Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat

Eating and Drinking => Cooking, Storing and Preserving => Topic started by: peanut on May 07, 2009, 22:12

Title: Freeze drying herbs
Post by: peanut on May 07, 2009, 22:12
How do you go about freeze drying herbs?  Is it just pick em and stick em in an airtight freezer bag or much more complicated?
Title: Re: Freeze drying herbs
Post by: mumofstig on May 07, 2009, 22:19
That's all i ever do with mine when you take them out if you're quick you can crumble them while they're still frozen. Otherwise you're chopping a soggy mess :(
I think the ones you buy freeze dried are a completely different process and wouldn't know where to start :unsure:
Title: Re: Freeze drying herbs
Post by: titch on May 07, 2009, 22:43
thats how i do mine too mos - also with chilis, when thye are reduced in the supermarket, freeze em whole for another time
Title: Re: Freeze drying herbs
Post by: Lady Lottie on May 07, 2009, 22:50
I haven't actually got around to growing any herbs yet... :blush: but I buy fresh from the supermarket and stick 'em straight in the freezer - basil, coriander, parsley...as MOS said, you don't even have to chop - just crush them up in your hands or in the bag and chuck 'em in whatever it is your cooking - its a great way to use them I think  :)
Title: Re: Freeze drying herbs
Post by: alwayshopeful on May 08, 2009, 13:45
If you are worried about just sticking them straight in the freezer, try chopping them up and adding them to ice cube trays with a bit of water.  Then you can just pop and add to soups, stews, etc whenever you need one  :)
Title: Re: Freeze drying herbs
Post by: HLS on May 08, 2009, 14:26
I just use straight from frozen (crumble if a small amount, chop bits off a bunch if a large amount).  It's not the same texture as either fresh or dried but the taste is more like the fresh leaf than the dried.
Title: Re: Freeze drying herbs
Post by: peanut on May 08, 2009, 19:31
Very helpful, thanks all
Title: Re: Freeze drying herbs
Post by: Lady Lottie on May 08, 2009, 22:16
I just use straight from frozen (crumble if a small amount, chop bits off a bunch if a large amount).  It's not the same texture as either fresh or dried but the taste is more like the fresh leaf than the dried.

Yes, spot on - and you have to be quick before is defrosts and goes all gloopy! :D
Title: Re: Freeze drying herbs
Post by: barney rubble on May 09, 2009, 15:24
That's all i ever do with mine when you take them out if you're quick you can crumble them while they're still frozen. Otherwise you're chopping a soggy mess :(
I think the ones you buy freeze dried are a completely different process and wouldn't know where to start :unsure:
Yes its a very different process and usually involves blasting them with freezing air (or so I'm led to believe). Think you need lots of expensive equipment to do it.....   I'd stick to a quick crumble  ::)
Title: Re: Freeze drying herbs
Post by: Riala on May 12, 2009, 01:23
I was going to stick mine in small amounts in ice cube trays with water... sort of frozen cubed herbs.

As suggested by alwayshopeful.