Pesto from basil with chilling damage still OK?

I harvested a big bunch of basil a couple of days ago for one last batch of pesto. Then I got too busy to process the leaves right away, so I put them in the fridge, where they suffered chilling damage and some of them turned black. I still made the pesto as planned and it tastes fine, looks OK too, the few black leaves somehow blend in, but now I am starting to wonder whether that was a good idea, and how it will keep. Usually I use pesto within two to three weeks.

Nadia Hassani
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3 Comments

Greenstuff
Greenstuff September 28, 2011
Good that you're going ahead. Another slight decline in quality may be that your pesto is not as brilliant a green color as you've had before. Again, not an edibility issue, but it might not be a dish that you're serving to impress picky guests.
 
Nadia H.
Nadia H. September 28, 2011
Thanks, wssmom for reassuring me. Pesto's on the menu tomorrow.
 
wssmom
wssmom September 28, 2011
They are safe to eat. just not as tasty. As long as there are mostly green leaves in the pesto, it should be fine. I usually have a couple of chill-damaged leaves this time of year as the weather gets colder ..
 
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