Katie Rushworth brand identity
Katie Rushworth brand identity

My Journal

Preserving fresh herbs at home

Katie Rushworth image of herb garden

If you’ve been following me for a while, you’ll know that I’m a BIG advocate of home-growing herbs, fruits and veggies.

Parsley growing - how to preserve fresh herbs at home by Katie Rushworth

Photo by Daan Stevens on Unsplash

Preserving fresh herbs allows you to enjoy their vibrant, fragrant flavour all year round, and it’s really easy to do. In this article I’ll take you through three simple methods of preserving at home.

Plenty of herbs are easily grown in the summertime in UK gardens, and they’re relatively low maintenance. If you’re interested in getting started, you can read my article on growing herbs in your garden here. Herbs will thrive with very little attention from you, and it’s often the case that I’ll end up with a surplus of herbs because I can’t use them up as fast as they grow! That’s what makes home-preserving such a good idea.

There are three great ways of preserving fresh herbs: freezing, air drying and oven drying. Let’s take a look at the benefits of each.

Freezing fresh herbs

Freezing is a great way of preserving tender, leafy herbs like basil, coriander and parsley, as it preserves essential oils to lock in that summery freshness all year round. Rinse individual leaves, and lay out in a single layer on a baking sheet for freezing. Then, move the frozen leaves into a ziplock bag or other container so you can select however many you need.

I also love using standard ice cube trays to freeze portion-sized amounts of chopped herbs – though you might want to purchase a few trays that are the designated herb-freezing ones! Fill the cube tray half full with the herbs, then top up with water, stir and freeze as normal. You could also use stock or broth for this

Jarred parsley - preserving fresh herbs at home by Katie Rushworth

Photo by Steve Johnson on Unsplash

for an extra flavour hit. Oil can also be used in place of water in this method, which is great for pesto – just blend your chosen herbs with olive or rapeseed oil and pour in to the ice cube trays before freezing in the same manner. Once the cubes are frozen, they can be popped out and stored in a ziplock bag for space saving easy access.

I’m also a fan of blending herbs with butter that’s been allowed to soften at room temperature. My favourite is a delicious garlic butter where roasted, chopped garlic and salt are mixed with flat leaf parsley, then shaped into a roll and wrapped in greaseproof paper for freezing. Herb butter will also stay fresh in the fridge for about two weeks, and is a great addition to lots of tasty dishes.

Oven drying fresh herbs

Oven drying is a quick method of preserving herbs, and is ideal for humid weather. Just preheat your oven to a low heat (about 80C/140F) and line a baking sheet with parchment. Pluck the leaves from the stems of

the herbs you’re drying, wash them thoroughly and pat dry. This method is great for drying basil, oregano, thyme, rosemary, sage and more.

Lay the herbs on the sheet (it’s OK to let them overlap a little), and heat for 2-4 hours, leaving the oven door slightly ajar to allow moisture to escape. If your oven is gas-powered, simply open the door for a minute or so halfway through drying time – but in each of these methods, please bear safety in mind and don’t let any marauding children or pets approach! Check the herbs regularly – if they crumble easily to the touch, they’re ready.

Allow your dried herbs to cool completely before crumbling and decanting them into sealable containers – any moisture will cause mould. If you’re dealing with a real herb surplus, pretty jars full of freshly dried herbs make a lovely, thoughtful gift – they’ll keep for up to a year.

Dried mint - preserving fresh herbs at home by Katie Rushworth

Image by jwvein from Pixabay

Herbs can also be dried using a dehumidifier, but not everybody has access to one of these nifty things.

Air drying fresh herbs

This is probably my favourite method of drying fresh herbs, because it just looks so lovely. It’s worth noting it takes a bit of time, and arguably doesn’t preserve those tasty essential oils as well as quicker ways of preserving. This method is best used with stalky herbs with smaller leaves like oregano, thyme, marjoram and rosemary.

Simply snip lengths of your chosen herbs off with plenty of stalk at the end, then gather these into bunches and secure the stalks together with an elastic band or twine. The herbs can then be hung upside down in a dry, shady place and left to dry until the leaves crumble to the touch. I love to use a hanging clothes drier to hang the herbs, as it’s space-efficient and I already have one to hand.

Once the herbs are dried satisfactorily, break off the leaves and crumble into sealable jars, where they’ll keep for up to a year.

Katie's expertise is transforming clients' gardens with their video calls and garden visits...

My consultation with Katie was superb! Katie's focused and erudite knowledge really helped me transform my garden into something I would truly be proud to show off. Katie went into great depth and was very patient with my questions, guiding me through the process and enabling me to understand her thinking. I could not praise Katie enough, and would truly recommend her to anyone who is keen to breathe some new life into their garden!  

Shazia

I am absolutely delighted with Katie’s design service and feel that it was money very well spent. Katie came up with something that we would never have thought of but still feel is totally achievable. She completely fulfilled every point on the brief I had written and was so prompt with all of the follow-up information, including a helpful sketch and list of suitable planting. Katie has totally exceeded my expectations of what I thought could be achieved in a 30-minute call!

Claire

It was really great having a consultation with Katie. I really enjoyed it and she is so knowledgeable, advising me some ideas that are going to transform our garden. I'm so grateful. I've never known where to start and now I have a way forward. After I've finished my back garden I'm going to get a second consultation for the front. Thanks so much.

Anonymous

I would not hesitate to recommend Katie's Gardening Consultation via Zoom. Her knowledge of plants & garden design has helped enormously in my deciding what to do with the Garden.
Katie has given great advice & recommendations for making the garden perfect for us. 

Sandra

My zoom consult with Katie far exceeded my expectations!  She clearly took the time to assess my garden before our call and presented a brilliant plan for my garden as well as provided lots of tips for the planting.  I was even able to show her some additional problem areas in my garden during the consult and she offered practical advice that was really helpful and allowed me to envision what my garden can become with a little confidence and willingness to plant and design more boldly! I can’t say enough positive things about the consult. I highly recommend! 

Kyla in Southwest Idaho, USA

We were looking for some fresh ideas to rejuvenate an old garden. Katie has an easy-going and friendly approach which is underpinned by her extensive knowledge. She quickly aligned herself to our thought process and understood what we are trying to achieve. 
She made a number of innovative suggestions that challenged our preconceptions and we feel that we now have a plan to move forward.

N & P Cannon

Katie helped us see our dream garden where we couldn’t, taking time to understand our thoughts and favourite parts of the garden.
Katie was great fun to be around and has provided us with a beautiful plan for our garden which we will enjoy for a long time to come.

Anonymous

Without any exaggeration, the Katie Rushworth Garden Maker is the Best Investment I have ever made. My garden was stuck in the past and I had no idea how to transform it. I never dreamt in my wildest dreams, that I would be lucky enough for Katie Rushworth (personally) to work her magical garden design, with her professionalism and knowledge to transform my garden. She cuts no corners, you get far more than you could ever pay for, she works really hard to deliver the right garden for you and on top of all that she is a very nice person!

Roger in Stourbridge

Katie must be a mindreader because the scheme she created for us was just perfect; great variety, textures and all very much in the Japanese theme we had dreamed of. It was so helpful and also really enjoyable to be able to spend the day planting with her and learn lots of useful tips for maintenance and beyond. We can’t wait to watch it grow and change with the seasons.

Ruth in York

Working with Katie has been fantastic and worth every penny, she has helped me create two beautiful areas in my garden. It now looks fantastic!

Fiona in Holmfirth

Katie has been incredibly helpful as we set about transforming our front & back gardens, and we have learnt so much in a short space of time. We didn’t want someone to just do it all for us – we wanted to be hands-on but with some guidance & encouragement, and Katie’s mentoring has been perfect for that. She is very easy to work with, great fun – and she’s certainly done her share of digging & planting too!

Andrew & Susan in Baildon

Katie really knows her plants, where they are happiest. She understood our needs and wants and simply delivered. Great knowledge, great advice and taught this old dog a few new tricks giving me the confidence to take my own garden planning to the next level.

Tricia & Ian in East Hardwick

Katie Rushworth is a passionate and knowledgeable gardener whose enthusiasm is infectious. She has a great eye for design and is also good at explaining things. Oh, and she’s not at all afraid to get her hands dirty!

Alan Titchmarsh