Tarragon is a total powerhouse in the herb garden, known for its unique, aromatic punch. Originally hailing from Central Asia, you might also hear it called “Dragon Herb” or “King of Herbs.” The best part? It’s super easy to grow, whether you’ve got a big backyard plot or just a few pots on the patio. Plus, it freezes beautifully so you can keep that summer flavor going all year long.
Harvesting Your Tarragon
If you’re looking to harvest tarragon from your garden, timing is everything. You’ll want to wait until those little globe-shaped flower buds are just about to open—usually sometime between April and June. This is when the leaves are packed with the most intense flavor. Aim for the top leaves of the plant; they’re the stars of the show, while the older leaves at the bottom tend to lose their zing as the plant grows. Pro tip: do your cutting on a warm morning or afternoon when the essential oils are at their peak.
How to Preserve Tarragon
Like most of our favorite kitchen herbs, tarragon dries really well for pantry storage. But if you want to keep that “fresh-picked” taste, freezing is the way to go. Just before the plant blooms, snip off the top sections of the stems and prep them for the freezer like this:
- Give the tarragon a quick, gentle rinse.
- Pat the sprigs dry (be careful not to bruise them!).
- Pluck the leaves off the woody stems.
- You can leave the leaves whole or give them a fine chop now to save time later.
- Pop them into freezer-safe bags or containers.
- Seal them up tight, and you can just grab a pinch whenever a recipe calls for it.
Another clever trick is making herb ice cubes. Just toss your chopped tarragon into an ice tray, fill with water, and freeze. Once they’re solid, pop the cubes into a freezer bag. When you’re cooking, you can drop a cube right into your soups or stews—no thawing required! Just a heads-up: for recipes that shouldn’t be watered down (like a classic Béarnaise sauce), it’s better to stick with fresh tarragon or the “dry-frozen” leaves instead of the ice cubes.
Tarragon stays flavorful in the freezer for about a year. After that, the aroma starts to fade, so I usually try to freeze just enough to last until the next spring harvest!
