I have so much basil in my garden and have dried some, but still have loads. Can you freeze the fresh leaves?

katiebakes
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5 Comments

luvcookbooks September 15, 2010
pesto without the cheese and garlic (they taste icky after being frozen) and freeze in ice cube trays, then pop out into a zip lock bag. Make sure your family likes pesto first.
 
stilltrying September 14, 2010
Basil freezes really well. I learned this from a sicilian man who owns a pizza place near me. I don't do anything to it, just pluck the leaves and put them in a freezer bag. I found a bag in my freezer that was two years old and it was still very fragrant.
 
gingerroot September 14, 2010
I have had success processing the leaves and then preserving with a little olive oil - in addition to freezing in larger containers, large ice cube trays work really well.
 
Kristen M. September 14, 2010
This blog has a cool technique -- the oil seems to protect the leaves from oxidizing: http://bit.ly/SoyUZ
 
TiggyBee September 14, 2010
Check out the herb society's website: they have a neat idea of how to preserve fresh basil in salt.

http://www.herbsociety.org/herbs/profiles-and-guides.html


 
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