How to Freeze Fresh Herbs

by Shanna DaSilva

Hi there folks, I am a busy momma of two beautiful children and love to blog about my adventures in parenting over at In Love With the Small Things. I am always looking for ways to serve our children healthy meals on a family-friendly budget. This isn’t always an easy task as our daily lives are quite busy, and often times it is easier to buy the pre-packaged alternative.

This summer, the hubby and I made a point of planting a family garden where everyone took pride in sowing the seeds, harvesting the vegetables/herbs, and then preparing them to eat. I absolutely loved the fact that I knew where our produce was coming from.

We surprised ourselves with the amount of goodies our little garden produced, so much so that we found it hard at times to use all of our vegetables and herbs before they would spoil. I love cooking with fresh herbs – the flavour they add to soups, stews and stir-fry’s are unbelievable. With the winter months approaching, I was getting a little sad thinking about not having fresh herbs. After admiring the abundance of parsley in our garden, I knew I had to do something.

Well, if you are like me and feel sad when you throw away perfectly good food, look no further. I am excited to share with you a way to preserve any of the excess herbs you have purchased at the store – you know, the ones you bought because you only needed a few pinches. All you have to do is freeze those fabulous herbs, open the freezer, grab a few cubes and add them to your soups, stews or pasta sauce. What better way to enjoy your fresh herbs all year long.You will be on your way to a wonderful tasting dinner without the guilt. Enjoy!

Freezing Fresh Parsley

First pinch off parsley leaves and discard stems.

Wash parsley leaves well and dry in a salad spinner.

Add a few hand-fulls of washed parsley leaves into food processor (don’t over-pack)

Pulse the parsley until desired size.

Fill ice cube trays with parsley.

Top-up trays with water.

Freeze.

Place frozen parsley cubes into Zip-lock bags.

Place in freezer. Remember to label your bags with date. Frozen herbs usually stay in good condition for 4-5 months

When ready to use, remove from Zip lock and add while cooking. Note: it is not suggested to use previously frozen herbs as garnish