Herbs: Freezing & Butters

The gardens have been producing an abundance of fresh oregano, tarragon, savory, parsley, and sage. While we all enjoy fresh herbs in the summer, it can also be nice to save some for future use in the kitchen.

Freezing Herbs

Rinse herbs and remove any tough or brown stems. Place herbs in a food processor and puree. You probably won't have to add water, but can add a teaspoon or so if it's needed to help the mixture blend.

Spoon the pureed herbs into an ice cube tray. Cover the top of the tray with plastic wrap and freeze.

You can pop the herbs out a cube at a time for winter soups or sauces.

Herb Butters

Some of our gardners have been making herb butter by simply mixing finely chopped herbs with softened butter. The butter can be used immediately, or it can also be frozen.

If you'd like a more detailed recipe, just click here.

Recipe: Savory Zucchini Pancakes

I learned how to make these from Bhavani at Shoshoni Yoga Retreat. They make a wonderful light lunch or dinner, and the recipe is very versatile.

Makes 3 large pancakes; serves 2-3 people.

2 cups shredded zucchini (or other summer squash)

2 tablespoons minced fresh herbs

1 egg

3/4 cup flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

black pepper to taste

dash of tabasco

olive oil or ghee (for cooking)

Mix zucchini, herbs, and egg in large bowl. Mix flour, baking powder, salt, and black pepper in a small bowl. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, stirring until mixed. Add tabasco.

Pour olive oil or ghee into a non-stick frying pan. Heat oil over medium low heat. Spread batter in the pan, making a pancake about 5-6 inches in diameter. Cook slowly over medium low heat. When the first side is browned, flip the pancake.

Serve sprinkled with salt and pepper. Can be served topped with sour cream or cottage cheese and chopped tomatoes.

*It's important to cook the pancakes over medium low heat so that the inside has time to cook thoroughly. If the heat is too high, the outside of the pancake will cook, but the inside will still be soft.

*You can add any number of things to the batter for variation: chopped onion, diced garlic, or chopped arugula, spinach or chard.

Recipe: White Bean Salad with Wild Salmon

Serves 4. They have a great canned wild Alaskan salmon at Costco, for only about a dollar a can.

2 cans Great Northern beans, drained and rinsed

1 clove garlic, minced

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 tablespoons chopped herbs (tarragon, savory, parsley, oregano, and/or thyme)

1/2 cup chopped arugula

1 can wild salmon, drained

juice from 1/4 lemon

salt and pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients (be cautious with the salt, since canned beans are already salted). Adjust ingredients to taste. This can be served immediately, or refrigerated for a few hours to let the flavors blend.

How to Make Herb-Infused Vinegar

Our gardens have been producing lots of savory, thyme, parsley, tarragon, oregano, and sage. Jessica, one of our working members, is interested in making herb-infused vinegars. Here's what she found (thanks, Jessica!):

These instructions are adapted from the Bountiful Pantry class with Sandy Cruz (http://hialtpc.org/). She's having another class August 29, and I highly recommend it for learning about preserving foods without freezing or canning.

Containers: Use only glass jars with screw lids, caps, or corks. Small canning jars work well. Wash and then sterilize the jars and lids in simmering hot water for 10 minutes, or run them through the dishwasher and use right away.

Vinegars: Use good-quality, distilled white vinegar for delicate herbs. Use cider or wine vinegar for stronger herbs.

Flavorings: Use culinary herbs (basil, mint, tarragon, etc.), as well as garlic and citrus peels. Everything should be very fresh and washed, with bad parts trimmed off.
Use 3-4 sprigs of herbs or 6-8 small cloves of garlic or chunks of citrus peel per quart of vinegar. Reduce the amount of flavorings for smaller jars of vinegar. You can still use 3-4 sprigs, but make them smaller. They should fit in the jar easily, with room for the vinegar to cover them. Try making several small jars with different flavors, and use no more than three flavorings per vinegar.

Examples: basil and cider vinegar; sage and tarragon with white wine vinegar; garlic, mint, and lemon peel with white wine vinegar

Procedure: Put the flavoring in the bottle and add the vinegar to cover all of the flavorings. Cap tightly and place in a cool, dark place or the refrigerator for 2-4 weeks. Then strain out the flavorings and return the vinegar to the jar. Keep it tightly capped in a cool, dark place. It should last 2-4 months, but check for odd smell, color, taste, or appearance before using. Trust your senses. If something doesn't seem right, don't use it. If you're really worried about bacteria, stick to distilled white vinegar.