One of the difficulties I find when purchasing fresh herbs is there a always leftovers. A lot of leftovers.

One way around this, for heartier herbs like Rosemary, is to remove the leaves from the stem, pop the leaves in a ziplock bag and put the bag in the freezer. Although there will be a color change, I find that even thawed rosemary tastes better then store-bought, dried rosemary. And MrMike doesn't get sick of eating Rosemary with every meal as I attempt not to waste anything.

Not all herbs hold up to this. Basil is incredibly delicate. Still, I find I can prolong the life of the basil for a few days by placing a damp paper towel in a glass bowl with a lid, adding the individual, cleaned leaves and putting the sealed bowl in the fridge. Some day, I'll be brave enough to attempt to make a pesto, which can be frozen. Or spattered all over the walls of my kitchen, whichever comes first.

Parsley can be added to anything, either stirred in to a pot just before serving or as a garnish. Heck, you can eat raw parsley to freshen your breath, post consumption!

I'm still experimenting with the preservation of herbs and will update on how the Thyme-freezing experiment goes.

In the meantime, a white sauce can incorporate any herbs I have lying around, with the added bonus of being very easy to make. White sauce is also called a Bechamel and doesn't that make you sound fancy?

Ingredients

2 Tablespoons butter
2 Tablespoons fresh herbs
2 Tablespoons flour
1 cup warm milk
Salt and Pepper to taste

Preparation

Melt the butter over low heat. Really low heat - you don't want the butter to brown.

Add the herbs and cook until fragrant, 1-2 minutes.

Add flour and stir until mixture becomes a paste. It'll look like caulk with green bits in it, but it gets more attractive, trust me.

Gradually stir in milk. Add just a little bit at a time, making sure all the flour is dissolved before adding another bit of milk. Like with gravy, you don't want lumps.

Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until sauce all the milk is added and the sauce begins to simmer and reduce. Reduce heat and continue to stir for about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

This white sauce can also become a cheese sauce when you add 1/2 cup grated Cheddar or Parmasean cheese during the last 2 minutes of cooking.

Serve over fish. Put the plates on the table, say "It's just a Bechamel I whipped up," and feel very proud of yourself.