Rosemary is one of the kitchen herbs that are very versatile. Therefore, it makes sense to create both a dried and a frozen supply of the herb. Both variants come very close in taste to fresh rosemary.
Rosemary is best dried, but it can also be frozen
harvest rosemary
Rosemary is harvested around noon, preferably on a sunny day. This is the time when the herb has the greatest amount of essential oils. Only cut branches that are in good condition. If the needles are withered or dried up, the twigs are cut off, but end up in the compost. Wash the branches under running water and let them dry on a kitchen towel.
Preserve rosemary
What you do next depends on how you want to preserve the herb. If whole branches are to be preserved, no further preparation is necessary. If you want to chop the herb, you have to cut off the individual needles and chop them if necessary. Twigs, whole or chopped needles can be frozen or dried.
Freeze rosemary
The easiest way is to freeze the cleaned, whole sprigs of rosemary. Simply put them in a freezer bag or in a freezer box. The frozen needles are easy to break off the needles and crumble later.
You can also freeze rosemary that has already been chopped up in ice cube trays. This is an easy way to make herb cubes if you mix rosemary and other herbs before freezing.
Rosemary will keep in the freezer for about a year. However, when using it you will find that long storage has a detrimental effect on the aroma.
Dry rosemary
If you want to dry rosemary, harvest whole sprigs. The herbs should be dry and clean. If it gets dirty, it is of course necessary to briefly rinse the rosemary sprigs. Then bundle up to eight twigs into a bouquet and hang it on a line in a dry place. If there is enough space, you can also dry the branches individually on a flat surface.
As soon as the needles crackle and can no longer be bent, the rosemary is sufficiently dry and can be stored in screw-top jars.
Drying in the oven is also possible. The rosemary dries on the tray for about four hours at a low temperature.
The garden journal freshness ABC
How can fruit and vegetables be stored correctly so that they stay fresh for as long as possible?
The garden journal freshness ABC as a poster:
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