A fresh cup of herbal tea, a quick herb-based infusion, or a decoction, Mother Nature has given us an abundance of green herbs that serve many purposes. We love using them for their holistic benefits, presence of antioxidants and their therapeutic properties. However, sometimes herbs and spices may not be at our disposal specifically the rare and off-season ones. Hence, it is a good idea to preserve them for future use. Preserving herbs is a fantastic way to capture their flavors and enjoy them later. Drying or boiling freshly picked herbs extends their shelf life significantly and helps them last for months or even years.
Also Read: 5 Mighty Healing Herbs That Promote Overall Health-Infographic
Why Should You Preserve Herbs?
Preserving herbs offers numerous benefits the most important one extending their shelf life besides maintaining their nutritional value and flavour. By drying or freezing herbs, you get a steady supply of fresh flavours and essential nutrients year-round, even when herbs are out of season. Apart from flavour enhancement, it maximizes the health benefits of herbs.
Here are the top five reasons that may prompt you to preserve these greens:
Longevity: By drying herbs or boiling them, you can use them over a longer period, reducing the number of herbs that might otherwise go to waste.
Availability: Dried herbs are readily available at any time, regardless of the season. This means you can enjoy your favourite herbs even when they are out of season or not readily accessible.
Intensity: Drying or boiling herbs concentrates their flavours, so you may use smaller amounts in cooking or baking while still achieving a strong herbal taste.
Variety: You can create unique blends of dried herbs to use in various dishes, which adds versatility to your cooking.
Storage: Dried herbs and herbal syrups take up less space compared to fresh herbs, making them easier to store.
Also Read: Kitchen Garden: 5 Health Reasons Why You Should Add These Herbs To Your Daily Diet- Infographic
How To Preserve Herbs?
An ideal way to keep herbs flavourful, delicious, and safe in the long run is to turn them into syrup. Check out the simplest herb preservation hack and make syrup from them:
Ingredients
- Fresh herbs. It can be a mix of mint, basil, thyme, or any standalone herb
- Granulated sugar
- Water
Method
- Wash the herbs thoroughly and let them become dry
- To make the herbal infusion, in a saucepan, bring water to a boil. Use 1 cup of water for one cup of fresh herbs
- Add them to the boiling water
- Simmer the herbs for about half an hour to extract their flavour
- After simmering, strain the herb infusion through a fine-mesh strainer or cheesecloth into a clean bowl
- Make sure to press out as much liquid as possible from the herbs.
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To Make Syrup
For one cup of herb-infused liquid, add 1 cup of granulated sugar. You can adjust the sugar quantity based on how sweet you want the syrup to be. Return the mixture to the saucepan and heat over medium heat, stirring constantly until the sugar is completely dissolved. Do not let it boil. Let the syrup cool to room temperature. Transfer the cooled syrup into a clean jar with a tight-fitting lid.
Additional Tips
- For a stronger flavour, increase the number of herbs in the infusion step
- For variations you can combine different herbs or add other flavourings like citrus zest or spices
- If you want to store syrup for a longer period, consider canning it or freezing it in ice cube trays for convenient portions
- Enjoy your homemade herb syrup in cocktails, mocktails, or maybe a sweetener for various dishes!
References:
- Culinary Herbs and Spices: Their Bioactive Properties, the Contribution of Polyphenols and the Challenges in Deducing Their True Health Benefits
Elizabeth I. Opara, and Magali Chohan
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4227268/
- https://www.ijrrjournal.com/IJRR_Vol.4_Issue.1_Jan2017/IJRR0017.pdf
