All Information About Tips To Freeze Parsley For Later Use

There are a lot of herbs which exhibit a better flavor when they are frozen rather than dried off for longer storage. One such herb is parsley and given the kind of versatility it possesses, people look for the best methods to freeze parsley. Many of you must also be searching for how to freeze parsley, chives, and other herbs.

Most of the herbs don’t grow year-round but their presence in the cuisine culture is indispensable. This breeds the need for storing them so that they can be used later too. One such storage method is freezing and it’s highly preferred by the experts for its easy and fast.

Fresh herbs can be frozen and preserved for longer than the others. It is for providing you the best methods for doing so that we present this article here. We will be covering all the popular and different methods that will let you freeze parsley effectively.

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Why freeze parsley and other herbs in the first place?

The plant of parsley is a very high yielding one and the crop produced is so bountiful that it is practically impossible for any household to consume it totally within the same growing season. This is the same with both types of parsley- the curly leaf as well as flat-leaf.

The incentive of freezing parsley is very lucrative. The fresh parsley has a shelf life of only about 2 weeks whereas the same parsley, when frozen, can last for more than 6 months.

The most important thing to remember here is that none of the methods will be able to keep the distinctive flavor of the herb parsley intact. The pure, herbal, and earthy flavor of parsley is best savored when used fresh. So, enjoy the fresh produce as much as you can with the stews, soups, or garnish.

How to prepare parsley before freezing it?

We will start with the harvesting method as we assume that many of you must have been growing the herb in your kitchen backyard.

The right time to harvest the crop is in the latter part of the morning once the sun is fully up and has dried up the dew on the leaves. Dig the crop out with the help of garden shears.
Get the crop inside and start with the washing ritual.
Take small bunches and wash them under cool running water. Make sure to clean away any dead leaves, the discolored portions, or dirt that might have stuck with the plant.
Spread the parsley over a paper towel that you have to spread over any flat counter or any big colander. Allow it to dry now.
You can also use the salad spinner which can be the best option to ensure that the parsley gets dry. The dry herbs are easier to start the freezing process with. It is very important to remove water totally as any drop left behind will freeze to become ice crystal and damage the leaf then.
You can chop the parsley or let it remain whole depending upon the method of freezing that you are going to opt.

What are the methods to freeze parsley?

It’s nothing highly technical here. These are just very simple tips and tricks that will enable you to prep the parsley, pack it up, and freeze lastly.

Freeze them in the paper towels only

If you rinsed the herb with the help of a colander, then you can go ahead with this method. Once you have dried the parsley by dabbing it over with paper towels, don’t get rid of those towels yet. What you need to do is wrap the parsley into those damp paper towels only.

Wrap loosely and place the bundle inside any re-sealable bag. Zip the bag and then it goes inside the freezer.

The advantage of this method is that it allows the herb to retain enough moisture for long term sustenance. The parsley will remain fresh as well as wilt-free for around three to five days.

Use a bag to freeze parsley

This method can be used for the un-chopped parsley if you decide to freeze them whole. You need to just put the nicely dried parsley in a bag. It would be good if you double-bag them.

You must take care to push out all the air from the bag as much as possible. It is not necessary to pluck the leaves out for this storage method. Just put the whole stem inside the bag.

Now place the parsley bag inside the freezer. Whenever you need to use it, just pull the nag out, snap the leaves from the stem and they are ready to use. The frozen form of these leaves can be put to best use where their appearance is of least importance and taste is what you desire.

You obviously cannot use them for garnishing. Use these in dishes that have some kind of soup, sauce, or tossing involved.

Making frozen “herb cigars”

Cigars or Roll-ups are the names of the form that we will be freezing the parsley in with this method. This is one of the simplest methods to freeze parsley if you want to make them available for a longer time.

We assume that you know to start with thoroughly rinsed and dried off parsley since you don’t want any dirt to come into your mouth while you eat the dish. Remove as much moisture as possible to save the parsley from freezer burn. Now put the parsley over the bottom of any freezer bag and spread it out evenly.

Now put pressure over the bag and start rolling the bag upwards. Ensure that you push out the maximum possible air from the open end of the bag during the roll-up. This will lead to a cigar-shaped parsley bag, seal it and wrap it around with a rubber band.

Put it inside the freezer. The parsley will stay fresh and safe from freezer burn. Take it out when the need is, unfold the cigar, and chop the required amount out.

Making parsley cubes infused with herb-oils

This process takes a little longer and involves a bit of effort, but also gives the best results in return. We will tell you how to freeze parsley in cube-form.

Start with chopping the herb off. If you have a less amount, simply cut it with a knife manually. You can use a food processor too if you want a really fine parsley or even a paste of it. If you use the processor, take care to add two tbsp of any vegetable oil, olive oil preferably, that has a neutral taste.

There are two ways you can store this oil herb paste:

You can put the mixture in a freezer bag. Add the oil into the herb paste if you missed it earlier. Seal and flatten the bag evenly in a flat layer to wean out any air present. Keep it in the freezer now.
Another way is storing them in the ice cube tray. Put one spoon of the paste in each cube and drizzle oil over it if you skipped it earlier. After you have frozen the cubes solid, move them into any freezer bag to store them for longer.

The oil helps in preserving the real and pure flavor of the herb. Another benefit is that frozen oil gets less time to melt when compared to plain water.

Dehydrating the parsley

If your freezer is short on space, you can use this method which is efficient and quick too. You can use a food dehydrator which evenly dries the herbs.

Gather the bunch of parsley and tie them together. Now hang them in a space that is cool and nicely ventilated. Keep them like this until they dry out thoroughly.

A pro-tip: You can place wax paper over the parsley if you are keeping it any container. This will help to remove the last trace of air and also keep the parsley fresh for more than a month.

What are the general tips for storing herbs?

These are some very efficient tips and tricks that you must know if you are still wondering how to freeze parsley, chives, and other herbs. Basil, Chives, Mint, Oregano, Savory, Dill, etc. freeze best. This video might help too.

Always check if the freezer is running at the right temperature.
You can freeze the herbs in the three popular forms- pesto, ice cubes, stuffed into the freezer bags. Parsley can be frozen by making a log its leaves too.
The herbs frozen in flat layers cook easily when re-used as they melt faster and evenly as compared to the cubed ones.
If you are freezing the leaves separately, be quick while storing them for freezing to prevent thawing. Don’t thaw the frozen herbs before using them.
The herbs give out the smell and to prevent it from damaging the other food items, wrap them in a foil, or put them in an air-tight glass jar.
Labeling the storage jars can be extra help.
You can try drying the herb naturally in the air or a microwave too.
Herby ice-cubes are good cocktail decorators.

Final words

We have covered almost everything if you wanted to freeze parsley and know how to freeze parsley, chives, and other herbs. These are tried and tested methods by all the cooking experts. Make your way through them and keep enjoying the herbs till you want!

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