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Our 2016 Garden – Keeping Basil

11 Aug 2016, by Jan Matthews in Resources

Preserving !

Freezing fresh basil, either in whole leaves or in puree best holds it’s flavor rather than than drying it.

frozen-basil-flat-kalynskitchen[1]Freeze it whole in an airtight bag
Frozen basil are used just like fresh leaves. They will shrink as they freeze plan to use slightly less frozen leaves than if you were cooking with fresh basil.
  3 steps to the perfect frozen basil leaf: 
  • Blanch it: Remove the leaves from their stem, blanch them in boiling water for 2 seconds.
  • Ice it: Quickly transfer the blanched leaves to an ice bath.
  • Dry & freeze it: Dry them completely and store in an airtight bag…you can also separate layers with wax or parchment paper.
Traditional-Pesto-Sauce%20jpg[1]Puree and freeze
With this trick, you don’t just cover basil but also basil vinaigrette and pesto
You can use this method for adding fresh basil and the like to soups, sauces or stews. In any of these cases, olive oil is your friend
3 steps to the perfect pureed frozen basil
Trim it: Remove the basil leaves from the stem, then wash and dry completely.
Puree it: With a food processor, puree fresh basil leaves with olive oil. Use 1 tablespoon of olive oil per cup.
Freeze it: Freeze the pureed basil in an ice cube tray, then store in a large resealable plastic bag or freezer-safe container.
Regardless of the method used, you’ll enjoy that enticing fresh basil smell all year-round.


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