Herbs with Staying Power

Some things - like wine, cheese and balsamic vinegar - get better with age. But when it comes to herbs, fresh is better. The peppermill has become a culinary fixture because of the dramatic difference fresh-ground pepper makes to a dish, and the same goes for herbs. In fact, these low-calorie, high-nutrient ingredients will boost the flavour of every dish as long as they are stored and used correctly.

“Once you’ve tried fresh it’s really hard to go back,” says Jim Marles of Morinville Greenhouses, which produces several herbs year-round. “Buying locally is ideal because the herb doesn’t have as much travelling time. Most farmers pick the herb the day before they sell it.”

Some herbs, such as basil, can be combined with canola oil or water and frozen into ice cube trays, then used later for sauces or soups. But if you can’t make it to the farmer’s market or your local greenhouse, or they’re closed for the winter, consider growing herbs in your house. Gwen Simpson started growing herbs for her own culinary use and turned her hobby into a business, Inspired Market Gardens. She says many herbs look pretty and are easy to grow.

“Start with something simple, like parsley and chives,” Simpson says. “Everybody is interested in basil because they’re used to Italian food, but basil is a princess plant - it loves heat and doesn’t like changes in temperature.”

If your thumb is not of the green variety, try freeze-dried herbs. When buying dried herbs, buy from a store with a high turnover, in the smallest container available, and look for herbs with large particles.

“As soon as you crush dried herbs they start to lose some of their oil,” Simpson  says. “If it’s really ground up it’s lost a lot of its flavour. The coarser they are the more flavour they’ll have.”

Herb how-to

Fresh: Add fresh herbs in the last five or 10 minutes of cooking. Too much heat causes bitterness. Most herbs can be kept in a plastic bag in the fridge, but poke a hole in the bag to release condensation. Don’t store basil in the fridge - it’s too cold.

Freeze-dried: Frozen immediately after being picked, these herbs may be fresher than store-bought fresh herbs. These herbs rehydrate easily, so treat them as you would fresh herbs. Most suppliers give freeze-dried herbs a one-year shelf life.

Air-dried: These herbs should be added at the beginning of the cooking process, and don’t skimp. The flavour and nutritional quality of air-dried herbs begins to degrade when the seal is broken, so most suppliers recommend discarding herbs after a year. Store dried herbs in a glass container in a cool, dark place - not on the back of the stove.

For more information about culinary herbs, visit www.inspiredmarketgardens.com