If oregano gets a sunny and not too humid location in the herb garden, it tends to spread vigorously and form fragrant carpets of herbs. So that it does not overgrow the entire bed, it is advisable to cut the herb regularly. You can preserve this pruning and make it durable so that you can enjoy oregano from your own garden all year round.
Preserve fresh oregano
There are several ways to preserve fresh oregano. In the following, we would like to briefly introduce you to the most common methods:
Freeze oregano
To freeze the small leaves and flowers are carefully plucked from the branches. Brown and damaged leaves are not suitable for freezing. Put the herbs in portions in ice cube trays or small freezer bags and let the oregano freeze well.
Dry oregano
If possible, use long-stemmed oregano sprigs for this preservation method, which you gather into loose bundles and hang upside down in a dark, airy and dry place. When the oregano has dried completely after about a week, you can carefully pluck the small leaves and blossoms from the branches and store them in tinted, well-sealed containers.
Pickle oregano
If you put the dried oregano sprigs in high-quality cooking oil, you will get a tasty seasoning for salads and a variety of dishes. Only well-dried twigs should be pickled, which you put in a tightly sealable glass bottle. Douse the herbs with the oil so that they are completely covered and leave the herb oil in a bright but not full sun for a few weeks.
Alternatively, you can pickle the dried twigs in vinegar. In order for the essential oils of the oregano to dissolve in the vinegar, the vessels have to steep in a cool place for a long time.
Salt flavored with oregano
Clean the fresh oregano and carefully pluck the small leaves from the branches. Larger leaves should also be shredded. Pour the herb into pretty, tight-fitting jars and top them off with coarse-grained sea salt. The volume of the salt should be roughly equal to the volume of the oregano leaves.
The salt extracts both the moisture and some of the essential oils from the oregano leaves. Therefore, you should keep this mixture in a cool place, for example in the vegetable compartment of the refrigerator.
tips and tricks
Oregano pickled in oil or salt is a nice souvenir for loved ones. Decorate the vessels with homemade herb pendants and a beautiful bow.
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