How Much Is A Bunch Of Herbs: Basil And Parsley?

Again and again one finds the quantity “1 bunch” basil, parsley, or similar in recipes. You can find out here how much that is in grams for the various herbs and how best to use them.

A bunch, please

Spices belong in the kitchen like water belongs in a pasta pot. But “Take 1 bunch …” makes the motivated amateur chef frown at first. What does that mean? Usually, a picked small collection of herb or leaf stalks, which are tied together in a small bouquet, is described here:

• Thickness depending on the herb: 1-2 cm
• Individual freshly cut stalks tied together with string or elastic

Tip: To keep the bunch fresh longer, it is best to place them in a glass of water until ready to use.

Rough amount

First of all: There is no official exact gram specification for the herb bundle. Since the bouquets of herbs in the supermarket are usually a bit thinner than at the weekly market or in a farm shop, it is always necessary to estimate your own taste preferences.

This table will help you to get a rough idea of how much is meant by a covenant. A bunch of the following herbs corresponds approximately to:

Herb bundle – g

• wild garlic – 40
• basil – 30
• dill – 25
• Green onions – 150
• coriander – 25
• mint – 40
• Parsley – 50-60
• Arugula – 50-60
• sage – 40
• chives – 30

Fresh best

The many nutrients, essential oils, and aromas contained in herbaceous plants are best used fresh – preferably freshly cut, of course. Many varieties are fairly undemanding and very easy to grow on the windowsill, balcony, or garden. If a bunch is used as a quantity, cut off about 10-20 stems here until you hold a small bunch of 1-2 cm thick between your thumb and forefinger.

Perfect in the bunch

Some of the spice plants are needed more often as a whole bunch in a recipe, others less so. Here is a little help on how best to use herbs that are often needed as a bunch:

Fresh herbs

Fresh herbs unfold their full aroma in your dishes. This is how you use the common herbs correctly.

• wild garlic

The wild vegetables, which are related to onions, chives, and garlic, are one of the first heralds of spring. For delicious wild garlic butter or delicious wild garlic bread, wash the leaves well and cut them into small pieces.

Tip: First cut large leaves 1-2 times lengthwise before cutting crosswise to get smaller pieces.

• basil

This perennial is probably one of the most popular aromatic plants and can be found on the windowsill in many kitchens. Numerous Italian dishes are hard to imagine without basil. To do this, pluck the leaves from the stems, wash and chop them into small pieces. Small leaves can also be left whole.

• Parsely

To ensure that as much of the vitamins, essential oils, and other valuable ingredients as possible get onto the plate, you should only wash the parsley right before you eat it, chop it fresh and under no circumstances cook it. Both stems and leaves can be used. Curly varieties stay fresh longer than smooth ones.

• chives

Chives are a universal culinary herb and go well with everything that can also be seasoned with onions. But you shouldn’t cook it, because then it loses its taste. To keep fresh chives nice and crunchy, wash them thoroughly under running water. Then carefully wipe the water off the stalks. Finally, simply shake dry and cut into small rings.

• dill

With this versatile spice plant, you should only use the tender tips, the stems are not as tasty and taste slightly soapy. Also, never cook dill, otherwise, the essential oils will evaporate. Better to add it at the end.

• arugula

The nutty, hot, and spicy leaves of the rocket are not only perfect in the classic salad. Arugula is also steamed as a tasty herb. Since the hard stems contain a lot of nitrates, you should remove them after washing. Then chop the leaves finely.

Frozen herbs

Almost all good ingredients are still contained in deep-frozen herbs. Only the aroma is no longer as intense as with fresh stems. Therefore, you need about 10 g more of it than completely fresh leaves or stems. Supermarkets now also offer small packs containing approx. 40 g of a wide variety of herbs that have already been chopped up.

However, you can also easily make frozen herbs yourself:

1. Wash herbs well and sort out bad parts
2. Slice or chop everything
3. Pour into ice cube trays
4. Pour water over and freeze
5. After 1 day, squeeze out cubes and pack them in bags
6. Label bags as frozen herbs look very similar

Tip: Mediterranean herbs such as oregano, laurel, sage, rosemary, thyme or marjoram are better suited for preservation in dried form.