Arugula, also known as roquette or rocket salad, is a wonderful spicy herb usually eaten as a green.
Arugula is super nutritious and if you want to grow arugula, it’s fast to germinate and grows best in cool weather. Arugula is often one of the first spring harvests from the garden. You can easily grow arugula in a container herb garden or interplant it around larger crops.
Arugula doesn’t like the heat, so it’s a short harvest window. What’s the solution to this? Preserve the arugula.
How Long Does Arugula Last?
As arugula is a strong-tasting herb it doesn’t have a long shelf-life and even if properly stored in, arugula only lasts for 2 to 3 days.
How to Keep Arugula Fresh
I’ve found the best way to preserve arugula is by freezing it in olive oil.
How to Freeze Arugula
Like basil, arugula is one of those herbs that taste better fresh than dried like some other herbs. By freezing arugula in olive oil you’re getting the most for flavor and it’s quick to use when you need it.
I love using my stainless steel ice cube tray for freezing herb cubes. Not only does it not leach any harmful plastic chemicals into our food or ice, it also has a great mechanism that wiggles the cubes out to make popping them out MUCH easier (no more banging them out!).
How to Preserve Arugula in Oil
Preserving arugula is super easy! All you have to do is wash it, chop it up, place it in the ice-cube tray, pour olive oil into each cube leaving some space for expansion (I fill about 80% of it) then freeze! Done! Once its frozen pop it into a freeze proof container ready to use throughout the summer (or winter if you freeze your arugula in the fall).
The cubes melt fast so are nice to use as a last-minute flavor enhancer.
Fresh tasting arugula in olive oil is great sautéed with other veggies, used in a salad dressing or drizzled over pizza. YUM!
I have substituted arugula for basil in making pesto. It is wonderful.