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Storing kitchen garden herbs

GREEN THUMB Grow herbs in your own backyard

If you have a herb garden, you'll find that home-dried herbs can be just as tasty as those bought at the store. However, proper handling is as important to the success of your herb harvest as good cultural practices.

Most herbs are at their peak flavour just before flowering, so this is a good time to collect them for drying and storage. To be certain, check drying directions on specific herbs in a reliable reference book.

Cut off the herbs early in the morning just after the dew has dried. Wash herbs, with the leaves on the stems, lightly in cold running water to remove any soil, dust, bugs, or other foreign material. Drain thoroughly. Strip leaves off the stalks once plants have drained and dried, leaving only the top six inches. Remove all blossoms.

Herbs must be dried thoroughly before storing. Herbs with high moisture content, such as mint and basil, need rapid drying or they will mold. To retain some green leaf colouring, dry in the dark by hanging plants upside down in bunches in paper bags. Hanging leaves down allows essential oils to flow from stems to leaves. Tie whole stems tightly in small bunches. Individual stems will shrink and fall. Hang in a dark, warm (70o-80oF [21.1o-26.7oC]), well-ventilated, dust-free area. Leaves are ready when they feel dry in about one to two weeks.

Drying seeds

Seeds take longer to dry than leaves, sometimes as much as two weeks for larger seeds. Place seed heads on cloth or paper.

When partially dry, rub seeds gently between palms to remove dirt and hulls. Spread clean seed in thin layers on cloth or paper until dry.

Oven drying: For quick oven drying, take care to prevent loss of flavour, oils, and colour.

Place leaves or seeds on a cookie sheet or shallow pan not more than 1 inch deep in an open oven at low heat less than 180oF (82.2oC) for about two to four hours. Microwave ovens can be used to dry leaves quickly. Place the clean leaves on a paper plate or paper towel. Place the herbs in the oven for one to three minutes, mixing every 30 seconds.

Silica gel or salt drying: Silica gel or non-iodised table salt can be used to dry or "cure" non-hairy leaves. Clean and blot dry leaves before placing them in a tray or shallow pan of the silica gel or salt. After the leaves have dried, remove the leaves and store them in glass containers. Before using, rinse leaves in water.

Another method is to remove the leaves and spread them thinly on screens, avoiding exposure to bright light.

Replacing yolk

Eggless Ice cream

What is the alternative for egg yolk in ice cream?

Sonia
Begumpet

Ice cream can be made by using pasteurised cream, powdered milk and gelatin

in place of egg.

Fruit punch

How can we make fruit punch at home?

Giridhar
Naveen Nagar

Wok magic

Fruit Punch can be made at home by using the following recipe:

Mango juice: 100 ml
Pineapple juice: 100 ml
Vanilla ice cream: 50 gms
Grenadine syrup: 5 ml
Pineapple slice for garnish

Method: Blend all the juices with ice cream scoop in a blender. Garnish the collins glass with grenadine syrup and pineapple slice.

Serve cold.

Indian wok?

What's Indian equivalent to wok?

Madhu
Secunderabad

Indian equivalent to wok is kadhai. It is used for stir-frying and deep frying.

PRADEEP KHOSLA

Executive Chef, Taj Krishna

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