• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

The Peasant's Daughter logo

  • About
  • Recipes
    • Appetizers
    • Beverages
    • Breakfast & Brunch
    • BBQ
    • Cheesemaking
    • Mediterranean
    • Seafood
    • Wild Game
  • Homesteading
  • Farmhouse Restoration
  • Contact
menu icon
go to homepage
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • About
  • Recipes
  • Homesteading
  • Farmhouse Restoration
  • Life + Stories
  • Contact
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
  • ×

    Home » Gardening

    8 Ways To Preserve Fresh Herbs

    Published: Jun 27, 2020 · Modified: Feb 21, 2022 by The Peasants Daughter · This post may contain affiliate links · Published under: Posted Under: Gardening

    fresh herbs
    fresh herbs
    fresh herbs
    fresh herbs
    fresh herbs
    fresh herbs
    fresh herbs
    fresh herbs
    kitchen table full of fresh herbs
    Nothing beats the taste of freshly harvested herbs.

    Easily preserve fresh herbs at home with any of these simple methods. A lot of these make for great DIY gifts or sellable goods if you have your own farmer's market stall.

    Your garden (or farmer's market) will explode with fresh herbs all summer long — more than you can reasonably use while at the peak of freshness unless maybe you are running a restaurant.

    Here are eight ways to preserve that summer bounty to use all year long. And If you've been looking to incorporate more of the culinary herbs into your cooking, these preservation methods will help you do just that.

    Jump to:
    • Make Fresh Herb Butter Compounds
    • Make An Herbed Fresh Paneer Cheese
    • Herbed Fresh Cheeses
    • Preserve Fresh Herbs In Oil
    • Preserve Fresh Herbs In Vinegar Infusions
    • Herbal Salts & Sugars
    • Dry Fresh Herbs
    • Preserve Fresh Herbs In Trays of Frozen Stock
    • Comments
    compound butter made with fresh herbs
    Compound butter is an easy way to elevate a meal.

    Make Fresh Herb Butter Compounds

    Butter freezes well and thaws quickly with no noticeable deterioration. Make compound butters with your fresh herbs and then freeze them in cylinders. The best part is that you can keep the compound butters frozen until needed, making spoilage a non-issue.

    It is very easy to cut off a small or large chunk of frozen herbed butter to use in recipes.

    I always recommend high-quality grass-fed butter like Kerrygold, or even better, if you have the means — make your own cultured butter from raw grass-fed milk, and then preserve it indefinitely by making herbed compound butters for the freezer.

    This would be especially beneficial when milk is at its most nutrient-dense in late spring when the cows are grazing on the lushest pastures.

    Use any combination of herbs you love. Experiment with spices. Adding roasted garlic is also highly recommended!

    Suggested Uses:

    • Mussel Recipes
    • The Perfect Risotto
    • Polenta With Poached Eggs & Garlicky Mushrooms

    herbed paneer cheese

    Make An Herbed Fresh Paneer Cheese

    Paneer cheese is unique in that it freezes exceptionally well. It is also ridiculously easy to make because it only requires two ingredients — milk, any type of milk really, and an acid like vinegar.

    I take you through the process of making paneer here in my recipe for Make a Simple Paneer Cheese and also in my recipe for Wild Ramp Paneer Cheese 

    homemade cheese infused with fresh herbs
    Add fresh herbs to soft goat cheese and then roll into balls to soak in a jar of olive oil.

    Herbed Fresh Cheeses

    Infusing softer, fresh cheeses with herbs and spices is very simple. Goat cheese is a great entry to this if you have never attempted it before. This is another area where experimenting with spices is also fun, and adding roasted garlic is always recommended.

    You can even preserve soft and hard cheeses in oil and fresh herbs in your fridge to make them last longer!

    Suggested Uses:

    Serve as part of a grazing table, tapas, appetizer or charcuterie tray with other delicious small plates such as the following.

    • Marinated Fried Anchovies With Halloumi
    • Medjool Dates Wrapped in Bacon
    • Grilled Octopus Salad With Waffle-Cut Sweet Potato Fries

    fresh rosemary and mint herbs

    Preserve Fresh Herbs In Oil

    Portion off some of your extra virgin olive oil into smaller glass bottles and then infuse the oil with aromatic culinary herbs. Adding dried hot peppers is also recommended!

    This makes a wonderful oil for quickly sauteing something like shrimp when you want a fast meal. Herb-infused oil also makes delicious salad dressing.

    The process takes 4-6 weeks for best results and you should keep those bottles tightly capped and stored in a cool, dry spot like a dark cupboard. I've seen suggestions to leave clear jars in sunlight but this is a terrible idea as UV rays will degrade your oil. Always store your oils in cool, dark places. Opaque bottles are preferable.

    I buy pretty vintage bottles from thrift stores and then make herb-infused oils for hostess gifts. Have a few bottles in the back of your pantry ready for just this reason when you need a last-minute gift.

    Suggested Uses:

    • Grilled Mediterranean Octopus 
    • Mussels
    • Starting off your Risotto
    • Drizzle on Roasted Red Peppers
    • Finish (or start) off Soups
    fresh rosemary, sage, and thyme
    Like oil, vinegar infusions add something extra to many different recipes.

    Preserve Fresh Herbs In Vinegar Infusions

    Like herb-infused oil, herb-infused vinegar is the same concept.

    Get some white wine vinegar (apple cider or red wine vinegar for more robust herbs like rosemary and sage) and then infuse your fresh herbs in the vinegar.

    Vinegar infusions don't take as long as oil, only about two weeks to produce results.

    This is another great idea for small pretty hostess gifts to have on hand.

    Herb-infused vinegar are obviously great with salad, but also try them in sauces (like hollandaise) and on hot fatty meats like pork belly or steak.

    Suggested Uses:

    • Splashed on Roasted Red Peppers
    • An Accompaniment to Seafood Dishes
    homemade sea salt infused with herbs

    Herbal Salts & Sugars

    I love salt.

    I also love making and serving herb-infused salts and herb-infused compound butters in pretty little condiment pots on the table to use with a great steak.

    You can do the same with sugar.

    The process takes a week for best results and the salt will preserve the herbs indefinitely at room temperature.

    Suggested Uses:

    • Serve alongside Grilled Mediterranean Octopus
    fresh thyme herbs tied up for drying

    Dry Fresh Herbs

    Drying is a method you already know about. Bunch up your herbs, wrap the ends with twine, and then hang them upside down in a dry spot. Drying can take anywhere from 12-48 hours.  Once the herbs are crispy, they're ready! Store them tied up, or make your own herb and spice blends.

    Some herbs are better for drying — like thyme and rosemary — while others, like parsley, are not.

    Dried parsley is absolutely useless.

    If you're short on space, a multi-tiered mesh drying rack like this one is a good solution. There are also more traditional racks you can easily make yourself or buy.

    fresh herbs in a basket

    Preserve Fresh Herbs In Trays of Frozen Stock

    Fill ice-cube trays with homemade concentrated and unsalted beef, chicken, seafood, or vegetable stock and then add fresh herbs.

    Freeze until needed for delicious sauces and soups. Once the stock inside the trays is frozen solid, you can pop them out and store the cubes in larger bags — I recommend labelling them.

    This method is perfect for all those leftover herbs after cooking you don't want to throw out.

    This is a game-changer for your gravies, making them easy to pull off in a pinch, and much tastier.

    Suggested Uses:

    • My Soup-of-The-Week Recipes
    • As an addition to The Perfect Risotto
    • Rhode Island Red {Worth The Hype!}
    • How to Feed Baby Ducks {Healthiest Practices}
    • Keeping Ducks And Chickens Together {Yes You Can}
    • The World's 15 Largest Horse Breeds {With Pictures!}
    • So, How Long Do Goats Live?
    • {15 Reasons} Why Your Homestead Needs Goats
    • The {Little Known} Benefits of Goat Meat!
    • Saxony Ducks {Everything You Want To Know}
    • 10 {Surprising} Raw Goat Milk Benefits & Uses
    • How Many Sheep Per Acre? {My Experiments Versus Expert Wisdom}
    • Salmon Faverolles {The Beautiful French Chicken That Lays PINK Eggs!}
    • Plymouth Rock {Popular For Good Reason}
    • Dominique Chicken {America's Oldest Heritage Breed}
    • Ameraucana Chicken {The Purebreed Blue Egg Layer}
    • The Australorp Chicken {Top-Choice Dual-Purpose Breed}
    • Wyandotte Chicken {The Most Beautiful Dual-Purpose Heritage Breed?}
    • Silver Appleyard Duck {Everything You Need To Know}
    • The MANY Benefits Of Fermenting Chicken Feed {& How To Do It}
    • Can Chickens Eat Whole Corn? {Yes}
    • Where Did The Wild Chickens Go? {With Pictures}
    « Wild Edibles: Stinging Nettle Soup
    Make a Pretty Summer Salad of Nasturtium Leaves & Flowers »

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Sarah says

      June 27, 2019 at 3:37 pm

      Love knowing about all the various ways to preserve herbs. I have done dried and frozen herbs, but I am definitely going to have to give some of these other options a try later this year as my garden herbs become harvestable.

      Reply
    2. Tristin Rieken says

      June 27, 2019 at 1:33 pm

      Beautiful photos!! And all of these ideas are such amazing ways to preserve the harvest. Thanks for sharing!

      Reply
    3. Paula Montenegro says

      June 27, 2019 at 1:31 pm

      Beautiful post and very informative. I always let fresh herbs dry because I never seem to be able to use them all fresh. Thanks for so many new ideas!

      Reply
    4. kim says

      June 27, 2019 at 12:25 pm

      Such great ideas! I will be trying this for sure!

      Reply
    5. Veena Azmanov says

      June 27, 2019 at 12:14 pm

      Love the flavors of herbs. I love your information.

      Reply
    6. Carrie | Clean Eating Kitchen says

      June 27, 2019 at 11:53 am

      Such great and easy ideas here!! I always end up throwing herbs out, love the idea of using them in butter and oil!

      Reply

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Primary Sidebar

    Hi, I'm Jana! The Peasant's Daughter is a journey through the recipes and stories of the women who came before me. I'm a new mom and new homesteader who left the city life behind for a rural country life of more peace and simplicity. We're renovating an 1860's Victorian farmhouse and I'll be sharing real-food, nutrient-dense recipes (almost) always made from scratch. Follow me along in my new country life as I raise and grow our food, and strive for more freedom and self-sufficiency.

    More about me →

    Popular Recipes & Articles

    • How To Smoke Whole Trout on The Traeger Grill
    • Smoked Maple Salmon Jerky on The Traeger Grill
    • Raising Red Ranger Chickens For Meat {2022 Cost Breakdown}
    • 10 Chicken Breeds That Lay Blue Eggs (With Pictures!)
    • Why I'm No Longer Vegan | The Journey To Recovery
    • Make Sour Milk From Raw Milk | Naturally Fermented Dairy
    • Old Fashioned Fresh Apple Cake Recipe
    • How To Make Perfect Risotto Every Time

    Footer

    Newsletter

    Follow Me

    • Email
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest

    Footer

    ^ back to top

    About

    • Privacy Policy
    • Contact

    Copyright © 2022 The Peasant's Daughter