I’ve been preserving and processing herbs from my garden for years now. I honestly can imagine my cooking without them and I make sure I always have some in my pantry. Survival foods can become dull after a while and you won’t be able to prepare tasty meals without herbs.

Keeping a well-equipped pantry is all part of the prepping process, but few people pay attention to details. You can stockpile all the grains and jerky you want, but think also about how to add flavor to your dishes. No matter what meal you cook, you can always improve it with a few herbs. Besides making even the tasteless dishes edible, it will also help you prevent food fatigue in the long run.

Growing your own herbs is rather easy and perhaps this is why they are considered beginner crops. You should have no problem growing them outside or indoors, as it takes less work than other, more traditional crops. Preserving and processing herbs for long term storage and use is also no big deal as you will see in this article.

Harvesting herbs

Most herbs are at their peak in July and it’s the perfect time to start your preserving plans. From experience, I can tell you that you should harvest the herbs for storage mid-morning. The logic behind this is quite simple. Wet plants won’t dry well and will stick together if you freeze them. This is why you need to wait for the dew to dry and let the sun help you.

Make sure you harvest all your leaf herbs before they flower, otherwise they become tougher and begin to lose flavor. As for flowers, the buds need to be harvested just before the buds open fully. When harvesting seeds, here’s a trick I’ve learned. Tap the seed had and if the first seeds fall loose, cut the pods and get them indoors.

Your evergreen herbs, especially the ones grown in pots, can be harvested fresh all year round. There should be no need for preserving and processing herbs as such, unless you have large crops and you want to avoid waste. Another advice I can share with you is to avoid taking more than a third of the leaves from perennials. Harvest leaves from healthy plants only and take the opportunity to prune the plants while you’re at it.

Methods of preserving and processing herbs:

Freezing Herbs

This is a method I’ve used for preserving soft-leaved herbs such as basil, parsley and chives. It’s a simple method that doesn’t require blanching. You just need to place the leaves or sprigs into plastic tubs. If the leaves are dry and you won’t compact them, they shouldn’t stick together. You will be able to take out what you need and crumble them into your cooking pot.

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