How to Preserve Sorrel Leaves

Several types of sorrel exist, all of which you can grow in your garden as an annual. Choose from garden sorrel, French sorrel, spinach dock, spinach rhubarb or sheep sorrel. All of these plants belong to the Rumex genus of plants and are good fresh in salads or cooked in soups, stews and stir-fried vegetable dishes. If you like the tart taste of this leafy green plant, grow two or three plants for each family member. You can freeze or dry sorrel leaves to preserve them as an herb.

Things You'll Need

Snips or clippers

Paper towels

Aluminum foil

Blender

Ice cube trays

Boards or bricks

Window screen

Plastic bag(s)

Freezing

1

Harvest whole sorrel leaves to ground level and then cut off the stalks.

2

Wash leaves in a basin full of water and then pat them dry with paper or cloth towels.

3

Wrap your washed and dried leaves in aluminum foil. Then store sorrel packets in your freezer for up to several months.

4

Liquefy sorrel leaves in a blender, alternatively. Then freeze them in ice cube trays. After the cubes harden, remove them from the trays and transfer them to plastic zipper bags. Store them for up to several months in your freezer.

Drying

1

Harvest whole sorrel leaves to ground level and then cut off the stalks.

2

Wash leaves in a basin full of water and then pat them dry with paper or cloth towels.

3

Set up a drying station in a warm, dark, dry, well-ventilated place such as your garage. Prop up an old window screen on boards or bricks and lay the sorrel leaves on it in a single layer.

4

Crush the leaves when they feel dry and crunchy. You can place them into a plastic Ziploc bag and crush them with your hands. Then store them in tightly sealed Mason jars in a cool, dark place and use them as an herbal addition to dishes such as soups and stews.

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