293201 Wed Jun 18 00:12:50 -0700 2003 12 27 General Chowhounding Topics 0 1603366 uh,oh. Getting overwhelmed by the CSA produce. Sage, cilantro, mint this week, plus lots and lots of lettuces/greens. Two questions: (1) are all herbs freezable? What is the best way to go about this? (2) The greens get icky faster than we can eat them, no matter what method I use to store them in fridge. Anyone have a foolproof way to keep them usable for more than three days. TIA Wed Jun 18 00:12:50 -0700 2003 0 mm 1 1603381 For the herbs, you can cut them into small pieces with the least aggressive method possible (kitchen shears work the best). Then pack them as tightly as possible into the cube molds of an ice-cube tray. Cover with a little bit of water and freeze solid. Pop the cubes out and store in a plastic bag. Note that if you have a defrosting freezer, like most people, the cubes stored together will eventually become a huge clump because of the melt/refreeze cycle. The only way to avoid this is to wrap cubes individually (or turn off the defrost feature). I have also made cilantro 'pesto' for help save it for use when I can't grow it outside. For this I just used a food processor to chop the herbs finely. I added just enough olive oil so that it held together. Then I packed it tightly in jars. It held up well in the freezer and in the refrigerator. It discolored a bit but the flavor was nice and strong. Have also successfully done this with basil. I imagine it would work with parsley as well. Wed Jun 18 07:34:16 -0700 2003 1603366 0 StephenB 2 1603423 Instead of packing your pesto in jars for freezing, try this method: Place 1/4 to 1/3 cup pesto in a snack-sized self-sealing bag, shake the pesto down to the bottom of the bag, roll the bag up, and seal. I find this method--for some reason--keeps it from discoloring. You end up with a cigar-shaped roll of pesto that's easy to break apart for use in soups, on pizza, whatever. Wed Jun 18 12:26:27 -0700 2003 1603381 0 Joan 1 1603389 I had a similar problem with the greens last year. Have you tried these bags? They *really* work, and the greens last for at least a week! it will work for herbs as well. With lettuce, I usually wash it in a salad spinner soon as I get home and keep it in the fridge IN the spinner...that seems to keep it about a week as well. Link: http://www.bright-star-promotions.com/greenbags/ Wed Jun 18 09:36:16 -0700 2003 1603366 0 budino 1 1603392 I've tried this way of washing/storing lettuce from Amanda Hesser's book. "My refrigerator often looks like a sock drawer, with coils of dish towels stacked up in a neat rows. After washing and drying greens, I spread portions out on dish towels and then roll them up. Delicate greens are cradled in the towel, protected from rotting moisture and the direct cold of the fridge." Sometimes, I use paper towels, if I don't have enough clean dish towels. She says it will extend the life to 5 days, but I think, I've used them up to 10-11 days later. I had a cilantro pesto at a party made with pecans instead of pine nuts and it was really good. They served it spread on slices of french bread. Wed Jun 18 09:57:53 -0700 2003 1603366 0 southerngirl 1 1603415 If all methods of storage fail, try blanching greens quickly in boiling water. Drain well, (you can squeeze out excess liquid)chop, and freeze. Use at a later date in casseroles, enchiladas, lasagna, quiches or anything else you can sneak greens into. If you're overwhelmed by quantities of fresh mixed herbs, a Georgian cookbook might help you put them to use. Maybe your local library has one? Wed Jun 18 11:59:03 -0700 2003 1603366 0 Kathryn Callaghan 1 1603418 Herb butters freeze very well and are easy to make, dry the herbs carefully and then chop finely, by hand or pulsing in a processor or blender, then blend into good softened salted butter. Form into a rough cylinder, roll up on wax paper. store in freezer bags and use later on grill meats, steamed vegies etc. Wed Jun 18 12:16:32 -0700 2003 1603366 0 ciaolette 2 1603420 oops...by "dry the herbs carefully" I mean wash and fully dry ie. no water stuck to herbs, not dry as in dried herbs. :-) Wed Jun 18 12:18:15 -0700 2003 1603418 0 ciolette 1 1603437 Herbs: I often take about half of a bunch like sage or thyme, and set it to dry on a dish or shallow bowl in the cupboard. I'm always glad later that I have some fresh-dried herbs, and they are much better than store-bought dried herbs. Make herb-salts. Process fresh sage, thyme, oregano with high-quality salt. Use as you would salt, get extra flavor. Fresh mint tea or Moroccan style---gunpowder green tea, bunch of mint and honey ...sip hot...delicious A mix of leafy green herbs--parsley, cilantro, basil...made into a pesto or salsa verde at the beginning of the week will enliven many dishes throughout---soup, eggs, fish, into salad dressing... Greens: If your greens are going to liquid that quickly, perhaps they are too far in the back or your fridge is so cold they are "freezing" which destroys the cell structure. Wrapped in a slightly damp kitchen towel or paper towels, then back into a plastic bag---or even better one or more of those white-enamel boxes with lids---should really help keep them crisp. I have a couple heads of butter lettuce that accidently got forgotten in one over tow weeks ago, still intact. Blanching+ storing some of the greens earlier in the week for easy use later could also make things more manageable. Wed Jun 18 13:40:20 -0700 2003 1603366 0 dutch 2 1603438 Lots of good ideas here, and I think Dutch is onto something about things being too far back in your fridge. I find that most greens last about a week, and I just keep them, unwashed, in loosely folded plastic bags -- I'm too lazy to repack anything when I get home from the market and for some reason stuff keeps just fine. Left too long greens go yellow, then liquify even later. All that said, arugula also makes a really delicious pesto. Wed Jun 18 13:48:36 -0700 2003 1603437 0 Millicent 1 1603474 Thank you for all your suggestions! I love all of the herb ideas. As for the greens, I'll check the fridge location, but I think I may have solved my problem. The towels/plastic bag scenario has never worked for me - I'm not sure why. But this week I wrapped the greens in linen towels (which dry a bit faster than cotton or paper) and the greens seem to be in better shape than they usually are after a couple of days. Which leads me to another question (moderator, please indulge as this *is* food related): where can one find 100% linen dish towels at a low price? I am still using ones my mother gave me 20 years ago! Wed Jun 18 17:35:25 -0700 2003 1603366 0 mm 2 1603492 One option is yard/tag sales. Or flea markets. Or eBAY. Also, most fabric stores carry bolts of linen toweling which you can purchase by the yard and then hem just the top and bottom. Wed Jun 18 19:50:07 -0700 2003 1603474 0 ld 2 1603598 Back in my "aspiring to be Martha" days I sewed up some simple bags from linen towelling material that I got from a fabric store. I just shake my greens into the bag and throw them into the fridge. They last about a week, and if I can't eat them I just wilt them and throw them into pasta sauce or some other hiding place! Thu Jun 19 17:50:11 -0700 2003 1603474 0 chococat