Nothing flavors food better than fresh herbs. I love them and add them to as many dishes as I can. However, fresh herbs are not always an option. Dried herbs are sometimes the only option and I do love them too. Just remember that if a recipe calls for one tablespoon of fresh herbs, you generally would third that and only add one teaspoon of dried herbs. Always make sure your dried herbs are fresh. If there isn't an expiration date on the bottle than give your herbs and spices the "sniff test." In most cases they have a strong scent. If the scent is weak or not there, it's time to buy new.
My favorite option when I can't add fresh herbs is frozen herbs. This weekend I finally got out and cut down my rosemary. Fresh rosemary smells so amazing.
First I picked the leaves off of the stems, washed them thoroughly, and dried them.
Next, I used kitchen shears and cut all the leaves into smaller pieces.
Then I put them in these awesome trays by AeroGarden that I found on Amazon. They are shaped like leaves and hold one teaspoon and one tablespoon of herbs (ice cube trays are also a good option). Put the herbs in, pack tightly, and add water so the herbs are covered and will freeze together.
Voila! You have frozen herbs that you can drop into any recipe.
Don't they look great? I got a couple of trays of rosemary done to use through the winter.
My basil and cilantro didn't do very well this year, so luckily Dorot makes freshly frozen garlic and herbs that come in crushed garlic, chopped basil, chopped parsley, chopped cilantro, crushed ginger, chopped dill, and chopped chili. Each package has 20 separate cubes that are one teaspoon each. Dorot has made it so easy. I absolutely love these! I found them at Sunflower Farmers Market and Harmons.
