'Tis the Season to Dry Herbs

Herb Drying Rack on kitchen north wall

 Well, my herbs are drying nicely on their various drying racks in the kitchen. I ran out of room on my first rack (the one with umbrella like arms that swing up and out when in use).

So far I've hung Basil, Lemon Basil, Thyme, Rosemary, Oregano, and Sage. I added one sprig of parsley even though parsley doesn't dry well. I will leave it a few days until there's no moisture and then I'll freeze it in plastic ziplock bags.

Since I have many more herbs ready to harvest, this morning I had hubs pull two of our antique hook racks out of storage and hang them for me in the kitchen. There's not a lot of room on them but I can get almost a dozen more bunches of herbs up using them. 

Herb drying rack on kitchen west wall

I can hardly wait to store these for use all winter long.  I keep my dried herbs in green glass containers in a dark pantry so they don't lose any potency or flavour.

My coriander has flowered now I just have to wait for the flowers to turn brown. Then I can shake the fruit off and store that too. I've never dried coriander before so this is new for me.

I can't get cilantro plants where I live so I bought a bunch of fresh cilantro in the grocery store. I know I can chop the leaves and freeze them in ice cube trays for use.

I love cilantro and have begun using it a lot in my cooking. It's wonderful with tomato-based dishes, eggs, avacado... and much more.

But I can never use the entire bunch you have to buy! In fact I use about 1/100th of it and the rest gets thrown out. What a shame! So I'm going to try the ice-cube tray method and see if I like it. Unfortunately I have no ice cube trays so I'm using small cream cheese containers with lids. Fingers crossed!

Chopped Cilantro in Water

Just chop the cilantro and put one portion (I used a tablespoon) in an ice cube tray or small container, then add enough cold water to just cover the leaves. Freeze and when you are ready to use the cilantro in a recipe, toss the whole thing in, water and all!