When it comes to motivation I often find the needs of “Today Me” facing off with the interests of “Tomorrow Me.”
For instance, the thought “I don’t feel like doing dishes tonight. I’ll do them tomorrow,” is almost always followed by, “But, wouldn’t ‘Tomorrow Launie’ rather have them done tonight? I mean – come on. It’s nighttime! You can pour a glass of wine and crank some Port O’Brien songs while cleaning. ‘Tomorrow Launie’ will be busy with work projects, and she’s going to be grumpy at you if she needs to wash dishes to make breakfast. Be a pal, do them for her tonight!”
And usually that little motivational speech will get me off the couch and into the kitchen.
Today’s trip from the farmer’s market brought the same type of argument.
“Oooh, those herbs are so pretty! But, I’m feeling lazy. I’ll just put them in the fridge and process them tomorrow.”
Then my “today vs. tomorrow” voice kicked in.
“One of your favorite things about summer is having bouquets of fresh herbs in little jars around the kitchen. Just strip off a couple of inches of herbs from the bottom of the stem, wash them, dry them and then freeze them for winter. Trust me on this, you’ll thank yourself once you get this taken care of. And then every time you walk into the kitchen tonight you’ll smell fresh mint, oregano and thyme. Bonus: You’ll have some summer bounty in the freezer. It’s like money in the bank!”
I listened to my own voice of reason, and now the kitchen smells divine.
However, now I have to go to the grocery store.
Although I wouldn’t mind putting it off until tomorrow.
Some herbs that freeze well when washed, dried and placed in plastic bags: thyme, rosemary, dill, oregano, bay leaves and sage.
Some herbs that become watery when defrosted: basil, parsley, cilantro and mint.*
*Although the fact that mint gets a little watery doesn’t bother us. It mostly gets used in the kitchen for Jedd’s mint juleps, and a little water isn’t going to overpower the whiskey. And if the other herbs are being used in a soup or similar dish, the same reasoning holds – they’re not in there for their fresh texture, they’re in there for flavor. And fresh frozen herbs still pack a great flavor.
We also decided not to let “Tomorrow Launie and Jedd” have all the fun – “Tonight Launie and Jedd” sat down for a mint julep when all the work was done.