Parsley, the herb I use most frequently, is rarely on my shopping list these days. I can’t remember the last time I bought canned tomatoes, probably about 20 years ago. It’s no coincidence that it has been around that long since my garlic harvest started sprouting in storage, making it unusable. The freezer has become my food-preservation superhero, allowing me to store homegrown ingredients year-round and reduce food waste.
Perhaps you can relate. You find yourself wanting some cilantro to add to black beans, or parsley or chives for a frittata or omelet, but there’s none available, especially outside of the gardening season. That’s where my freezing experiments began, with the desire to have fresh green herbs on hand to enhance dishes or elevate tonight’s salad dressing.
Now, you’ll find various herbs frozen in bags and jars in the freezer above my refrigerator. I always keep a gallon bag of vegetable trimmings, including onion ends, peels, and carrot tops, which I use to make vegetable stock. I also keep the mostly scooped-out skin of roasted Butternut squash, which adds sweetness to the broth. My motto is “waste not, want not”, and I take it to the extreme.
Here are three methods for freezing green herbs. While defrosted herbs may not be ideal substitutes in every situation, they work well as ingredients in many recipes. Rinse the herbs before freezing and dry them in a salad spinner or on dish towels. Remove the desired portions from the stems. For many herbs, I’ve had success simply storing the leaflets in double-layered freezer bags with the air expressed. I chop and store chives in four-ounce canning jars. Another method is to purée the herbs in a food processor with a little olive oil and freeze them in ice cube trays. These cubes can be easily stored in bags. A dollop of defrosted cilantro adds a treat to winter squash garam masala soup. You can also make a pesto with garlic and grated cheese and freeze it. While some worry that herbs frozen with additional ingredients won’t taste as fresh after a month or two, I disagree. Water-based cubes are another option. Add a little liquid when puréeing the herbs or press the chopped leaves into ice cube trays and cover them with water. Let your desired use of the herb determine which method and ingredients you choose.
For some herbs, like basil, an olive oil base seems to work best, while it may not be the right choice for mints. I freeze some herbs, like parsley, in more than one form. I make pesto cubes and also create “parsley logs”. To make the logs, I stuff whole leaflets into a sandwich-size bag, forming a dense log-shaped mass. I seal the bag tightly and reinforce it with rubber bands. I slice a disk or two from the log when needed and then reseal and return it to the freezer. Compressed herbs like cilantro, chives, and dill are easy to chop later if desired. Other possibilities for freezing include garlic scapes, arugula, sorrel, ginger, lemongrass, and scallions.
When it comes to freezing garlic, softneck garlic varieties generally have a longer storage life than hardneck garlic. I peel the individual cloves and lightly coat them with olive oil before freezing them in glass canning jars. I’ve also minced garlic or made a paste in the food processor with olive oil and frozen the mixture as cubes. However, I find that whole cloves are the most versatile. They can go straight from the freezer into an oiled pan and roast beautifully, imparting a sweet and savory flavor. I store net bags of garlic at a cooler temperature than before to prolong their shelf life. Any onions that show signs of sprouting are immediately chopped and frozen.
Using the freezer has been a game-changer for me. I no longer need to can large batches of applesauce and tomato sauce. Instead, I freeze them in jars, which allows for easy storage and access. I also make what I call “Tomato Junk”, a mixture of tomatoes, herbs, and other vegetables that can be used in soups, stews, or chili. The possibilities are endless, depending on what ingredients are available. To make your own Tomato Junk, sauté onion and garlic in olive oil, then add tomato wedges.