Preserving Cilantro

My cilantro started to bolt as soon as the nights got above 50º.  It isn't fair.  The thyme was flowering, too, but I have at least a year's worth and didn't care about digging it up.

After reading up on different preservation methods, I found this video from The Purposeful Pantry.  Ok, I'm never going to preserve enough of anything to need a freeze dryer, but the other two methods looked doable.

The first step before preserving any herb is to wash it well.  That goes equally for home-grown and store-bought.  I rinsed it twice in the sink.  If you have a salad spinner to dry it, great.  Otherwise, shake it to dry, then roll gently in a towel for a minute or so.  Open the towel and let the leaves air dry for half an hour, then you may proceed.

I don't have a dehydrator, and I asked Darcy at The Purposeful Pantry if the 110º setting on my convection oven was close enough to the recommended 95º.  She said the herbs would lose too much flavor and I'd be better off air-drying them if I lived somewhere with low humidity.  I do, so that's what I did with most of it.

I did have to take down some mint I had hanging in order to put up the cilantro.  I pretty much always seem to have something hanging from that cabinet.  Once the cilantro is done, I'm going to give Steve (the stevia) its first trim and hang that.

To hang herbs for drying, get a piece of yarn, trussing line, or twine and tie the stems together.  Loop it over wherever you have and let them dry until crispy.  This could be a week or a month, depending where you live and the season.  Then crumble them into a bowl, remove the stems, and stick them in a container to maintain freshness.  That's as hard as that method gets.

Now, for all those leaves that fell off, or the stems that I couldn't tie into the bundle, the next method I used was freezing in oil.  You can't freeze herbs in water, but you can do it in oil, like with pesto.  I crammed leaves into an ice cube tray, then added just barely enough olive oil to hold them together.  They're kind of hard to get out of the tray.  To use in recipes, drop one in straight and account for the teaspoon or so of oil that comes with it.

Ideally, you want to use all your herbs before they spoil and not have to deal with preserving them.  These ideas are for when you don't have that option, or want to have fresh herbs out of season without paying those prices.