There are a lot of ways to preserve summer herbs into the fall and winter – chop and freeze, air dry, an oil infusion – but I decided to try a more short-term option I’d never tried before, herb butter.
Combined with some fresh, warm bread (or maybe on a steak), you just can’t go wrong with freshness.
I picked three herbs for each butter, based on what was growing in the garden and what I thought I’d enjoy. Sage, rosemary and thyme for one and parsley, chives and jalapenos for the other. Okay, so jalapenos aren’t technically an herb, but I was getting guacamole inspired.
The only real rule I followed is an approximate 2:1 ratio – so I combined 1/2 cup butter (1 stick) with about 1/4 cup of finely chopped herbs. You could always increase or decrease the herbs based on your tastes, of course.
The butter should be room temperature or a little warmer (just sit it near the stove for a bit), and you just stir in the chopped herbs with a spoon and enjoy.