Did you have a garden this year? Did you grow herbs? Even if you just had a little window garden, you probably had more herbs than you could use! Well, hurry up and plan ahead a little bit, and preserve some of that bounty before it freezes. Here are two methods (and tools) to do it.
I have a lot of herbs to gather before the frost comes. I often get lazy (well, burnt out on gardening, really) this time of year, and let them all go to waste. Not this year! I am getting ready to harvest. And I'm looking for good ways to preserve my lemongrass, parsley, oregano, mint, basil, and lemon verbena. Not all of those will store well, but I'm going to try.
There are two main ways of preserving herbs. The first is to freeze them — usually suspended in oil, or pre-chopped. Pesto is a classic way of preserving that taste of fresh basil, and these little pesto cubes are one way of storing all that homemade pesto. Now, I know what you're going to say — just put it in an ice cube tray! Sure, you can do that too, but I like how these little cube containers have a fitted lid. (You can also freeze pesto in ice cube trays and, once frozen, dump them out into a big plastic freezer bag.)
• Find it: Pesto Cubes, Set of 20, $12.95 at Gardener's Supply Company
Another way to preserve herbs is to dry them. Certain herbs are better suited to drying than others. I personally despise dried basil (although perhaps it would be better out of my own garden?) but I like using dried lemongrass (great in teas!), oregano, thyme, and mint. This rack is a very pretty way to dry herbs and keep them on display in your kitchen.
• Find it: Herb Drying Rack, $19.95 at Gardener's Supply Company
Related: Good Question: Substituting Dried Herbs for Fresh
(Images: Gardener's Supply Company)
How To Cook Fluffy, Tasty Quinoa
Recipe: Spring Fruit and Nut Tabouli
Good Food to Share 
The Big Book of Small, Cool Spaces 
Apartment Therapy Presents 
The Eight-Step Home Cure 
TW Salt Mill by Wil...
Which Wall Color Gives the Best Sleep?
Ana Creates a Community at Home
Dried basil isn't so great, but can go a long way in soup... I use dried basil and thyme in corn chowder during the winter.
I like to chop up my herbs and spread them flat in a freezer bag and put then in the freezer, that way I can just break off a piece of the thin frozen block when I need some.
Oh those plastic cubes are perfect for this.,
If you've been growing herbs in containers outside, can you just bring them inside to a sunny windowsill??
It always bugs me when people say you can just use an ice cube tray. I've done it and ended up with weird tasting ice--and ice cube trays are surprisingly hard to come by! I like to use a mini muffin pan lined with plastic wrap for easy removal.
i use those cubes too... but mine are leftover baby food cubes, which you can get on amazon, in two different sizes, a bit cheaper.
i hang dry oregano and thyme and any basil that doesn't get made into pesto goes into the freezer whole. it actually holds up pretty well.
I haven't tried this but wouldn't using a pillbox for days of the week work too? Much cheaper than $20 pesto boxes.
PreciousJade, the pesto cube things aren't $20, they're $12.95 for a set of 20.