f you are used to cooking or enjoying delicious dishes, you know very well how important spices are in the preparation of many recipes. Among the most popular, versatile, and certainly fragrant is rosemary. This magnificent spice, which also has repellent properties against insects such as mosquitoes and bees, among other things, can be used to cook meat, fish or other dishes. However, what is the best way to preserve it and use it all year round? Let’s find out together.
Rosemary: how to store it
As expected, the properties and organoleptic properties of rosemary are very relevant, so it would be ideal to be able to use this spice throughout the year. First of all, we can say that rosemary can be easily frozen: in this case, it must be washed and dried well beforehand. If we want, we can cut it into small pieces and make it more “compact”, perhaps with containers or freezer bags. The organoleptic characteristics remain almost the same! If we talk about fresh rosemary, then we might think about drying it and storing it in a shady and cool place (e.g. in a basement). Of course, to proceed with drying, we must plan a longer procedure, since it is necessary to leave it in the sun for several days or bake it in the oven at low temperatures. But let’s take a closer look at how these procedures can be implemented.
Rosemary in the freezer
Certainly, rosemary can be stored longer in the freezer. As expected, wash and dry the rosemary sprigs well and decide if you want to leave them whole or remove the different leaves, detach them from the twigs and chop them. Then we put everything in freezer bags or, in any case, in airtight containers. Before using it again, let’s remember to let it thaw well. Another suggestion is to put a label that reminds us of what we have placed on the packaging in question. Remember that the product can be stored for up to more than 6 months!
Dried rosemary
Needless to say, as you may have noticed yourself, rosemary often produces more yield when dried. This is because the smell it gives off is even stronger. The procedure is somewhat longer and more laborious. We must take care of drying in the sun, in the open air, which is only possible in summer and in outdoor spaces such as gardens or terraces. Another drying technique is related to the use of the oven: 50°C is enough, but with a cooking time of at least 2-3 hours.
Extra virgin olive oil: alternative solution
Finally, there is a technique that uses extra virgin olive oil. This method is truly exceptional: it involves rinsing the rosemary sprigs as best you can, then letting the leaves soak in oil for a few days and placing them in a jar. Keep away from heat sources and shake the glass occasionally. In some cases, it may be helpful to boil some oil with fresh rosemary and thus create a very fragrant infusion. We also recommend filtering the mixture before use.
