Easy herb ‘pucks’

By Sari Huhtala

Enjoy your summer herb garden’s bounty year-round by creating simple herb pucks.

Aside from drying garden herbs for later use, one of the easiest ways to preserve herbs, while at the same time create a tasty addition to meals, is by combining them with olive oil then freezing them.

You will need a mini muffin pan or ice cube tray to create the pucks.

Simply chop up the herb, either roughly or finely, then fill each space fully with the herb. Pour olive oil on top, up to the rim, then place in freezer. Once frozen, pop out each puck and place in a freezer bag for later use. Be sure to label the bags because they’ll all look the same once frozen.

One of my favourites is a mixture of Italian herbs – combining fresh rosemary, basil and oregano. Or stick to just basil for a fast pesto-like addition to pasta dishes.

Create pucks to add to soups, pasta, omelettes and sauces. There’s an endless way to make flavourful pucks. Water, in place of olive oil, can also be used to preserve herbs in the freezer.

Freeze herbs like fresh mint or lemon balm into water for a refreshing drink during the winter months.

A number of fresh herbs can also be placed directly into the freezer for later use.

Forage for edible wild plants, everything from plantain to yarrow, to add to olive oil pucks to boost nutrients in meals, or add finely chopped plants to water and freeze in cubes to add to smoothies.

Happy herb harvesting!