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It's the season for cooking with fragrant, flavorful fresh herbs. They enhance all kinds of foods, from main and side dishes to salads, soups, sauces, and more. If you have a green thumb, you likely have herbs planted in your garden, growing in containers on your patio or sprouting from pots on a sunny windowsill. To enjoy herbs at the peak of their flavor, you should pick them when they're healthy and vigorous.
If herbs aren't harvested soon enough and the plants form flowers, the flavor in the leaves can diminish and become bitter. Picking leaves regularly will encourage the plants to continue growing. When harvesting herbs, most plants should be trimmed above leaf buds, where the plant branches out. But woody herbs like rosemary should be cut at the point at which new branches grow off a central stem. (The central stem should not be cut, because this will slow new growth.)
Not a gardener? Summer is a great time to buy fresh herbs at your grocery store or a farmers' market. When selecting harvested herbs, pick firm stalks with leaves that are not wilted or bruised. If you have a choice between fresh whole leaves or chopped herbs, choose whole leaves. They keep their flavor longer than chopped herbs.
Cleaning and Storage
If you're not going to use them right away, you can store unwashed herbs for up to 1 week. Place bunches of herbs with their stems in a glass of water in the refrigerator. (Be sure to keep the leaves out of the water.) Pack loose leaves in perforated plastic bags in the refrigerator. Place a dry paper towel at the bottom of the bag to absorb excess moisture, which can promote decay.
Once you're ready to use your herbs, you'll want to clean them. Place them in a sink or large bowl of cool water that has salt added to it. (The salt will drive away insects without damaging the herbs.) Gently swish the herbs in the water, remove them, and dry in a salad spinner, or place on paper towels and pat dry.
Remove leaves from herb stems, like thyme, by holding the top of the stem and running your fingers down the stem in the opposite direction of leaf growth. Herbs with larger leaves, like basil, should be snipped from the stems. To use in recipes, chop herbs by placing them in a small bowl and using the tips of kitchen scissors to snip them.
For longer storage, consider freezing or drying herbs once they're cleaned. Herbs can be frozen for up to 4 months. Freeze whole herbs on a tray for about 3 hours, then crumble them, put in freezer containers or heavy-duty resealable bags, and return to the freezer. This way, you can remove a desired amount a spoonful at a time. Another way to freeze herbs is to make them into herb ice cubes. Put chopped herbs in an ice cube tray and cover with water or broth. Once frozen, the cubes can be stored in plastic containers. They're particularly good for adding directly to sauces and soups.
If you prefer, air-dry your herbs instead. Tie them together in little bunches by the stems, then hang upside down in a well-ventilated place with low humidity. You can also spread herbs loosely on paper or a clean cloth stretched over a wire rack or screen. Stored in a tightly closed container in a cool, dark place, dried whole herbs can be kept for 1 year, while dried crushed herbs can be kept for 6 months.
To substitute dried herbs when fresh herbs are called for in a recipe, use 1 teaspoon of crumbled dried leaves for every tablespoon of finely chopped fresh herbs.
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