Summer, the season of salads, barbecues, and fresh dishes, encourages us to use more fresh herbs in our recipes. With herbs being abundant in supermarkets and easy to grow at home, the following tips will help you make the most of these precious aromatics.

Freezing

Freezing, the classic method! To preserve the maximum flavor, chop the herbs and compress them into the compartments of an ice cube tray . Cover them with your choice of oil and pop them into the freezer! Once the cubes are fully frozen, remove them from the tray, transfer them to a freezer-safe container, and label them. These flavorful cubes can be added to stews, sauces, or thawed to add to a salad, for example.

Pssst! For an even more gourmet variant, replace the oil with melted butter! 😉

Drying

Simply tie the herbs by their stems with a string and hang them upside down to dry . If they don’t dry quickly enough for your taste, you can also dry them in the oven at a low temperature for about ten minutes or in the microwave on low intensity, 20 seconds at a time. Then, you can chop or keep them whole in labeled spice jars, stored away from light and humidity for optimal preservation.

Cooking

IN SALTED HERBS

Salted herbs are a great preservation method our grandmothers knew well. I love the simplicity of this recipe: simply chop all the herbs of your choice and add coarse salt in the proportion of ½ cup salt to 4 cups of herbs. It’s also a great opportunity to include vegetable tops like those with carrots, celery, beets, or radishes. These salted herbs will add a little something special to your recipes and will keep for months in the fridge.

IN PESTO

Most people know the pesto trick when basil is abundant (basil base + oil + nuts + lemon juice + parmesan, blended in a food processor), but other herbs can be incorporated into this basic recipe to mix things up! Parsley, chives, green onions, cilantro…let’s get creative! Pesto also freezes very well in ice cube trays for later use.

IN PERSILLADE…OR CHIMICHURRI!

Persillade is similar to pesto but is made with a base of equal parts parsley and garlic, a splash of lemon juice, and a generous amount of olive oil . After processing these simple ingredients in a food processor, store the mixture in the fridge, ensuring it is well covered with olive oil.

Chimichurri is a South American condiment based on chili peppers . Like pesto and persillade, you’ll use your food processor, adding your choice of herbs (cilantro, parsley, oregano, and thyme are classics), garlic, olive oil, red wine vinegar, and crushed chili flakes or fresh chili pepper.

Food Waste Expert

Stéphanie Tremblay

In love with nature, Stéphanie combines her interests in the environment and food in order to raise awareness of the importance of their food choices. Her professional training and experience in environmental education make her a knowledgeable speaker who conveys her passion with enthusiasm and positivism. In her spare time, she can be found in her garden or in the forest, gathering wild edible plants.

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