herbs are thin and will freeze within minutes.

 

Resealable freezer bags are handy
for freezing herbs.

Put them into labeled, sealed containers and keep them in the freezer. Push all the air out of plastic containers before sealing them. In most cases, you don't need to thaw these herbs before you use them.

Another tasty way to freeze herbs is to make a paste by mixing 1/3 cup of oil with 2 cups of herbs in a blender until smooth. The paste freezes beautifully in sealed jars or in ice cube trays that are thoroughly wrapped to make them airtight. The paste will also keep for about a week in the refrigerator. In winter, retrieve a frozen paste to give a fresh taste to your dishes. Herbs that are good candidates for grinding into pastes include basil, chervil, cilantro, coriander, dill, fennel, marjoram, mint, parsley, rosemary, sage, savory, and tarragon.

Herbs can also be frozen to make decorative ice cubes for party drinks. Freeze strawberries and their leaves, mint sprigs, and woodruff sprigs into an ice ring or block. Boil the water first to make it clear. Once it has cooled, fill the bottom of the mold with the boiled water and freeze. Arrange the herbs you plan to freeze, then continue adding water until the mold is filled.

Some herbs will keep their flavor when frozen. Simply clean the leaves, dry them, and put them in sealed plastic bags (remove all the air before sealing) or another airtight container. Try these herbs:

basil borage chives dill (better frozen than dried) lemongrass mint oregano sage savory (both winter and summer) sorrel (better than dried) sweet woodruff tarragon thyme