Well, it looks like wifey's planting of herb seeds was 102% successful. We now have lots of basil, cilantro, etc. I know they are best used fresh, but one can only use so much so fast. What's the good way to preserve these?
TIA
Steve
Heart surgery pending?
Dried of course. Cilantro also makes an excellent pesto.
Basil - pesto or chop it finely and put it in ice cube trays and pop the blocks out and store them in bags in the freezer once frozen. Cilantro/coriander is best used fresh and doesn't really preserve very well on it's own. You could always include it in some recipe that would freeze or just let it go to seed and keep the coriander seeds and use them in that form.
Freeze or dry. The results will be a different flavour, coriander (cilantro) doesn't have much going for it dried in my view.
D
The coriander, if not used fresh, is better left to go to seed and then using the seed.
Mike
The seeds are an entirely different flavor in my opinion. I don't care for cilantro [the leaf] but I use coriander [the seeds] often.
I've dried some basil-- and tried freezing it in cubes. Easier to grow it on a windowsill with a bit of supplemental light. [I'm in NY-- your winter might have more sunshine.]
Jim
Good idea
D
That's so. You use the leaf and seed in different situations. The leaf as a fresh garnish, the seed dried and ground in curries and similar dishes.
I don't
It is common for people to either love or hate the leaf, never the twain shall meet. For recipes that call for fresh leaf try using Vietnamese mint (Persicaria odorata) which has the freshness and aromaticity of coriander leaf but not the peculiar smell that some object to. It is easy to grow.
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