I’d like to think that I got my green thumb from my mother, a master gardener and my father, a forester! However, since I currently live in a condo-it can make using the green thumb a little tough. I have a patio that’s about 10 x 15 feet and from Spring till late Fall I can be found on the patio. Also on the patio is a bistro table set, bird bath, bird feeder, humming bird feeder, Day lily’s, Zinnia’s, Cherry Tomato plant and an extensive herb plant collection.
While the flowers are beautiful-my garden herbs are functional for cooking and baking and is pennies on the dollar for what the same herbs would cost fresh in a store! Every spring I look forward to the garden centers bringing out their new plants-thus signaling Spring has officially arrived! I typically grow Rosemary, Parsley, Sage, Thyme, Mint, Oregano, Basil, Chives, and Lavender. Because my kitchen is close to the patio, when I am cooking I’m able to quickly cut some Parsley or Rosemary to add to my dishes.
This fall before the first freeze I looked out at my patio and wondered what to do with my Herb plants? I had recently done some shopping at Aldi and picked up Herb shears and some Olive Oil and decided to freeze the cut herb’s, so I was able to use them cooking out of season.
I was able to purchase what I needed at Aldi, which is one of my latest favorite places to shop! (They have some pretty great deals!) I was able to find herb scissors, Olive Oil and a silicone container to freeze the herbs and Olive Oil in.
*Please note that Aldi has a lot of seasonal products that are not available year-round-so when you see a good deal there-be sure to grab it-you might not see it again! *
Steps for how I preserved my garden herbs in Olive Oil:
- I cut my herbs down to the soil as there was a freeze warning for that night-no better time than the present?
- I rinsed off all the herbs to make sure I wasn’t bringing in any friends (bugs) or anything else yucky and let them dry on paper towels before cutting them up so they would not clump together.
- Next, I separated the leaves from the branches or stalks as I only needed the tender pieces of leaves. I used the Herb scissors to dice up the leaves into very fine pieces so there were no clumps or large leaves left.
- I filled the silicone container slots about ½ full of Olive Oil and dropped in pinches of the cut herbs and put the silicone container into the freezer until frozen solid (1-2 hours).
- Lastly, I popped out the frozen Olive Oil and Herb mixture and stored them in a freezer in a freezer container for handy use when I am cooking.
