What Is Basil – Freezing Basil – Can You Freeze Basil – Harvesting Basil – Storing Basil – Basil Butter – Summary
Being able to freeze and preserve the basal you have growing at home is a very valuable skill to know. It will help make you able to enjoy the hard earned harvest throughout the whole year.
Thankfully, freezing and preserving basil is a very simple process. The tricky part comes in where you have to follow the steps correctly so you both keep the flavor and the color of the basil herb.
What Is Basil
Basil is a very common plant to grow at home. It’s a great option if you want something in the kitchen window so you can just pick some fresh leaves and garnish your meal.
There are so many different basil varieties out there but they all more or less grow the same way. Basil will enjoy growing in a soil where there is never a lack of water. But the water in there should drain away pretty quickly. This will help protect the plant against the roots getting overwatered and starting to rot.
Make sure the basil plant also is getting a fair bit of sunlight each day. This will really help the plant be able to grow more quickly. It promotes growth and more leaves developing.
How To Freeze Basil
Now for the reason you clicked on this article, freezing basil. There are a few different ways we could go about doing this. Some are better then others obviously, but the aim is the same, to keep the flavor and color of the herb.
Freezing Fresh Basil
Freezing fresh basil is best done by placing it in small ice cube molds. Place leaf by leaf in layers and then pour some water over it. This will create small basil cubes that you can pick out easily whenever you want to.
It keeps the flavor and the aroma of the basil very well. You could also just freeze chopped basil in small containers and use a fork to scrape away the amount you want when you need to.
Flash Freezing Basil
This one will take the most space out of any method we have here. We lay out the basil in a thin layer on some container lids. These then get placed in the freezer. It will rather quickly freeze the leaves as the layer is so thin.
After they are frozen you can take them and lightly crush them before placing them in a small container. It will keep the flavor and the color of the basil very well.
Making And Freezing Basil Pesto
Making a pesto from basil and then freezing that is a great way of preserving the flavor and also having a ready to go condiment for your food.
Mix the basil with oil and some pine nuts. Freeze this pesto in some ice cube molds. Now you can easily take out the amount that you want and need.
Can You Freeze Basil
You can definitely freeze basil like we have talked about before. But if you have the ability to instead enjoy the basil fresh then that will be better. Freezing anything will reduce the flavor and you can never have that fresh aroma anymore.
So to conclude, you can freeze basil but it won’t be the same as having fresh leaves. The aroma is slightly redundant and you can garnish like you would normally.
Picking And Freezing Fresh Basil Leaves
Picking and harvesting basil is very simple. Taking one leaf will make two new ones growth forsyth. So you will quickly have a lot to harvest eventually. Take the leaves close to the stem to leaves space for the new growth.
After that you can layer them one by one in ice cube molds. This way we can enjoy the basil for longer during the year and preserve the fresh feeling too.
How To Store Fresh Basil To Keep It Longer
Storing fresh basil the right way is a very important skill to understand. The best practice here is to place them in an air-tight container in the fridge. Placing some kitchen paper underneath the basil will also help.
We are trying to keep moisture away so that there is less of a chance that mold will begin to grow on the basil. Keeping it like this will make it stay fresh for at least 1 week or more.
Freezing Basil Butter
Making basil butter is very simple, and freezing it even more simple. Chop basil leaves and mix together with some tempered butter. Taking out the butter the night before will make for the perfect texture.
Freeze it in molds to make it easier to take out the desired block.
Conclusion And Summary
Freezing basil is a very simple process. We are trying to preserve the flavor and aroma as much as possible, so it seems freezing it like ice cubes is the best way. It’s simple and you’re not harming the flavor that much.
It’s also very simple to take out an ice cube and then use that in cooking. But like all herbs, they are always a lot more tasty if you can enjoy them while they are still fresh.
Additional Information
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