Canning and Preserving Herbs: 13 Recipes

Enlarge Image Image Gallery Cupboards full of jars that capture the flavors of the garden harvest at its peak are a comforting late-summer sight.

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Summer Recipes:

• Dill Pickles
• Mushroom Ketchup
• Sweet Onion Preserves
• Pickled Green Beans with Savory
• Pickled Cherries with Hyssop
• Mint Sambal 
• Apple-Lovage Chutney
• Tomatillo Salsa
• Zucchini Relish
• Herb Jelly
• Apricots with Anisette and Fennel
• Plums in Plum Wine with Rosemary
• Blueberries with Orange Liqueur and Lavender 

DIY: Boiling-Water Method of Preserving 

Ah! The beautiful rows of spar­kling jars of jams and jellies. The tantalizing aromas of simmering chutneys and relishes. The tang of homemade ketchups and sauces.

Evocative prose about the joys of preserving summer’s bounty always makes me chuckle. Having grown up in a rural household where “putting up” meant food on the table during the winter, my memories are less than idyllic. Unrelenting heat and mind-numbing hours spent preparing fruits and vegetables are the dominant recollection. If truth be told, though, I also recall the feeling of pride and satisfaction at the end of a long day, to say nothing of my pleasure in getting to eat the foam skimmed from the jelly.

Today, I no longer need to make and stockpile all manner of homemade goodies, but rampant supplies of herbs, garden produce, and creative urges (coupled with air conditioning and a continued love of gardening and great food) mean that come late summer, I’m once more in the kitchen surrounded by canning jars, herbs, vegetables, and fruits. Friends look forward to gifts from this outpouring of energy, too, and who can complain about having Christmas pres­ents ready by September?

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