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Freeze Herbs Before Mother Nature Does

By Phran Novelli

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - Before it freezes outside, put some herbs in your freezer. While lots of herbs won't survive winter outdoors, many herbs freeze very well inside.

Just pick your herbs, rinse if needed, dry well, and put them in a tightly-sealed jar, plastic bag or container in the freezer – the more air tight it is, the better. I freeze most herbs on the stem – then just snap off leaves or pieces as I use them.

Parsley, basil, chives, mint, oregano and thyme all seem to last forever in my freezer.

Some people say their frozen herbs just turn black and get mushy (I had that happen with cilantro once). So instead of freezing them naked, you can chop herbs and mix them with a liquid you'd eat them with - such as water, lemon juice or oil - then freeze the mixture in ice cube trays.

Frozen herbs work well in sauces, soups, dressings, omelettes, condiments or teas. And while thawed herbs do get limp, they have much fresher flavor than dried herbs.

So, freeze your herbs, before Mother Nature does it for you. Because if herbs freeze outside in the open air, they won't be good to eat anymore.

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