home vegetarian recipe links herbs and spices
My first experience of herbs preserved in this manner was the jars of salted parsley that my mother in law would bring us every autumn. She grew the parsley herself in her garden and the jars came in handy in the winter for adding a bit of zap to soup. Salted herbs retain their taste very well and the parsely would taste just like freshly chopped herb when added to a pot of soup near the end of cooking time.
We had so many jars of parsley, we would have to throw some away the following year to make room for the new stuff. My mum in law doesn't do things in half measures.
I've since tried salting other herbs and they all seem to work well - basil, oregano and dill all keep their taste and this method is especially good for dill as it doesn't survive drying very well. Salting might be good for other similar herbs that loose their character when dried. Tarragon, for instance, springs to mind.
The method is extremely simple: chop up the fresh herbs and mix them with salt in a ratio of about three teaspoons of salt to one cup of chopped herbs. Pack the mix into jars and seal.