How to Freeze Mixed Fresh Herbs and Garden Greens
Preserve your harvest by learning how to freeze mixed fresh herbs and garden greens for the winter months ahead! Find out what herbs you can include, and what you should leave out, so you can stash your freezer with a nutritious and flavorful Italian-inspired herb mix that can be used in lots of recipes.
Servings: 32
Calories: 6kcal
Ingredients
- kale, spinach, arugula, or Swiss chard
- basil or parsley
- thyme, oregano, rosemary, or sage
- scallions or chives
Instructions
- Use any amounts and any combination of herbs and greens from your garden including kale, spinach, Swiss chard, arugula, basil, parsley, thyme, sage, oregano, rosemary, chives or scallions.
- Wash all herbs very well under cold running water.
- Chop each herb individually, or at least group them into smaller piles. Don't try to chop a huge pile of herbs all at once.
- Strip the leaves from the stems with your hand from kale, basil, oregano, thyme, sage and rosemary. Chop the main stems off of Swiss chard and parsley. You don't need to pluck each leave off of parsley, the stems are edible.
- Pile up your herbs and greens on a cutting board, folding them over and over themselves with your hands to "wad them up." Hold the wad tightly with your left hand and thinly slice with the knife in your right hand. Then with the tip of the knife on the cutting board and your left hand over the top of the blade, give the pile a rough chop.
- Add the herbs to a freezer bag as you chop each pile. When you are done, seal the bag and shake it to mix. Then lay the bag flat, unseal it slightly to squeeze out most of the air and reseal.
- Label the bag and freeze flat for 6 months to a year.
- To use, sprinkle a Tablespoon or up to ¼ cup of frozen herbs into a cooking dish. Do not thaw or eat without cooking.
Notes
- Wash well in a colander or salad spinner, checking the underside of leaves for dirt or bugs.
- It's easier to chop your herbs in smaller amounts, so maybe one herb at a time, depending on your quantity. Then mix them all together in the bag at the end.
- Don't use herbs with strong flavors that don't go well with most basic savory or Italian flavored dishes. Avoid dill, mint, cilantro, tarragon or lettuce that you would not cook.
- Use your frozen herbs to add flavor and nutrition to soups, pizza, pasta, roasted meats and sauces.
- A bag of mixed herbs can be frozen for 6 months to 1 year.
Nutrition
Calories: 6kcal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 0.5g | Fat: 0.2g | Saturated Fat: 0.03g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.03g | Sodium: 9mg | Potassium: 71mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 0.1g | Vitamin A: 1468IU | Vitamin C: 18mg | Calcium: 32mg | Iron: 1mg