DIRECTIONS
1) dry whole 3-6 inch sprigs on a tray in the refrigerator - takes 1-3 weeks, store in bags or jars in a dark cool place - do not crumble herbs until you are ready to cook with them for better, longer-lasting flavor
2) with particularly woody stems, save the stems, dried and use for flavoring foods:
a) savory herb stems such as rosemary, basil, oregano, basil can be bundled together, or used separately to flavor sauces, stews and soups - as with bay leaves, remove after cooking.
b) fruity or sweet herbs (mint, pineapple sage, scented geraniums) can be used to flavor drinks, or as stirrers (a dried mint stem will flavor coffee or tea)
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3) make pre-pestos for freezing in small batches or refrigerated for short term use — grind herb leaves, soft stems and flowers (not seeds) with sufficient oil of choice to make a paste — if refrigerating add a thin layer of oil to top of each jar of paste to prevent oxidation. - DO NOT add garlic, nuts, or cheese until ready to prepare food.
4) make herb vinegars - mix by volume 1:4 herb to vinegar (ex: 1 cup loose packed, rinsed herb to 4 cups of vinegar). Try different combinations of herbs to vinegars. Use sterile jars without metal caps (or cover with plastic wrap and then cap). Set aside, shake every couple of days, test in 4 weeks for flavor. Most herb vinegars get ‘sweeter/mellow' with aging. The herbs leach their color and essence into the vinegar. Strain, fill new sterile bottles with your new herb vinegar (Tip: micromesh coffee filters work very well to remove the last of micro-particles from the vinegar).
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