Harvesting, Cooking with and Preserving Herbs Harvesting
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Herbs Harvesting, cooking with Joseph A. Carroll Building 401 W. Hickory Street, Suite 112 Denton, TX 76201-9026 [email protected] and preserving herbs Phone: 940-349-2883 or Help Desk 940-349-2892 1 Herbs that grow well in North Texas Basil Bay Laurel Chives Cilantro Dill Fennel Garlic Lavender Lemon balm Sweet basil Lemon grass Lemon verbena Marjoram Mexican mint Mexican oregano Mint marigold Oregano Parsley Rosemary Sage Thyme Perennial (not Cool season Warm weather Perennial winter hardy, Mexican oregano annual annual comes back) 2 Lessons learned about growing herbs ▪ Rosemary is a shrub ▪ Do not plant fennel and dill near one another; cross pollination can occur ▪ Mint is a bully and should be grown in a container or secluded area ▪ Lemon balm produces off-shoots (even into the grass) that can be transplanted ▪ Lavender REALLY hates wet feet ▪ Onion chives behave much better than garlic chives 3 Lessons learned about growing herbs ▪ Harvest cilantro seeds (coriander); grind into powder to flavor foods or save to plant in the fall or next spring ▪ Place lemon balm in partial shade to keep leaves from burning ▪ Most herbs also do well in containers ▪ Lemon grass leaves can cut your hands, be careful ▪ One oregano or marjoram plant is enough Mexican mint marigold ▪ Most herbs grow more successfully from transplants than from seeds ▪ Try Mexican mint marigold in place of trying to keep French tarragon alive ▪ Basil is most productive if harvested frequently. Remove flowering stems to continue leaf growth ▪ Bay laurel needs some protection when temperatures dip below 25°F Lemon balm 4 Harvesting Herbs ▪ Begin harvesting an herb when the plant has at least a few inches of foliage. ➢Annuals: Up to 75% of the growth can be harvested at one time. ➢Perennials harvest only about 1/3 of leaf growth*. ▪ Herbs are most flavorful when picked in the morning Common culinary sage just after the dew has dried from the leaves. Sage--variegated ▪ Herbs, such as basil, grown for their foliage should be harvested before they flower because flowering can cause the leaves to develop an off-flavor. ▪ Stop harvesting perennial herbs about one month before the first frost date. Curly-leaf parsley 5 *http://extension.illinois.edu/herbs/tips.cfm Using Fresh or Dried Herbs in Recipes ▪ Fresh herbs are generally preferred for cooking and salad dressings. Not all herbs can take ▪ Culinary herbs, such as rosemary, thyme and oregano the heat are available from the garden almost all year in North • Add hearty herbs at the Texas. beginning of cooking to ▪ If recipe calls for dried herbs, add 3 times the specified optimize flavor amount when using fresh herbs. However, there are (Rosemary, thyme, bay, exceptions to the general rule. So, the best guide is your oregano, sage, marjoram) own taste. Start with a small amount of dried herb and • Add delicate herbs in the gradually increase. final minute of cooking or ▪ Store dried herbs in an airtight container in a cool, dark as a garnish (basil, space to retain flavor and fragrance. parsley, cilantro, dill, ▪ Dried herbs maintain some flavor for about 1 year.* mint, chives, tarragon) Fresh herbs for about 1 week if stored in refrigerator. “Harvesting and Preserving Herbs for the Home Gardener”, Department of Horticultural Science, North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service, North Carolina State University 6 Preparing Herbs for Cooking ▪ Fresh herbs keep their flavor for about 1 week to 10 days when stored in the refrigerator. Wrap stems in damp paper towel. ▪ Many herbs such as cilantro, basil and parsley store best when their stems are placed in a glass of 1 to 2 inches of water in the refrigerator. ▪ Remove leaves from stems. Wash and pat dry. For herbs on woody stems, grab the top of the stem with one hand and with the other hand move down the stem opposite the direction of growth to remove leaves. ▪ Leaves from soft stem herbs, like basil and cilantro, can be removed with scissors or by pulling against the stem in the direction of Sweet Basil growth. Note: Herbs may be sanitized in a mild bleach solution using 1 teaspoon household bleach per 6 cups of water. After dipping, rinse thoroughly under cold water and pat dry. (Colorado State University Extension Service). 7 Herb cooking tips ▪ Whole leaf herbs maintain flavor longer than ground herbs. Crumble the herb just before adding to cooking. ▪ Dried herbs require about 15 minutes to rehydrate. Photo: Pixabay ▪ It is better to use a spoon to add herbs to cooking ingredients rather than shaking from the jar, which allows steam to affect the remaining herbs in the container. ▪ Only wash herbs just before cooking. ▪ The finer you chop your herbs, the more oils released and the more fragrant the herb will become. Photo: Flickr Khairil Zhafri 8 Making citrus herb butter Coffee grinder Food processor Honey Lemon verbena Zester and scraper 9 Citrus butter instructions 1. Bring butter to room temperature. 2. Using zester, collect approximately 1 Tbsp each of orange and lemon rind and herb. 3. Add all ingredients to food processor and thoroughly mix. Scraping sides as necessary. 4. Remove and place in Serve on toast or sweet breads container or roll into log using parchment paper. 5. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour or overnight. 10 Herb butter for meat ▪ Wash herbs removing damaged leaves and stems. Pat dry with paper towels. Winter herbs available from your garden include rosemary, thyme, oregano, sage and chives. ▪ Mince finely. ▪ Add small amount of garlic or lemon juice for extra flavor. ▪ Blend in food processor, occasionally scraping the sides of the bowl, until a chunky paste is achieved. ▪ Using 1 to 2 sheets of parchment paper, roll herb butter into a log shape. ▪ Refrigerate for at least 6 hours before serving to allow flavors to blend. ▪ Serve on poultry by inserting under skin on the breast. For steak, place a tab of herb butter right after removing from *According to “Organic Gardening” magazine (Nov 2012), this method is preferred for the grill. Allow to set of 10 minutes. preserving flavor and texture. ▪ Package in a bag and refrigerate for up to a week or freeze up to 6 months. 11 Herb focaccia 12 Preserving 13 Freezing herbs in water ▪ Wash herbs and pat dry. Chop into small pieces either by hand or with a food processor. ▪ Fill ice cube tray with chopped herbs, add water to fill in the gaps and freeze. Once solid, place the frozen cubes in a storage bag and keep in the freezer. Good Herbs for ▪ Label bag and the date. freezing: basil, chives, dill, lemon Note: Some herbs when frozen change color balm, lemongrass, mint, and their texture becomes soft. oregano, sage, savory, tarragon, thyme 14 Drying Herbs ▪ Herbs dry best out of direct sunlight ▪ If using a dehydrator, dry herbs separately from fruits or vegetables. ▪ In dehydrator, temperatures around 95°F work well for drying herbs. ▪ Do not heat at temperatures above 110°F because herbs will burn rather than dry. 15 Herb drying methods ▪ Microwave: Lay the herb leaves in a single layer on a paper towel in the microwave. Cover the leaves with another paper towel. Microwave on high for 1 minute. Check herbs. If they are still soft, keep testing at 20–30 second intervals. ▪ Dehydrator: Be sure herbs are completely dry. Space leaves so they are not touching. Heat at no more than 95° until crisp enough to crumble. (Preserve It Naturally The Complete Guide to Food Dehydration, Reston Publishing, 1983, page 65.) ▪ Oven: Spread the herbs on a cookie sheet and dry at the lowest temperature setting possible until crisp enough to crumble. ▪ Air drying: Tie stems together using string or raffia and hang in a dry location away from light. ▪ Store in sealable plastic bag or dark glass jars. Remove air and label. Keep dried herbs stored away from heat and light. 16 Herb fun facts ▪ Do you know the real difference between herbs and spices? herbs are plant leaves (fresh or dry) while spices are other parts of the plant including roots, stems, flowers, seeds and berries. This means that plants with edible leaves and seeds (like dill and cilantro) are both herbs and spices. ▪ Speaking of cilantro, some people hate it finding that it tastes like soap. Why? “A genetic variant near olfactory receptor genes influences cilantro preference. Causing some people to experience an unpleasant soapy taste.” (BioMed Central, 2012) ▪ The swallowtail caterpillar enjoys fennel, dill and parsley. Many gardeners grow extras of these plants just for them. ▪ Before indoor plumbing and daily showers, people often wore corsages of lavender to cover up body odor. ▪ In Middle Eastern dishes, parsley is used fresh, while in European-style dishes, including soups and sauces, parsley may be added during cooking and then refreshed at the end. Curly parsley is often used as a garnish. ▪ Rosemary stems can be cleaned and used as skewers for grilling meat and vegetables. ▪ Thyme is highly antiseptic and historically applied to wounds as a decoction or tincture in alcohol. ▪ The website Webmd lists lemon balm as useful in treating digestive problems, pain, menstrual cramps, insomnia and headaches. 17 Resources and References ▪ Growing Herbs in Texas: https://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/organic/files/2011/03/E- 561_growing_herbs_texas.pdf ▪ Herbs for Texas Landscapes: https://agrilifeextension.tamu.edu/browse/featured-solutions/gardening- landscaping/herbs-texas-landscapes/ ▪ Growing Herbs: Alabama Extension Service https://store.aces.edu/ItemDetail.aspx?ProductID=13581 ▪ DCMGA Herb page: https://dcmga.com/north-texas-gardening/herbs-in-north-texas/ ▪ Herb Society of America, “Learn about herbs”: http://www.herbsociety.org/hsa-learn/hsa-learn-landing.html ▪ National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health: https://nccih.nih.gov/research.