Harvesting and Storing Basil
The information that follows is excerpted from a longer post: The Ultimate Guide to Basil. For additional information about Basil such as its cultivation, medicinal and culinary uses, or its uses through history, please click HERE to access the complete original post. Other individual sections are listed below:
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| Huge Harvest |
To harvest basil, cut sprigs when flower buds form and before they have opened. You can harvest basil continuously until the first frost. Once picked, wash it in cold water for a few minutes to remove any dirt or pesticide residues. Store fresh basil in the refrigerator to maintain humidity.
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| Chopped Basil |
For longer-term storage, basil is best stored in oil, vinegar, or in a frozen paste, or it can be dried and sealed tightly in containers. Basil is somewhat difficult to dry as it turns dark, but if you separate the leaves before you dry them and stir them often, they will stay green. Speedy drying also retains the bright green coloring.
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| Ready to Freeze |
To effectively dry basil and retain its color, try this method: Warm your oven to 140 degrees. Place a single layer of leaves on a baking sheet. When oven is warm, turn it off and put your pan in for about 20 minutes. (You don't want them to actually bake.) Remove the pan, cool the leaves, and store immediately in an airtight container, or in Ziploc bags away from sunlight. Keep in mind, though, that basil is best when fresh and that drying causes it to lose much of its flavor and many of its vitamins and other beneficial properties. What little flavor that remains after drying makes it taste a little like hay.
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| Drying Basil Everywhere |
A few better ways to store basil exist. One of these is to paint both sides of each leaf with olive oil before drying. This preserves the flavor better than just drying the leaves without treatment. You can also freeze the leaves of basil after painting each side with olive oil. Freezing is a more effective preservation method than drying. Whole leaves can also be stored in olive oil with salt, or simply dry-packed with salt acting as a desiccant (drying medium). You can also infuse the leaves in oil or vinegar to store.
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| Basil Vinegar |
For best results, basil should be used fresh to maximize its flavor.
Please leave any comments about basil or any questions about it, please leave them below!
Peace and Love Always,
Sources:
Photo Credits:
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| Fresh and Dried Basil |
Sources:
"Basil". En.wikipedia.org. N. p., 2017. Web. 20 Apr. 2017.
"Basil". Whfoods.com. N. p., 2017. Web. 20 Apr. 2017.
Photo Credits:
Harvesting and Storing Basil Header Image (Final): Photo Credit: Bunch of fresh leaves hanging on a string by Artem Shadrin
Huge Harvest:
Photo credit: miladus via VisualHunt / CC BY-NC-SA
Chopped Basil:
Photo credit: jonpalmer via Visual Hunt / CC BY-NC-SA
Ready to Freeze:
Photo credit: jonpalmer via Visual Hunt / CC BY-NC-SA
Drying Basil Everywhere: Photo Credit: https://oldwaysherbal.wordpress.com/about-us/juliette-abigail-carr-herbalist/
Basil Vinegar: Photo Credit: Olive oil, vinegar bottles with basil and tomatoes by karandaev
Fresh and Dried Basil: Photo Credit: Basil by Sea Wave
Harvesting and Storing Basil Header Image (Final): Photo Credit: Bunch of fresh leaves hanging on a string by Artem Shadrin
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