freezing/preserving Basil?

As usual i have far to much basil on the go. The plants are ready for a good trim, but if seams a waste dumping the cut basil . Is it possible to freeze basil or is there some other way to preserve it?

 

You could make up a pesto and use it for pasta or pizza toppings. I wish I had your problem because I love the stuff. I am not 100% sure but I think you can store it in oil. Other than that you could finely chop it and freeze it I think-you'd have to wait for a more experienced preserver to have a word about that one.

 

Why don't you dry it?

 

You can of course dry it or freeze it or as Claire said make pesto. Basil is one of those herbs which really needs to be eaten fresh in my opinion. It's never quite the same when it's preserved. i wish i had your problem too. I manage pots on the kitchen windowsill in summer but that's it. Couldn't you tear it up through salad leaves? I love the flavour it brings. I wouldn't eat a tomato without it and a wee drizzle of good balsamic vinegar. Yum if you have lots of tomatoes come the harvest you could make fresh tomato sauce. Leave the chopped tomatoes overnight with lots of torn basil black pepper and garlic so the flavours combine and then cook it the next day and freeze it. That way you get the flavour of the basil.

 

Rhyleysgranny - I've only ever grown it indoors in the kitchen, but with a bit of luck you can still get an abundant supply throughout summer. I grow it (though haven't bothered this year yet) in a square planter, about 1ft long, about 8 inches deep and maybe 6 inches wide. I usually buy the force grown overcrowded pots from the supermarket for a few pence. When I get it home I give it a good watering, take off all the top growth down to the last couple or so leaves on each of the limp, force grown stems, then carefully tease the plants apart. I'm not too thorough, if it splits into three or four clumps I'm happy. Then it goes in the planter on the windowsill. I absolutely soak it, and keep it too wet for a day or two, gradually watering it less and less over about a week, until I am watering it just the right amount (to keep the compost moist but not soaked).

I do it this way out of laziness and impatience. The basil is usually ready for picking again about a week later, and if you always pick the leaves from the top, it just bushes out at the bottom. The result being that the more you use, the more you get, right up until it goes to seed at the end of summer.

 

I have frozen it "loose" on a tray, and then it just crumbs (e.g. into a bag) once frozen.

 

It's funny, isn't it, life.
I have made and stored basil (and garlic) oil and used it for months. But, apparently, received wisom is now that stuff with low acidity in oil is the perfect growing medium for botulinum. Ulp! Although it's probably reasonably OK if you refrigerate and use in the short term. You may not wish to risk it though as the toxin from botulinum is the most potent protein toxin known.
Or you could start your own botox clinic ... ;-)

Also odd is that although drying most things seem to intensify the taste, with basil it seems the opposite; dried basil is really quite rubbish.

I think if you have lots then process with a litte water (probably what is left after washing would be enough) into a vague paste and freeze in ice-cube trays. Remove from the trays once frozen and seal in bags. I've only tried this with relatively small amounts, and yes, the taste is not the same as fresh basil, but it's still very nice. Purists who insist one must tear basil rather than chop it will, of course, wince at the concept of basil in a food processor.

I really wish I had your problem, my basil plants are utterly dismal...I could preserve the entire crop in one teaspoon!

 

Think i may go down the pesto route. I was planning on doing some batches of tomato and basil sauce but is will be a while before the toms are ready. At the moment I have around 20 or so 9" pots each containing 3-6 basil plants. The smell in the greenhouse is fantastic.

 

Of course if you have too much pesto I can pm you my address, you lucky so and so you.

 

Oh this definitely calls for some basil ice cream! There are several recipes if you google it Used to be my favourite thing at a local farm - now it's a toss between that and lavendar ice cream For me cooking with basil has to be using fresh basil, but the icecream will store nicely in your freezer!

 

"but is will be a while before the toms are ready"

Can you just freeze the Basil until the Toms are ready?