HomeMy WebLinkAboutLakeshore Advance, 2013-12-04, Page 5Wednesday, December 4, 2013 • Lakeshure Advance 5
Herbs and roses
Mark Cullen
1 was in my garden last weekend doing the 'dig and
divide' Watusi when it suddenly struck me. Like a
lightning bolt 1 realised that the herbs that 1 loved and
nurtured over the summer are, for the most part, still
standing and looking pretty good. Notwithstanding
the sorry -looking frost -tender basil, which looks like
the air has been taken out of its tires; other herbs are
standing up waiting for me to find some useful pur-
'ose for them in the kitchen.
' It is time to cut and dry many of the herbs that you
grew this season. 'ihe best herbs for drying are bay,
marjoram, inint, oregano, rosemary, sage, and thyme.
It was while digging out a bushel -sized clump of mint
that 1 realised my nearly -missed opportunity. Rather
than throw the excess on the compost, I will cut stems
and leaves and lay them out on a screen 11 use my
compost sieve but any screen will doj. Place them in a
cool (not freezing), well -ventilated place out of direct
sun. Your garage would work nicely.
This 'group of 7' herbs lend themselves well to dry-
ing in this way as they are heavy with essential oils,
the sante oils that produce the flavours we enjoy.
Once dried, this flavour is so concentrated that you
will use one half to one third of them as you would
fresh [with the exception of bay).
You can tie up these herbs and hang small sprigs of
them in the same dark, cool, and well -ventilated
place. Within four to five weeks they will be ready for
use.
Other Ilerbs
There are other herbs in your garden that can lw
preserved, just not dried. 'These herbs lose their fla-
vour and aroma from their essential oils as they dry,
but they can he frozen. Basil, chives, cilantro, dill,
parsley and tarragon will retain their flavour but will
lose their texture once frozen.
You can cut sprigs when clean and dry (not 'dried'
but without water on them). Pack thein in airtight
containers or food storage bags and place them in the
freezer for up to 6 months, after which their flavour
will have disappeared.
Alternatively, you can chop up these herbs and
pack thein into ice cube trays and freeze them. A third
alternative is to puree herbs in a blender with olive oil
inake a thick paste. Freeze the liquid in ice -cube
. ,tys or food storage bags.
Bring Indoors
If you have herbs growing in containers out of
doors, you can bring them indoors for a period of
time. I urge you to use them often by cutting young
growth for use in the kitchen. But keep in mind that
they will dry up, become mealy -bug infested and/or
die right before your eyes as our days become shorter
and natural light Tess intense. That is, unless you have
a greenhouse or if you store your potted herbs under
grow lights. Rosemary, tarragon, thyme and lavender
will look good for it period of time but, due to their
natural demand for high Tight, will quickly begin to
decline.
Starting herbs
The best time of year to start herbs from seed is Tate
winter/early spring when days are getting longer and
the sun stronger. '[here is no bad time of year to buy
herb seeds, but the fresh 2014 stock will arrive at
retailers in early January. We'll talk more about seed
starting in the New Year.
Mark Cullen appears on Canada AM every Wednesday morning at 8:40. He is spokesperson for Home Hardware Lawn and Garden. Sign
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