Tip of the Week: Making the Most of Your Herbs

Posted in Gardening Tips on October 26 2009, by Sonia Uyterhoeven

Sonia Uyterhoeven is Gardener for Public Education. Join her each weekend for home gardening demonstrations on a variety of topics in the Home Gardening Center.

With all the rain this past summer, some of my herbs thrived while others collapsed from exhaustion in mid- to late-summer. My garlic chives, sometimes named Chinese garlic (Allium tuberosum), were glorious in the Sensory Garden. The white umbel-shaped flowers floated above the cluster of grass-like foliage from mid-August into September. They were one of the showier features in the garden. All the rain served them well.

The leaves of garlic chives are similar to the better-known chives (Allium schoenoprasum, pictured), only flat and slightly wider, and can be used in the same way—cut them into small pieces with your kitchen scissors and add them to any dish for a garlicky kick.

If you are a garlic lover, this attractive herb is a must. I took one of my weekend demonstration groups into the Sensory Garden, where we harvested some of the garlic chives. As I cut the leaves into small pieces, the odor wafted in the air. While I often pass herbs around for visitors to smell, this one could be appreciated by everyone in the group simultaneously.

I experimented with a few herbal vinegars this year. One was a spicy concoction of cider vinegar, hot peppers, spicy oregano and garlic chives. I included a few of the flowers from the garlic chives for flavor and ornamental value; it was an attractive arrangement.

Four weeks later when I opened the bottle, the aroma of the garlic attacked my nostrils. For garlic lovers the vinegar was a success. For my own personal taste, I loved the kick of the hot peppers and oregano, but will tone down the garlic for next year. I think I will simply add the flowers and omit the foliage and try for a milder taste.

Herbal vinegars are easy to make. Either place the glass jar containers or bottles in the dishwasher on the sanitize setting or sterilize the jars in a bath of boiling water for 10 minutes. I am not sure how important these precautions are when dealing with highly acidic vinegars, but I take them anyway. What is important to remember is that vinegar corrodes metal, so avoid metal lids.

I made another vinegar with white wine vinegar and basil ‘Red Rubin’. I was delighted to watch the white wine vinegar change to varying shades of red. After four weeks or so, when the vinegar is ready, it is best to strain out the tired basil foliage. I also made a successful mix of white wine vinegar and golden lemon thyme (Thymus x citriodorus ‘Aureus’).

While herbal vinegars are one way of capturing the flavors of summer, herbs can also be dried or frozen. Herbs can be dried the old-fashion way by placing them inside a brown paper bag and hanging them in a dry closet for from one to two weeks. For quick results, place herbs on a baking sheet and let them dry in the oven on a low setting. Check them frequently so they do not burn.

One easy way to freeze herbs is to chop them up and place them in an ice cube tray. Fill the tray with either water or olive oil (good for basil) and then place the frozen cubes in a freezer bag to store. Alternatively, freeze on a baking sheet and store in freezer bags.

Some herbs don’t retain their flavors well when dried and so freezing is a better option. A few examples are basil (Ocimum basilicum), chives, tarragon (Artemisia dracunculus), and parsley (Petroselinum crispum).