How to make herb pops

One of "the" simplest ways to enjoy fresh herbs is to chop 'em up and freeze 'em in olive oil or if you like you can use butter, a mix of butter and olive oil or you can even use water or broth.

This year I'll be putting back Rosemary, Boxwood Basil, Sage, Lemon Thyme and Spicy Oregano.

For this guide I'll be working with Spicy Oregano.

Step ONE: Snip off all the fresh herbs you'll want to use.

Step TWO: Wash the herbs. No free rides for bugs and other critters!

Step THREE: Separate and lay out the clean & cut sprigs on paper towels to dry.

Step FOUR: Remove the leaves from the stems. When I do this I also look for bad leaves I don't want to include so it's a little time consuming but totally worth the editing process.

Step FIVE: Chop, Chop, Chop. Chop 'till you're happy!

Keep in mind when you do this, your end product. I know I want a lot of flavor from my oregano so I want a more concentrated Herb Pop. A finer chop / mincing will allow me to put more in the mold.

Step SIX: Lay out your silicone molds. I put mine in a baking pan so I can easily slide them into the freezer without spilling oil all over the kitchen.

I had an issue with finding the silicone molds I'm now using. No one in my area of West Virginia had them. I ordered these from China on ebay. Fantastic molds and very inexpensive. $1.50 each.

Step SEVEN: Fill your molds with your chopped herbs.

Step EIGHT: Drizzle your oil / butter / oil & butter / water / broth or what ever else you want to use into each mold and fill 'em to the top. Be careful NOT to go crazy and make a mess.

Step NINE: Slide the tray of delicious goodness into the freezer and freeze away for at least 12 hours. Some say 24 but I only do 12. It works for me.

Step TEN: Un-mold your freshly frozen Herb Pops "QUICKLY"! Olive oil melts kind of fast.

Honestly, there's no SET way of making these. It's all about you and what you like. Just think about how you want to use these and what ingredients will give you the most versatility.

I plan to use butter for my sage, chicken broth for my thyme and of corse, olive oil. I grow my own herbs but you can do this with the packaged sprigs from your grocery store as well.

Thanks and Happy Herb Popping :0)