I love growing basil. I love the smell of it on my hands after I’ve picked it. I love the bright color, and I love the flavor. For the longest time i didn’t know how to store it and a lot of it went to waste. I did some research and found some different ways to store this versatile herb.
1. Cut the basil stems at a diagonal and put in some water in a sunny, warm spot. Use as you need them. it will stay fresh up to one week.
2. Make frozen pesto base. blend 1/4 cup olive oil for every 2 cups loosely packed basil and a little salt. You can freeze this in ice cube trays or mini muffin tins. Transfer them to an air tight freezer container after they are frozen completely. It can be thawed and made into pesto by adding garlic, Parmesan, and pine nuts. If you are not going to be freezing it make sure you use it in a few days to avoid the risk of botulism.
3. You can also chop basil leaves, put them in ice cube trays and fill with water then freeze. They will stay for several months. They will turn black as they thaw, but still taste like basil.
Do you like cooking with basil?
I LOVE Basil Pesto but actually make it completely and freeze it. I add the pine nuts, parmesan, garlic, oil and basil and freeze them in mason jars…..LOVE pesto. 🙂
Thanks for the tip. I’ll have to try that. I have a friend who puts in all the ingredients except the cheese and freezes it, then adds the cheese later.
I love cooking with basil but I always have to buy it. I tried growing some this year but it was a complete fail 🙁 Any tips?
Whenever I grow basil i start with a healthy plant. I have never grown them from seeds. I have bought them from the grocery store( you can find them in the produce section.) and from Lowes. You need to make sure they are watered frequently and don’t dry out. Also, I snip the leaves regularly for new growth. Hope this helps.