Do you find it hard to find fresh herbs? I got a trick for you!
When I lived in Brixton, South London, I only had to walk down the road to buy armfuls of fresh herbs, costing a pound each.
Every single Asian or Caribbean grocery store (as well as the Portuguese deli) would have huge piles of all kinds of fresh herbs, and it felt like home: almost like I remember it from the weekly laiki farmers' market when growing up in Athens.
Now that I live in rural North Wales the options are a lot more limited. The choice is between puny plastic packets from the supermarket containing barely a handful at an exorbitant price, or a 20 mile drive to the nearest veg wholesale place where I would sometimes get lucky with a bunch or two. True, I now have the space to grow my own, in theory at least. But I only ever seem to have success with the hardy things: thyme, rosemary and mint are thriving without me raising a finger, but the rest just won't. And I would need to grow loads of them to satisfy my herb cravings when cooking...
Luckily I now own a food shop... so now and then I give in to the indulgence of ordering big boxes of fresh herbs, like parsley, dill, coriander or fennel herb; even though I know it's a non-seller... We sell them loose at a very good price compared to those supermarket packets, yet only a few people will buy a couple of sprigs at the time. Invariably, I get to take home most of the big box. (Bingo! That was my secret plan all along!)
It seems, in the UK at least, most people only think of using fresh herbs - one at the time - when a recipe tells them to. And the stipulated quantities usually come in pinches and spoonfuls, not handfuls. No wonder you aren't looking to load your bags with the stuff if it's only going to sit there and wilt while you wait for the next suitable recipe.
But does it have to be that way?
This is what I do: I freeze my herbs! (I learned this from my mum.)
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Yes, it does take a little time getting the freezing done properly if you have a big pile of herbs to do. But it's worth getting that big pile when you have a chance, so you have plenty ready to use anytime! Once it's done, using herbs anytime, all the time, becomes a breeze.
I know some kitchen gurus are a bit sniffy about frozen herbs. They apparently lose taste and structure. This may be true to a certain degree, but so what?
Adding frozen herbs to your pot as it cooks still gives you a load more flavour (and goodness) than using none.
Dried herbs are of course an alternative, but those soft herbs especially have quite a different taste when dried so the result is a bit different.
Obviously, the freezing process does affect the texture of the herbs - they do get a bit mushy if defrosted. So I wouldn't use them where looks count, like as a posh garnish (though someone has figured out a way to do this). Of course, I much rather use them fresh, but as I don't have a reliable continuous supply where I live, this is the next best thing!
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Btw, there are even more ways to preserve fresh herbs (either one at a time, or mixed up):
No excuses left now not to stock up on fresh herbs!
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PS. I also made a little video about my freezer tricks - scroll to watch.
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And here is the video I made: