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Harvesting
& Storing Herbs
by
Judy Gilliard
The use of herbs and spices almost coincides with
human history. It certainly predates written
history. The Chinese were said to be among the first
to discover the many uses of herbs and spices, both
for medicinal purposes and as flavor enhancers in
cooking. Chrysanthemums were originally grown for
their medicinal properties and were a valued
ingredient in a Taoist elixir. Today in China,
chrysanthemums are still used in soups, salads, and
teas, as well as in beautiful floral displays.
A first-century cookbook, attributed to
Apicus, a
Roman epicurean, features the use of herb
combinations as flavor enhancers. One recipe for
cooking artichokes includes fresh fennel, cilantro,
mint, and rue, pounded together, then reinforced
with pepper, lovage, honey, oil, and liquamen (a
strong fish-based sauce that Romans used in place of
salt).
Spices have been highly prized throughout
history; by the ninth century, they were considered
as valuable as gold or silver. Cloves and mace sold
for about $18 a pound, and pepper was sold by the
individual peppercorn.
Around 1699, an Englishman named John Evelyn
wrote a book listing seventy-three salad herbs with
details for using each herb. The book's title,
Acetaria: A Discourse of Sallets, illustrates the
traditional classification of herbs. "Sallets"
were salad herbs, "pot herbs" were those
cooked in large cooking pots, "sweet
herbs" were flavorings, and "simplex"
were medicinal herb compounds.
HERBS
VS. SPICES
Herbs are often coupled with spices, yet there is
a difference. Herbs are the leaves of fresh or dried
plants. Spices are the aromatic parts of the plant ?
buds,
fruits, berries, roots, or bark, usually dried. An example of their relationship
is coriander: The seeds of coriander are used in
curries and chili powder. The leaves of the plant
are known as cilantro, which is often used in
Mexican cooking.
Herbs and spices define specific ethnic flavor
preferences. In India, curry is created with as many
as ten herbs and spices. In Thailand, curry is used
in conjunction with fresh herbs to give it a more
delicate flavor. The Chinese use their famous
five-spice powder. along with ginger and garlic. to
give their food its distinctive quality. In
Indonesia, flavor preferences tend to sweet and
sour, and they use lemon grass, tamarind, Kaffir
lime, and various chilies. In Europe, herbs are used
sparingly with a focus on tarragon and the French 'fines
herbes', a combination that includes parsley,
chervil, and tarragon, among others. Greek and
Italian cuisine emphasizes basil, thyme, sage, and
oregano. In Mexico, cilantro is combined with
various chili peppers and, more recently, epazote
leaves to give a kick to refried beans.
In early America, almost every Colonial home
featured an herb garden, but somewhere along the
line we lost sight of the value of herbs in cooking.
In 1939, Irma Goodrich Mazza wrote a best-selling
cookbook, Herbs for the Kitchen, which reintroduced
the use of fresh herbs to American cooking. Ms.
Mazza reminded American cooks what fresh herbs,
garlic, and premium olive oils could do to enhance
the flavors of traditional American fare. She
featured six herbs in her recipes: basil, marjoram,
mint, rosemary, sage, and thyme.
During the 1970s and 1980s, Americans turned away
from the kitchen and headed for fast foods. But now
we have entered the 1990s, and we are back to
cooking what we eat so we have more control over our
health. We want to prepare healthful dishes, but we
want to do it without much fuss. Interestingly, the
herbs that are the most popular today are the six
herbs Ms. Mazza featured. But we've also added
parsley, cilantro, chives, and tarragon to the list.
Today, it is easy to have an herb garden. Fresh
parsley can be grown in a pot on a windowsill, and
mint does very well in the garden. (In my book
"Cooking With Herbs & Spices", I describe
these herbs and spices in detail, and give some
information on growing them.) Check with your local
nursery about the specific herbs that will grow well
in your area. Remember, a kitchen garden today
literally means a garden that will grow inside your
kitchen. Have fun with herbs!
HARVESTING
HERBS
Some things
you'll need to know, about caring for herbs, center on how to harvest them.
Different parts of the herb are gathered at
different times. Obviously if you are growing
garlic, the entire plant will be taken at the time
you're ready to use it. But annual leafy herbs, such
as basil, should be carefully picked, never taking
more than 10 percent of the growth at a time. The
same is true with perennials like sage, thyme, and
rosemary. Severe pruning or over-stripping of the
leaves will weaken the plant. Careful pruning or
harvesting, on the other hand, results in more
vigorous leaf growth, giving you healthier plants.
As a general rule, pick herbs when they contain
the highest amount of flavor essence. Leaves should
be picked just before the plant is about to flower.
Flowers, on the other hand, are picked just before
they reach full bloom. Berries and fruits are picked
at their peak ripeness. When you are using the
aboveground portion of a plant, pick just before the
plant begins to flower. Roots, like garlic, or
rhizomes, like ginger and turmeric, are collected in
the fall, just as the leaves begin to change color.
STORING
HERBS
When storing your herbs, keep in mind that herbal
properties may be destroyed by heat, bright light,
exposure to air, or the activity of plant enzymes,
bacteria, or fungi. So, herbs should be kept in a
cool, dry place, with minimum exposure to air and sunlight. This doesn't mean you should
hide your collection of kitchen herbs and spices
away where you forget to use them. It simply means
if you have a choice, put them in the cupboard
instead of leaving them on the countertop.
One of the most popular methods of preserving
herbs for use during winter months is drying. As a
matter of fact, drying actually improves the flavor
of some herbs, particularly bay leaves. Bay leaves
should be cleaned using a pastry brush, but no
water, and then laid out to dry in a warm place on
an airy surface, like a screen. They dry in about a
week and are ready for storage in airtight
tinted-glass jars.
Other herbs may be dried in bundles. One easy
method is to pinch together a small bunch and secure
it with a rubber band or kitchen string. Hang the
bunch upside down from a rack in a dry, somewhat
cool location. The temperature of the drying area
should not exceed 86?F because the essential oils
of the herbs will evaporate at this temperature or
higher. The kitchen is not really the best place to
dry your herbs because of the added humidity from
cooking. Try to find a spot that is relatively dry,
or at least consistent in humidity.
There is yet another way to dry your herbs. Place
fresh herbs in brown paper bags labeled for each
herb type. Set the bags in a dry, dark, cool place
until the herbs inside are dry and crunchy. Shake
the bags occasionally so the herbs dry evenly.
Remove any stems, and prepare herbs for storage by
crushing the leaves or chopping them in your
minichopper. Always store the dried herbs in
airtight jars. Keep the jars away from light to
protect the color and flavor of the herbs.
Remember, it doesn't take long for herbs to dry.
Never let the leaves become so dry that they
disintegrate into powder when they are touched. If
there is no condensation in the jar by the next day,
the herbs are ready to store.
Using the microwave oven to dry herbs is a quick
and effective method. Remove the leaves from the
stems after you have given the whole herb a quick rinse to remove any
soil or dust. Be sure to pat the herbs dry before
you strip the leaves. Then spread the leaves in a
single layer between two paper towels, and microwave
them on high for 2 to 21/2 minutes. Store the herbs
in airtight tinted-glass jars.
FREEZING
HERBS
Freezing is another effective means of storing
herbs. Dill, fennel, basil, and parsley can all be
frozen for future use. Clean the herbs and put about
2 or 3 tablespoons of each in separate freezer bags.
You can freeze them alone, or you can make up bags
of your favorite combinations. Be sure to label the
bags so you can find the herb you want when you need
it. Chopping the leaves, and freezing them with a bit
of water in ice-cube trays, is another freezer-safe
method of storing herbs. This is especially nice
when you want to use the herbs in sauces and broths.
Chop the herbs very fine and fill each cube, half
with the herbs and half with water, then freeze.
I put the frozen ice cubes into plastic bags and
then place the bags in plastic freezer-safe boxes.
That way the ice-cube trays are available for making
ice cubes, and the extra packaging helps to retain
the freshness of the herbs. I also like to store my
bags of freezer-dried herbs in a plastic
freezer-safe box to protect them from freezer burn
or other damage and to make them easily accessible
when I need them. Try to use frozen herbs within
about six months.
The most important herb to have on hand always is
fresh chopped parsley. Buy it in bunches, wash it,
and dry it well. Put the parsley in your food
processor with a steel blade, and run it until all
the parsley is chopped. Then put the chopped parsley
in an airtight container, and freeze it. You can
easily take the amount you need as you need it.
INFUSED OILS
It is very helpful to keep a variety of infused
oils for quick cooking. I like to keep infused
flavored oils in a spray bottle to lightly spray items for added flavor and better
end results in roasting. The ones I use in the
recipes in this book are garlic and chili pepper
oils. However there are many on the market, so
experiment to find the ones you like most.
THE FRESHNESS TEST
In most cases, fresh herbs are really your best
bet, but it's not always possible to get them or
grow them. So when you use dried herbs, give them
the freshness test by crushing them, using a mortar
and pestle (a good mortar and pestle, by the way, is
an essential kitchen item!). Crushing releases the
flavor, enabling you to get the freshest taste out
of the herbs when you add them to food. For the most
part, you can expect herbs you have grown and dried
yourself to last at least two years. Herbs you buy
in the store may have been on the shelf for a while
already, so test them for freshness when you use
them. Herbs from your grocer will usually remain
fresh only about a year in your cupboard.
 This
article was
excerpted from
"Cooking with Herbs & Spices"
by Judy Gilliard.
Info/order this book
About The
Author
Judy Gilliard hosts the
healthy living radio spot Judy a la Carte on radio stations nationally
and has spoken and taught on the topic for Royal Cruise Lines, The College
of the Desert, and others. She has written numerous cookbooks focusing
on healthy eating. Excerpted with permission from her book Cooking
with Herbs & Spices, published by Adams Media Corporation,
Holbrook, Massachusetts.
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