Rosemary by the Front Door
A shrub of rosemary, herbs that last the winter, and a buttermilk sherbet
Letter from the Kitchen
On my first trip to Italy, aside from the food, the beauty, the people, and my family, one of the things that stunned me was the rosemary. It grows there as a year-round shrub — a real one, waist-high and higher, the size of an arborvitae in Minnesota.
Here I get a few months, then it's back to the clamshells. There, fresh herbs all year, just outside the door."
This summer, I was buying herb starter plants for my garden from Pflaum Farms at the Minneapolis Farmers Market, and there it was — a shrub-sized rosemary plant. The owner caught me admiring. He had several, he said, and they look beautiful on a porch.
He was right. I bought two.
Now I smell rosemary every time I walk out the front door.
This means I have a lot of rosemary. And a lot of every other herb, coming soon. So this week is about herbs — growing them, keeping them, and not wasting a single sprig. The keeping part is in the Skill.
Last Week, You Answered
The Delicate Ones Always Lose
Last week, I asked which herb is always in your fridge, and which ones overstay their welcome.
The answer was nearly unanimous: the delicate ones. The basil that goes black. The cilantro that turns to slime in the drawer. The Italian parsley that turns yellow.
Here’s the thing — it’s usually not the herb. It’s where it’s sitting. Herbs don’t all want the same thing, and the delicate ones are the pickiest. Three groups, three methods.
Basil — leave it on the counter. Trim the stems, stand it in a Mason jar with an inch or two of water, keep it out of direct sun. Never refrigerate basil. Cold collapses the leaves and turns them black.
Parsley, mint, chervil — a cold bouquet. Same idea, but into the fridge: trim, stand in an inch of water, drape a loose bag over the top, change the water every couple of days.
Rosemary, thyme, sage, oregano, tarragon, chives — keep them dry. Wrap them unwashed in a barely damp paper towel, into a bag or container, in the crisper. Too much moisture and the woody ones mold.
That covers the week. For the herbs that pile up faster than you can use them, long-term storage is in the Skill below.
A couple of ways to use up the basil while it’s good:
Join Me at the Table
Father’s Day Masterclass: Tortillas & the Taco Bar
The puffed tortilla technique took me months. It’s ready.
Father’s Day, and the masterclass is on. Homemade tortillas and a full taco bar — hands-on, start to finish.
It starts with the corn. Four colors — blue, yellow, red, white — nixtamalized and pressed into tortillas. Each one cooks a little differently and tastes it.
Then the bar:
Fish tacos with roasted tomatillo salsa
Slow pork with mango salsa
Roasted cauliflower with romesco
Guacamole, ground by hand in the molcajete
Sunday, June 21.
View Dates & Book Your Stool →
This class is limited to 8 people, and these fill up fast. Full menu on the website.
The Podcast Hook
He Didn’t Like Mushrooms, Now He Grows Them
Episode 6 is up — Josiah Christensen, on what mushrooms are actually doing for you. He came up through foraging in Minnesota and Wisconsin’s Driftless area before he became a grower, and he didn’t like mushrooms as a kid.
The moment that stuck with me was about golden oyster mushrooms — and how they can play a role against sarcoma, which is why they grow them. Worth a listen. And isn’t this picture the best?!!!
Friday, June 12 · 7:30 AM — Ep 7 · Russ Willenbring: The Secrets Behind Extraordinary Produce
Friday, June 25 · 7:30 AM — Ep 8 · Maddie Jensen: Inside Eversharp: Knives, Craftsmanship, and Community
New episodes every other Friday.
What’s Happening in the Kitchen
On Minnesota Live
I was on television last Friday — KSTP’s Minnesota Live — as the market chef for the Minneapolis Farmers Market.
First time I’ve done TV without cooking. No knife, no pan, just talking. It’s a lot easier when you’re not also keeping an onion from burning.
I was there to talk up the market and its vendors — the makers people discover on their way to the tomatoes. If you missed it, you can watch the segment.
The Skill: The New Basics
Herbs for January
Right now you have more herbs than you can use. In January you’ll have none. The whole skill is moving the surplus from now to then.
The Quick Win
Freeze the woody herbs in oil this weekend. Chop rosemary, thyme, sage, oregano. Pack them into an ice cube tray, cover with everyday extra-virgin, and freeze. Bag the cubes once they’re solid.
In January, you drop one straight into a hot pan. Herb and oil in one move. The oil keeps the air off, so the flavor doesn’t fade.
A few other ways, depending on the herb:
Drying — best for the woody ones. Bundle them, hang them somewhere warm and dark, or run a dehydrator low, 95 to 115°F.
Purées — best for the tender ones. Blend basil, parsley, or tarragon with a little oil and freeze in cubes. This is what keeps basil from going black.
Salt-curing — layer basil leaves with coarse sea salt in a jar. You get preserved basil and a herb-scented salt to cook with all winter.
The Most Common Mistake
Waiting too long. Herbs don’t improve in the drawer — by the time one looks tired, the oils you’re trying to save are already going. Preserve them the day you’d still happily cook with them, not the day before you’d throw them out. Fresh in, fresh out.
One Tool Worth Having
Stasher reusable herb-storage bags. I keep my rosemary and thyme in them — they hold just enough humidity for the woody herbs without sweating them into mold, and they last for years instead of the roll of produce bags you’d otherwise burn through. And they stand up on their own in the drawer.
Recipe Spotlight
Lemon Thyme Buttermilk Sherbet
This one is MM Blue.
The Soul
I don’t have much of a sweet tooth, and I love buttermilk — so this is my kind of dessert. The tang carries it, and the thyme gives it a herby backnote. The texture is the surprise: lighter than ice cream, lighter than gelato. Its own thing.
The Bridge
Treat the herb as a variable, not a rule. Whatever the garden’s giving you works here — thyme one week, rosemary the next, tarragon or basil after that. Same method, different herb, different dessert.
The Mediterranean Edit
This Week I’m Loving…
Two ways to never run out of fresh herbs — one that grows them, one that keeps them.
Garden
The Gardyn Home Kit
I don’t own one myself, but enough people I trust do that I pay attention. It’s a vertical setup with a small footprint, and the harvests are real — basil, parsley, lettuce, kale, all of it, indoors, through a Minnesota winter. The upfront cost is not small. But if you want fresh herbs in February without spending a fortune in clamshells or flying to Italy, it’s the closest thing I’ve seen.
Herb Storage
The Prepara Herb Savor Pod
This is the bouquet trick in a container built for it. Stems sit in a little water, leaves stay protected, and the three-pack means your parsley isn’t crammed in against your mint. Clear sides so you can see what you’ve got, and it fits in the fridge door. For the delicate herbs — the ones that go first — it buys real time.
Cookbook Chronicles
A Shot, A Class, A Garden
A busy week of shooting. Greek Turkey Burgers on the grill — Mark working the grill and the camera and lights for the hero shot. Then the Amalfi Coast class, me giving directions.
In between, I got some of the outdoor herb garden in. The rosemary has company now.
The cookbook picks these shots up as it goes.
Not a bad week for it.
Before You Go
Thin Spears or Fat Ones?
Next week is asparagus — and Russ Willenbring, who grows some of the best produce I know, is on the podcast.
So, to get us there: asparagus — thin spears or fat ones? Pick one. I’m curious.
Reply or drop it in the comments. I read every one.
Until next Thursday — keep a good olive oil on the counter and don’t be afraid to use it.
— Chef Laura