Guide

How to use your surplus herbs

18.7.2018

Translation: machine translated

There's nothing better than manoeuvring fresh herbs straight from the balcony or garden into the cooking pot. But especially now in summer, you can hardly keep up with harvesting. A few leaves of basil on your Bolognese is no longer enough. You need options.

My balcony offers little space. A small table, two chairs and containers for aluminium, glass and PET recycling are spread over the few square metres. The only thing I really enjoy are my plant boxes. They don't take up much space as they either hang from the ceiling or are attached to the railings. My boxes are full of herbs: mint, basil, oregano, chives, parsley and coriander give my balcony the greenery it needs. But of course, they are not primarily intended as decoration, but for the kitchen.

The purest usury

I love to pop out onto the balcony to grab a bunch of fresh herbs when I'm cooking. It makes my dishes and my hands smell so much better. I'm never afraid to harvest the bushes completely. It seems to me that the herbs grow by the second. The mint in particular grows like a weed. I can't even prepare that much taboulé - my favourite "mint dish". For every mint leaf I harvest, five must grow back.

I'm swimming in herbs and can't keep up with the harvest! I know, that sounds like complaining on an extraordinarily high level. But it only sounds like it. Because I've had my moaning exorcised before I've even taken the first step. I would describe it more as a cry for help. I don't want the good herbs to simply die miserably. They should be used for their intended purpose and give me pleasure. Besides, I'm certainly not the only one who feels this way. So I got "creative" and thought of a few ways to utilise herbs
.

Drying

Everyone knows the spice jars with dried herbs and most people will probably have a few in their kitchen. They are handy for quickly spicing up a pizza or herb quark. Instead of buying dried spices from the shop, you can easily make them yourself from your surplus harvest. Air-drying is by far the gentlest method. Pick the herbs with the stems early in the morning. The plant should be dry, so it must not have rained during the night. Then gather into a bundle, shake out a little and tie together with a string. Hang upside down in a dry, shady, airy place such as a garden shed or in the loft. After about three to four days, the process is complete and you can pack the herbs into an airtight container. Or fill a bag with dried lavender and hang it up somewhere in your home. Just like grandma at home.

The place for your herbs should be dry and shady.

Freezing

I'm a fan of the freezer. Leftovers, 50% purchases and grated cheese have a longer life in there. And your herbs can also be frozen and used when needed. To do this, pick, wash, pat dry and chop the herbs. Freeze immediately after chopping, otherwise some of the flavour will be lost. Freezer bags or small tins are suitable for freezing. This will keep the herbs for up to 12 months. Basil and coriander can also be frozen as whole leaves. With oregano and thyme, however, it is better to dry them as they lose most of their flavour in the freezer.

Herbs can also be frozen using a normal ice cube tray.

Pesto

For a long time, I only had pesto from a jar. Cooking pasta and topping it with a few spoonfuls was enough to satisfy my hunger. However, the surplus of basil made me realise that it's not that difficult to make the green sauce yourself. What's more, you don't have to limit yourself to basil, coriander, wild garlic or parsley also work well. Or you can make a mixed herb pesto and mix basil, oregano and thyme. For a good "pesto alla genovese" you need:

Basil
cold-pressed olive oil
Parmigiano Reggiano
Pecorino sardo
Pine nuts
A small clove of garlic
a pinch of coarse salt

Combine everything except the cheese and then either grind in a mortar and pestle, in a blender or with a hand blender. Then add the two cheeses and blend again. Your own pesto is ready!

Flavoured oil

Olive oil is all well and good, but a little pimping makes it even better. And the flavoured oils also make a great gift. What's even better is that it's incredibly quick to make. Simply put the herbs of your choice in a sealable glass bottle and top up with good olive oil. In addition to the herbs, you can also add other ingredients. I like it spicy, so I usually add a little chilli to the mixture. But it also tastes good with garlic and citrus fruits.

You can add almost anything to your olive oil.

Herb butter

Grills are omnipresent at this time of year. The smell of meat hangs in the air. The only thing missing is homemade herb butter running down your steak. It can of course also be spread on corn on the cob or a baguette. The butter is ready before you have to turn your food for the first time. Simply mix soft butter with chopped herbs of your choice, garlic and a little salt and mix with a fork. If you like, you can also add lemon juice. Chill the mixture until ready to eat.

This is roughly how it looks in my kitchen. Except that my decoration consists of lost butter.

As you can see, it's relatively easy to use up your surplus herb harvest. The homemade version is often better than the one from the supermarket. This is because you can choose the ingredients to suit your own taste.

Storage containers

Lock & Lock Classic

Kitchen gadgets

CHF22.90

Schwarz Kitchen Mortar

Packaging materials

CHF8.42

Bächi-Cord Cord Flurospun

1 Piece

Storage containers

Lock & Lock Classic

Kitchen gadgets

CHF22.90

Schwarz Kitchen Mortar

Packaging materials

CHF8.42

Bächi-Cord Cord Flurospun

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Carolin Teufelberger

Editor

carolin.teufelberger@digitecgalaxus.ch

My life in a nutshell? On a quest to broaden my horizon. I love discovering and learning new skills and I see a chance to experience something new in everything – be it travelling, reading, cooking, movies or DIY.

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