Five ways to preserve your herbs in five minutes

Don't let all that flavour wither on the vine! Try these simple recipes to season a variety of meals

Got a bounty of fresh herbs you want to use all winter but little time to preserve them? These five ideas are as versatile as they are quick. With fresh, clean herbs at hand, each method takes no more than five minutes active time. Okay, maybe six.
1. Hang them out to dry
While you can easily dry herbs with a dehydrator or right in the oven, hang drying is an even quicker fix.

Five-minute fix: When you pick your herbs, leave a generous stem. Lightly rinse the leaves to remove the dirt and then gently pat the herbs dry. Tie a bunch together by the stems with a piece of string, then hang the bouquet upside down in a well-ventilated area and walk away. Drying time varies with the herb and humidity, but within a couple of weeks the herbs should be fully dried. The herbs are ready to go into glass jars with a tight fitting lid or an airtight plastic bag when the leaves crumble when rubbed.

Best choices: Rosemary, lavender, mint, oregano, marjoram, thyme and sage.

Keeps for: Up to a year if properly sealed.

2. Freeze them in ice
Frozen herbs add punch to soups, stews and sauces. You don’t even have to defrost them. Just drop them in, watch them melt and taste the difference.

Five-minute fix: After washing the herbs, place the leaves in a blender and purée with just enough water to form for a liquid. Pour the puréed herbs into an ice cube tray and freeze. Once frozen, pop the herb cubes from the tray and store in a resealable plastic bag to protect the flavour.

Best choices: Chives, thyme, basil, rosemary, oregano, sage or a mixture of your favourite herbs.

Keeps for: Up to six months in the freezer.

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Trees

Well it seems as if summer is completely gone. We are going to mow the lawn for one last time before putting all the yard care equipment away in the garden shed for the winter. Our trees are all dropping their leaves and are starting to hibernate for the cold season.

We did not have a garden in our yard this year, not sure if we will get one started next year or not. The price of fruit and vegetables was noticable higher this year so it is more and more affordable to grow your own produce in a vegetable garden. I expect that next year even more people will make this smart choice so they can save money and eat healthy.

I find that searching around online is the coolest way to learn more about gardening. Check around my page and see if there is any information that is of interest to you. Explore my links and see what sort of cool garden path you will discover.

Garden Gone

This time of year the garden is about done. We harvested the last of our plums from our fruit trees in our mini orchard in our back yard. Our apples are ready to be picked and the first frost of the winter could be here any day. We will set about buying seeds to sow for next year in the garden and come up with a plan of what sort of plants and vegetables we are going to try to grow.

Lethbridge Gardening

Lethbridge Gardening
If you drive through the City of Lethbridge and take a look at the beautiful yards and public park areas you will see that many homeowners take great pride in landscaping their yard and gardening. Gardening was traditionally a way to grow food for personal eating, but has grown into one of the most trendy hobbies in recent years. Many people have taken up gardening for the exercise, the relaxation, in addition to the health and economic benefits.

By planting and growing your own garden you can cut down on the amount of money you spend on produce, fruits, and vegetables at the grocery store. You also get a chance to spend time outdoors in the fresh air, relaxing and tending the garden. Home grown fruits and vegetables from your own garden are safer and healthier than many imported or factory grown similar foods. Plus, if you have extra produce from your gardening efforts, you can sell it at the Lethbridge farmers market. So not only do you save money by gardening, but you could also make money from it too.

If you are interested in the subject of Lethbridge Gardening or wish to have more information, there should be links on this page that will take you to much more specific and detailed information from local Lethbridge businesses that are related to Lethbridge gardening.