Herbs

Keeping Herbs Fresh

When you gather or buy fresh herbs, such as: Parsley, Basil, Rosemary, Thyme, Mint, Oregano and Sage, snip off or cut off the bottom of the stems. Make sure the leaves are dry, but rinse them when you are going to use them.

Fill a mason jar or a water glass half-way with water and place the stem ends first into the jar or the glass. If you decide to store the herbs in the refrigerator, cover loosely with a clear plastic bag.

Parsley can be stored at room temperature or in the refrigerator, the same goes for Rosemary, Thyme and Sage. However, according to several sources , Basil is best stored at room temperature and not in the refrigerator because it is vulnerable to damage from the cold air.

Make sure to change the water every other day. Fresh herbs can last up to 2 weeks or longer when stored this way.

Herbs in Italian / Greek Kitchens

Parsley: It is usually recommended that you use flat leaf Italian parsley in Italian cooking, and reserve the curly variety as a garnish. Parsley can be washed and stored in the refrigerator for up to a week. It is a fresh addition to almost any dish, and is also great as a mouth freshener as it masks the odor of garlic.

Basil: A fragrant plant which legend says that due to its excellent aroma and perfume ancient kings used it to adorn their palaces. Its name is Greek for “kingly.” It is not true that basil is associated particularly with Italian cooking. Greek cuisine makes extensive use of basil and is a fundamental seasoning ingredient for many sauces, soups and salads. The Italians use it more especially in tomato sauces, and who can forget the wonderful pesto sauce?

Oregano: A plant of the mint family. This herb is particularly prized in Greece and southern Italy. It is widely used to season salads, sauces, pizza, and grilled vegetable dishes. The fresh type stores well in the refrigerator, and when dry keeps for a year or so when stored in a dark place. The ancient Greeks used fresh oregano leaves as tea to help with headaches and insomnia.

Rosemary: An evergreen shrub with lance shaped leaves, and extremely fragrant. Rosemary was used in ancient times and still is used today for its medicinal purposes but has become a mainstay in modern Italian and Greek cooking as a seasoning for roasts, potatoes, breads and vegetable dishes. It will store, fresh in water and dry in a dark place.

Sage: A small plant with fragrant leaves, part of the mint family. Salvia, the Latin name, means the healing plant. Medicinally, sage as a tea is believed to restore energy and bad memory. Sage is often used in combination with rosemary to flavor roasts, and the famous veal dish Saltimbocca gets it's specific flavor from sage as well. Sage stores well in the refrigerator.

Thyme: A member of the mint family; indigenous to the Mediterranean. It has fragrant and of antiseptic qualities, when cooking snails feed them thyme and all the inner contents will be cleaned. Thyme is a very powerful herb and should be used very sparingly. It adds great flavors when seasoning meats, stuffing's and marinades. The easiest way to use fresh thyme is to simply pull the small leaves off the stiff stalks, use just the leaves in your cooking.