Freezing lovage: this is how you can keep it on ice

Simply freeze lovage to enjoy the fine seasoning even in winter. We'll tell you how to do it.

Freezing lovage is a good way to preserve the harvest and to preserve the spicy, aromatic taste for later. The supply in the freezer is also quickly created and ready for use whenever you want to cook with lovage. Do you like to put whole shoots in soups or cut into salad dressings? No problem: you can freeze the maggi herb the way you prefer to use it.

Freezing lovage: our tips in brief

For freezing and for particularly aromatic herbs, lovage is harvested before flowering, i.e. in May or June. You can freeze the lovage whole or cut into pieces by packing it in portions in freezer bags or containers, hermetically sealing and freezing. For practical herb cubes, freeze the maggi herb pieces together with a little water or oil in ice cube trays.

To avoid loss of flavor, freeze it immediately after harvesting the lovage. To do this, carefully clean the herb and remove unsightly leaves, but it is better not to wash it off. If the Maggi herb is too moist when freezing, the leaves and stems quickly stick together in the freezer. It is best to choose the portion sizes so that you can always take the amount that you need to prepare the respective dish.

Freeze whole lovage shoots
Quick and easy: Put whole lovage twigs in freezer bags, cans or jars, seal them airtight and freeze them. If that takes up too much space in the freezer, you can remove the herb - as soon as it is frozen -, chop it up and pack it to save space. Whole lovage shoots may not look as crisp and fresh when defrosted, but they can be used to flavor soups, for example.

Freeze cut lovage
Do you prefer to chop up lovage anyway? Then you can easily freeze it, already cut into small pieces. To do this, cut the twigs into small pieces with a sharp knife or pluck the leaves. Place the pieces in convenient quantities in freezer bags or containers and seal them airtight before placing them in the refrigerator.

If you want to freeze herbs, you can also make spiced ice cubes: To do this, put the lovage pieces in an ice cube container - which is best closed - and pour a little water or oil over the hollows. This means that you can store your personal favorite herb mixture in the refrigerator very quickly! Once the Maggi herb cubes are frozen, you can transfer them to containers that are easier to store in the freezer.

When sealed airtight, frozen lovage will keep for up to twelve months. However, the more oxygen that gets to the parts of the plant, the more likely they are to lose their taste. You do not have to thaw the herb to eat it - simply give it frozen and, ideally, at the end of the cooking time to your food. Lovage goes particularly well with stews, soups, sauces, dips and salads.

Usually the aromatic and medicinal plant grows into a lush shrub in the garden and provides you with fresh, tasty branches from spring to autumn. Whenever you've harvested too many shoots, just freeze them. If you want to specifically stock up in the freezer, it is best to harvest lovage before the flowering period, i.e. in May or June. Then the parts of the plant are particularly aromatic. Also, cut the shoots on a warm, dry day, late in the morning when the dew has dried and the cells contain many ingredients such as essential oils.

By the way: In addition to freezing, it is also possible to dry the lovage in order to keep it for several months and to be able to enjoy the spicy aroma long after the harvest.