Preserving Herbs for Baking Needs

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Fresh herbs are one of the most amazing parts of gardening, be sure to preserve some for easy and delicious baking later.

You can amazing herbal cookies, breads, cakes, and more even when the garden is covered with snow with a little preservation effort in spring and summer.

These simple preserves are good for both savory and sweet baked goods for your home and even for gift giving straight from the garden any time of year!

Make Extracts

Put those fresh or dried herbs in some vodka or rum to make homemade extracts of numerous flavors. Make small batches for your own baking needs or consider making large batches and giving them away later to foodie friends.

The alcohol content will prevent spoilage meaning you can make that extract now and keep it in a dark cabinet until the holiday season comes in November. If you need a few ideas, check out these tutorials, but feel free to experiment with any herbs you have on hand – think anise hyssop, lilac, bee balm, rose, etc.

• Lavender Extract
• Mint Extract

Use homemade extracts in the same way you would use commercial extracts as a flavoring to baked goods and frosting. Having homegrown extracts allows for more creative recipes and flavors later on.

Infuse Honey

Tuck some herbs into a jar, cover it with honey, and let it sit for a few weeks to a month. Strain the herbs and just like that you have flavored honey.

The infused honey can be secret baking ingredient, used simply to sweeten and flavor tea, used in lip balms, depending on the herb can be medicinal, and much more. Honestly, this is one of my favorite ways to preserve herbs. Here are a few creative ideas to make and use infused honey:

• Mint Honey
• Oregano Honey
• Lavender Honey

Honey is obviously a sweet ingredient but has a place in savory applications as well. Use the flavored honey in yeast breads for a hint of flavor, use it barbecue sauces, and in any recipe that calls for unflavored honey for an extra bit of homegrown flavor.

Flavor Sugar

Mix those herb leaves with sugar to create flavored sugars perfect for all your baking needs. This process is simple and can take advantage of most any herb you have growing in the garden.

These are basic recipes that you can easily substitute the herbs – use rose, mint, lemon balm, etc.

• Lavender Sugar
• Lilac Sugar

Use the flavored sugar just like you would use any plain sugar in a recipe in a one-to-one substitution.

Make Compound Butters

Cream together those 1/4 to 1/2 cup fresh herbs and 1/2 cup softened butter together for an easy preserve to freeze. Use these compounds butters for everything from lemon balm roasted chicken to mint chocolate chip cookies.

Again, basic method substitute herbs for what you have hand and get creative with mixed herbs based on your favorite flavors.

• Chive Blossom Butter
• Dandelion Honey Butter

Use compound butters as a 1-to-1 substitution for plain butter in any of your favorite recipes.

Dry Herbs

Drying herbs is an obvious method of preservation. It’s easy and doesn’t take up much room. Dry lots for your own baking needs and keep extras around for gift giving later. Dried herbs tuck nicely (and cheaply) into care packages and when packaged in pretty jars make for a great gift for local friends.

They can often be put into baked goods or even used to infuse water or milk in baked goods for more flavor.

Be on the lookout this summer for interesting jars that can often be found quite frugally at yard and rummage sales. Need some new ideas for all those dried herbs, consider these recipes.

Make Herbal Salt

Simple herbs and salt can be used in most sweet and savory goods and more. Use herbal salt in breads, cookies, anywhere you add a bit of salt in a 1-to-1 substitution for an extra hit of herbal flavor.

So as those herbs start flourishing, get them back for multiple harvest and preserve them for homegrown baked goods later this year. You’ll be glad you did!

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