I love learning new things, especially when they pertain to gardening or cooking. Even better when the new info covers both. And I recently discovered something that rocked my world.
Fresh herbs can be dried and preserved in salt or sugar, and this method maintains nearly all of the flavor and aroma of fresh herbs. How could I not know this? I know salt is used to preserve meat and fish, but herbs?!? This is huge!
Think about how different, bland, and downright wrong some store-bought dried herbs taste. Dried rosemary, for instance, is reminiscent of school yard dirt. Dried basil–sawdust. And they cost a fortune for a tiny little jar, especially if you buy organic.
The ancient Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans all used salt to store their herbs, which is weird, because I watched HBO’s Rome religiously (and repeatedly), and I don’t remember anything about herbs in salt. Incredibly buff men in togas, yes; herbs in salt–not so much. But I digress. These advanced civilizations enjoyed almost-as-tasty-as-fresh herbs whenever they wanted. And so can we!
Salt-preserving couldn’t be simpler. Just rinse your herbs, then blot them dry with paper towels, or lay them out to dry for at least a half hour. If you’re a serious foodie, you can use that salad spinner you bought yourself for Christmas. However you do it, make sure there is no water left on the herbs before you start preserving them. If you like, you can strip the leaves from the stems at this point, or you can wait until you are ready to cook with the herbs to de-leaf them. Totally up to you.
Next, grab a clean canning jar, cookie tin, plastic tub, or pretty much anything that has an airtight lid. Pour about a half-inch layer of coarse sea salt, kosher salt, or non-iodized salt into the bottom of the container. Add a layer of herbs, then a thin layer of salt–just enough to cover the herbs–and press down firmly. Keep alternating layers, pressing down firmly after each salt layer, until your container is full. The top layer should be another thick, half-inch layer of salt.
Cover the container, and store it in a cool, dark place. Your herbs should be dry in about a week, and they will keep practically indefinitely. When you need herbs for that culinary masterpiece you’re creating, simply grab some leaves, shake the salt off, chop, and add to your dish. Bonus: although the herb will absorb little if any of the taste of the salt, the salt will absorb the flavor of the herb, giving you herbed salt, which you can also use to enhance foods and impress your friends. Imagine serving tarragon salt with poached eggs, rosemary salt with roasted potatoes, or lemon thyme salt with asparagus. Your friends will think you’re Martha Stewart!
The best herbs for salt-preserving are basil, chives, marjoram, oregano, rosemary, thyme, savory, and tarragon. For sweeter herbs like mint and lavender, use the above method, substituting sugar for salt. You can then add the herbs to baked goods or sorbet, sprinkle them over fruit salads, and stir a spoonful of mint- or lavender-laced sugar into your tea.
I am positively giddy. Never again will I be forced to buy a whole bag of fresh marjoram when I only need a teaspoon, then watch in despair as the once-lovely leaves turn to slime or grow fur in my (poorly named) crisper drawer. Nor will I let my lush basil plant just die at the first frost because I know it will turn black or puke green if I freeze- or oven-dry it. No, fellow gardeners, I will salt like an Egyptian and enjoy inexpensive, delicious, healthy herbs on demand–starting in about a week.
Basil 101
'Purple Ruffles' Basil
Here at Moore & Moore, we plant geeks thrive on the obscure, rare, and downright weird cultivars, and that holds true for culinary plants as well. Take basil, for instance. As the herb buyer here, I try to bring in as many new and exciting varieties as I can find.
Sometimes, however, it only leads to customer confusion. Since there are so many varieties of basil out there–some better for certain dishes than others–I thought I’d give a quick rundown of the different types of culinary basil we typically carry.
Sweet Basil (Ocimum basilicum) is the most common type of basil and by far the best seller of the bunch. Its rich flavor sometimes takes on a hint of licorice, but it can become bitter if overcooked. Of the sweet basils, ‘Genovese’ is the preferred variety of many chefs, thanks to its true, sweet flavor. Sweet basil is best used fresh (not dried or cooked) in pesto, salad dressing, and on tomatoes with mozzarella.
Bush Basil (Ocimum basilicum minimum) is a group of rounded basils with small, very aromatic leaves. Because the leaves are so diminuitive, little chopping is required–most people just crush the leaves slightly to release their exceptional flavor. Bush basil is slower to bolt than common basil, which means you can harvest it longer. In addition, most bush basils are easy to overwinter indoors. ‘Boxwood’ is a cute little ball of a basil that resembles the shrub, but it only gets about a foot tall and wide. Use bush basil as you would common sweet basil–fresh.
Columnar Basil (Ocimum basilicum var.) grows quite tall–three to four feet–but not terribly wide and has a very strong flavor. Imagine basil infused with cinnamon, allspice, cloves, and citrus. Because of this, columnar basil is not the best basil for pesto, but it is fantastic in hearty soups and stews. Columnar basils do not bloom, so their flavor stays true all year, and they are pretty easy to grow inside given adequate light. ‘Pesto Perpetuo’ is a beautiful variegated variety.
Purple Basil (Ocimum basilicum ‘Purpurascens’) is just what is sounds like. Many people grow it just for its gorgeous deep purple leaves, but more and more are discovering how delicious its delicate flavor is in pesto, salads, and even beverages. (For an amazing basil lemonade recipe, click here.) ‘Purple Ruffles,’ pictured above, is a personal favorite.
Lettuce Leaf Basil (Ocimum basilicum crispum) has huge leaves, and its flavor is significantly milder than other green basils, which means it’s great for long, slow cooking. It also dries amazingly well. Toss torn leaves into salads or wrap whole leaves around chicken or fish prior to grilling–yum! The ‘Napoleatano’ variety is a staple here at the garden center.
Scented Basils (Ocimum basilicum odoratum) are a group of basils that taste like basil infused with another flavor. ‘Mrs. Burn’s Lemon,’ lime, cinnamon, and ‘African Blue,’ which tastes strongly of anise, are just a few of the many varieties available. All can be used just like sweet basil where you want a little extra zing, and you can use both the leaves and the flowers to flavor foods. Lime basil is delicious in salsa, lemon is superb in sorbet, cinnamon makes scrumptious scones, and African Blue adds depth to biscotti.
With so many varieties of basil available–and we’ve barely scratched the surface–it can be hard to decide on which one to grow. So do what I do, and plant several: a sweet one for pesto, a lettuce leaf for tomato sauce, a scented one for salsa and beverages, a bush or columnar variety that will overwinter indoors, and a purple one because it’s just too pretty to pass up. Happy gardening!