●Preserving herbs in oil reduces some of the browning and freezer burn that herbs can get in the freezer. It's also a great way to have herbs ready immediately for winter stews, roasts, soups, and potato dishes.
●These dishes usually call for oil to start with, and so you can take a cube of frozen oil, herbs inside, out of the freezer and use this as the base of your dish.
●Cook the onions and garlic in this herb-infused oil and let the taste of herbs spread through your whole dish. Given this use, the oil-and-freezer method of preservation works best with the tougher hard herbs such as rosemary, sage, thyme, and oregano.
●These are all herbs that would probably be cooked when added to a dish. Soft herbs such as mint, basil, lemon verbena, and dill are usually added raw to a dish, and they don't respond as well to this kind of preserving.
●Their fresh taste is changed in the freezer. Some folks do freeze soft herbs in bags without any water or oil, which essentially preserves them by drying them out.
●For me, the best use of the freezer when it comes to herbs is preserving hard herbs in oil, butter or broth, although I prefer oil.
●The aroma of the herbs really infuses the oil in the freezer, which is a bonus! ☆Herbs that are frozen properly last UP TO 1 YEAR!
☆Here are 8 Steps for Freezing (Preserving) Herbs in Oil
■Choose firm, fresh herbs, ideally from the market or your own garden. If you wish, you can chop them fine. Or leave them in larger sprigs and leaves (Here I froze a combination of finely-chopped and whole herbs such as rosemary, fennel stalk, sage, and oregano).
■Pack the wells of ice cube trays about 2/3 full of herbs. (You can mix up the herbs, too; think about freezing a bouquet garni of sage, thyme, and rosemary to add to potatoes!)
■Pour extra-virgin olive/Coconut/Avocado Oil, Broth, Ghee, or Vegan Butter over the herbs.
■Cover lightly with plastic wrap and freeze overnight.
■Remove the frozen cubes and store in freezer containers or small ziplock bags. Don't forget to label each container or bag with the type of herb (and liquid) inside!"
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