Using/preserving fresh oregano

lightisfading

I just thinned out my herb planter outside (in torrential rain, in pj bottoms and a tshirt :rotfl:neighbours must think im bonkers) and now have LOADS of fresh oregano as the stuff is growing like a weed! Is there anything I can do to preserve it as seems a waste to bin it.

Oh, and I can't hang it up to dry as I cut the stalks off quite short.

dawkins

You can either dry or freeze oregano - either way it's nice and easy to do:

Drying - pick whole stems (before they've flowered) on a dry morning, before the sun is fully up. Lay them out flat on trays/anything flat, on some kitchen towel or muslin. You'll want to put these somewhere dark, so an airing cupboard is ideal, but anywhere warm-ish with good air circulation will do (like a spare room with curtains closed). Turn the herbs a couple of times every day for the first 2 to 3 days, then leave until they are completely dried. You'll be able to tell when they're ready because they'll be brittle and will break up if you crush them. You can then run your hands down the stems to break off the dried leaves, and store those in a glass jar. If any moisture forms in the jar, you need to dry the herbs a bit longer. You can dry herbs in an oven on low heat too, but I think the slower method preserves more flavour.

Freezing - if the above seems to much hassle, you can just pick the stems (rinse and dry if needed) pull off the leaves and freeze them in bags. Alternatively, chop the leaves and freeze them with a little water in ice cube trays - you can keep the resulting herb-cubes in a freezer bag. Either way, there's no need to defrost - just chuck them straight into your home-made pizza sauce, or whatever you're making.

lynzpower

I also saw on tv once that someone recommended drying herbs by simply snipping them off then putting the stalks in brown paper bags and hooking them up in a dry place ( on tv it was in thier garage) within a day or so they could be crumbled into jars.

Penelope_Penguin

Thread here - preserving fresh herbs :beer:

• pesto from mixed fresh herbs (oregano, basil, mint, lemon balm)
• roughly chop oregano and put it over boiled new potatoes
• roughly chop fresh herbs and add them to minced beef to make herby burgers
• add oregano leaves to mixed leaf salad

Penny. x