Preserve Basil

If you grow your own basil, sometimes you may experience a glut and need to preserve that abundance of extra leaves. There are various ways to do this effectively, provided you're okay with a change in flavor or usage.

Steps

Short-term refrigerator storage

There are several options for short-term refrigerator storage:

  1. Place fresh basil into a polythene bag. Keep in the refrigerator for a short period of time.
  2. Place fresh basil in a vase of water. Place in the refrigerator and use quickly.
  3. Place fresh basil in a proprietary herb storage device. Follow the instructions accompanying the specialized storage item.

Freezing basil

There are various easy ways to freeze basil.

  1. Prepare the basil for freezing. Clean and dry the basil:
    • First, remove all leaves from the stems. If you're going to try out the second freezing method, then you will probably want to leave some of the buds intact. The stems should be discarded.
    • Rinse the leaves thoroughly, taking care not to bruise them.
    • Finally, remove excess water from the leaves by using a salad spinner or laying them out on towels to dry.
  2. Freeze the basil by starting a pesto sauce. Place 1 or 2 handfuls of the basil in your food processor, then chop or purée the basil leaves with extra virgin olive oil and a bit of salt. Coating the basil pieces with oil protects them from air so they can maintain their color and flavor. Pour the purée into small air-tight containers and add some extra olive oil on top. After defrosting the purée, re-process adding your favorite pesto ingredients.
  3. Freeze the basil as is. This method takes a little more time, but is still an easy way to freeze basil. This method keeps whole individual leaves or plant buds intact to use as garnish.
    • Put prepared leaves and buds on trays in the freezer for about one to two hours.
    • Once they are frozen, put them into airtight containers. Do not overcrowd them because they will lose their shape.
    • After defrosting for use, you can julienne the leaves or use them whole as garnish on pasta dishes or soups.
  4. Freeze the basil using a milk carton. This method is the easiest of all the freezing methods.
    • Simply pack the leaves into a cleaned out milk carton with the top cut down.
    • Seal the top closed.
    • Use quart (950ml) sized cartons and then put the sealed carton inside a Ziploc baggy to make it air-tight.
    • When you want to use the basil for cooking, cut off a slice of the carton and re-store the remainder as it was. The frozen leaves are great to use in sauces.

Salting basil

This is a very traditional pre-refrigeration method for keeping basil.

  1. Prepare the salt. Sprinkle 1cm or half an inch of salt into the base of a clean and dry crock, jar or ceramic storage container with lid.
  2. Have the basil leaves ready to add. Make sure they're clean and dry.
  3. Layer the basil leaves into the crock. Sprinkle a light layer of salt over each layer of basil leaves. Continue this way until all the leaves have been added.
    • About every 10 or so layers, press down gently to slightly firm but not crush the layers of leaves.
  4. Fill to within 5cm or 2 inches from the top. Press firmly but gently. Finish by pouring in a lot more salt to compact everything down.
    • Shake and jolt the crock a bit to help ease the salt into all the cracks and crevices between the layers.
  5. Store. Place the crock in a cool and dry spot. The pantry is often ideal, or a cellar. Leave as long as you like.
  6. To use, simply remove the leaves needed and restore any removed salt layer. Shake the salt off the leaves then cook with them as usual.

Steeping basil in olive oil

  1. Clean the basil leaves and allow to dry.

  2. Place in a suitable storage container.
  3. Sprinkle with salt. Shake through to cover in salt.
  4. Fill the container with olive oil.
  5. Cover the container. Place in the fridge and leave. Stored in this manner, the basil leaves will remain in great condition for use over the coming months.
  6. Use as usual according to your recipe. Both the leaves and the oil (now infused with basil) can be used for cooking.

Basil vinegar

Vinegar makes an excellent preservative. By adding basil, you get a terrific herbal based vinegar that can be used in many salads and recipes.

  1. Pick fresh basil leaves. Ideally, pick them after the morning dew has dried but before the sun has dried out the volatile oils that make basil taste so great.
  2. Clean the leaves if necessary. Dry before using.
  3. Add 15g/ 1/2 ounce/ 1/4 cup of fresh basil leaves to a suitable storage container. A lidded jar is a good option, such as a mason jar or a jar with a clip-on lid.
  4. Add 2 cups of white or red wine or cider vinegar. Be sure to cover the basil.
  5. Seal or clip on the lid. Set aside for 4 weeks in a cool, dark place.
  6. Use. Add to various recipes that call for vinegar, such as pickling, salad dressings and savory dishes.
    • Strain any leaves out when using and discard them. Their flavor will now be imparted to the vinegar.

Drying basil in a bunch

Dried basil isn't the best preservation method as the flavor diminishes considerably but it's still an option that is better than losing your glut of basil! The trick to good drying of basil is to dry the leaves quickly and evenly, so as to preserve the flavor as best as possible.

  1. Dry the basil before it flowers. Basil will flower after all the leaves on one stem are fully grown, but the herb loses some of its flavor after the flowering occurs. The flowers appear in the middle of a bunch of leaves in a pyramid shape. Prep and dry the basil once all the leaves have sprouted, but before you see flowers on the stems so your dried basil will retain its full flavor.
  2. Cut the basil leaves from the stems. Separate bunches of basil leaves and cut the individual leaves from the larger stem. Separating them will help you lay them flat and clean them properly. Leave a small length of stem, no more than an inch, at the bottom of each leaf to help you bundle them and tie them together.
  3. Rinse the leaves well. Rinse cut basil leaves under cold water before drying them. This will remove any dirt, chemicals or other debris that may have fallen onto the leaves while growing or while being shipped if your basil is store-bought.
  4. Dry the rinsed leaves. Lay the rinsed leaves on a paper towel and gently pat them dry with a second paper towel. Removing excess moisture before drying basil will prevent molding during the drying process.
  5. Gather leaves in bunches. Group the prepped leaves in a bundle and tie them together at their stems with a rubber band or twist tie. Make more than one bundle if you have lots of basil leaves.
  6. Hang the leaves to dry. Hang the bundles of basil from a hook or wall tack to dry. You don't have to hang them in your kitchen, but make sure you choose a place with freely circulating air and moderate sunlight to aid the drying process. Choose a room with a window that can be opened to let air and sunlight in and preferably one where bugs won't be able to get to your drying herbs.
  7. Let the basil hang for two weeks. Your basil will be dried and ready to use in about two weeks or when the leaves are dark green, dry and brittle to the touch. If the leaves or stems still feel a little flexible, let them hang another week.
    • Remove the rubber band or twist tie, separate the dried basil bundle and crumble the dried leaves with your fingers. Store them in a labeled jar or container for future use.
  8. Harvest your dried herbs.

Drying basil on screens

Using a screen, such as a clean window screen, is great for ensuring air circulation and even drying.

  1. Place fresh basil leaves across a clean window screen. Keep them apart and don't lay them over one another.
  2. Place a sheet of cheesecloth over the layer of basil leaves. This will stop them from blowing off and protects them from dust. Cheesecloth is light enough not to interfere with the air circulation.
  3. Put the whole screen into a drying area. Choose a place that is away from people traffic and pets and that is warm, dry and dark. It should also be well ventilated.
  4. Leave to dry. This will take anywhere from 4 to 14 days, depending on the time of year and your local humidity.
  5. Finish drying in the oven. After the leaves feel crisp when you touch them, place them single layer on a baking sheet. Place in an oven set to 100ºF/38ºC and leave the door open slightly. Heat for about 10 minutes. This will complete the drying process.
  6. Let cool. Then place in an airtight storage jar. Label with the date and name. For the first week or so after adding to the jar, check for moisture. If you see any, remove and dry again in the oven. If you don't do this, the basil leaves will turn moldy.
    • Ensure that the leaves are completely cooled before adding them to the jar. Any warmth will transfer to moisture.
  7. Store away from heat and light. Use within one year of drying.

Turning basil into pesto

While pesto changes the flavor radically because of the other additions, you can still tell it's basil. Great for pasta, dip flavoring and as a spread. This recipe is basic. While the traditional mixture requires olive oil, pine nuts and Parmesan cheese, this recipe allows you to play with different additions the more confident you get with making it:

  1. Use 4 parts fresh basil, 1 part quality oil (olive/macadamia/walnut, etc. oils), 1 part nuts (pine nuts/walnuts/pecans/cashews, etc.), 1/2 part grated hard cheese and 1/8 part sea salt.
  2. Grind everything together in a large mortar and pestle. Alternatively, process or blend.
  3. Store in the refrigerator for up to a month. The oil will keep things nicely fresh but don't keep it too long, as it can turn rancid after a time.

Basil vodka

Many things can be "stored" in alcohol, although this one is more for the drinking! It can also be used as cooking liquid where relevant, such as in a stir-fry.

  1. Pick the basil leaves. Do this when they're just dried from dew but have not yet had the sun's heat on them. You'll need about 2 dozen leaves for this recipe.
    • Wash, clean and dry as needed.
  2. Pack the basil leaves into a suitable clean jar. Pack loosely.
  3. Pour your vodka of choice over the leaves. Cover the leaves and fill the jar about 4/5ths.
  4. Seal. Put the covered jar into the refrigerator for 24 hours to infuse. Leave as long as you like beyond this time, as the flavor will simply continue to intensify.
  5. Use. Strain the basil leaves out when using the vodka. You can simply add them back to the unused vodka to keep infusing but don't include them in your cocktails or neat vodka drink as the flavors are now in the liquid.

Preserving basil seeds

Finally, but importantly, perhaps you're wanting to store next season's bumper crop of basil. By harvesting and storing the basil seeds, you can ensure a repeat performance of your favorite basil crop.

  1. Let at least one basil plant go to flower in your garden or in a container that is situated outdoors. Allow the bees and other pollinators to do their thing.
    • You'll know the seeds are ripe when a gentle shake of a flowering head in your hand releases tiny black specks.
  2. Cut the flowering spikes of the plant in late summer or early autumn/fall. Gently place the spikes into a paper bag.
    • Don't shake the spikes.
  3. Tie the top of the paper bag up with string. Hang in a warm and dry area for at least a week. When the stems of the flower spike have dried, the seeds can be harvested.
  4. Gently rub the flower heads while still in the bag. Tip the seeds into a bowl or pan. Sift out the debris, stems, etc., and discard. Pour the seeds into a small jar, such as a spice jar, label and store. Use next season.

Tips

  • In all cases, only store in glass or ceramic. Plastic or metallic containers can contaminate the storage medium and spoil the taste.
  • Basil's flavor is quickly destroyed by heat. It is best used as a garnish, but many of the storage methods outlined here can actually help to intensify the basil flavor, making it go further and infuse dishes better.

Things You'll Need

  • Suitable storage containers (glass, ceramics, etc. are usually better than plastics for long-term storage)

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