survive-and-thrive

How to Store Basil

Details: Category: Grow Your Own; Created on Thursday, 19 November 2020 14:30; Hits: 582

A few times each year we lose our entire basil crop. That’s because we battle pests, disease and temperature, yet not just in the summer months. In Florida, basil is prone to die quickly with temperatures in the 50s. We also lose plants to the downy mildew when we get those cool humid nights between October and May. The alternative is to grow them indoors… but we’re in Florida.

When we need to prune the herd just because the plants are producing so well, or if we see a problem brewing that looks like it could threaten the entire herd, we have a simple solution that anyone can try. We harvest the basil and dry it. Dried basil isn’t nearly as good as fresh basil yet its still grow your own basil and that makes it more fun. Plus, we enjoy the unique earthy profile of home-dried basil.

You can dry basil in your oven, yet we prefer to use a dehydrator. Either way is fine.

Oven Method

Heat your oven to your lowest temperature setting.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Place your basil leaves on the parchment paper.
Bake it for 2 to 4 hours, checking hourly.
When the basil is dry and crumbly, finish crumbling it up, then store in an airtight container.

Dehydrator Method

This method is easy. Be sure to follow your dehydrator’s instructions.
Just dry the basil leaves until crumbly then finish the crumbling and store.

There are also a couple of freezer methods.

Freeze Whole Basil Leaves

This method preserves the flavor the best and it can be used just like it’s fresh basil. Frozen basil shrinks a bit so take that into your recipe plan.

Remove the stems from the leaves.
Blanch each leaf for 2 or 3 seconds in boiling water.
Transfer to an ice bath immediately.
Dry the leaves on towels… and try to dry them completely.
Then layer the basil leaves in a freezer-safe container with parchment paper separating the layers.

Freeze Basil in Olive Oil

Chop up your basil into the sizes you like to use.
Place the basil in ice trays.
Pour olive oil on the basil, just to cover.
Freeze the tray overnight.
Then store in a freezer-safe container.

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Rancher Ron has been helping ITG research sustainable, at-home gardening throughout 2020 to not only harvest vegetables for the kitchen, but also as a hobby that we can all enjoy as we spend more time at home.

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