3 Ways to Preserve Basil
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- čas přidán 27. 07. 2024
- My garden is bursting with basil after a week of heavy rains. Join me for preserving basil by freezing, making pesto, and drying.
00:00-9:13 Harvesting and Prepping
9:14-13:55 Freezing Basil
13:56-20:48 Making Pesto
20:49-26:16 Drying Basil
Freezing Basil:
In a food processor, puree clean, dry basil leaves until finely ground
Drizzle in olive oil and process until a paste is formed
Store flat in a freezer bag
Break off frozen chunks to use while cooking
Pesto Recipe:
cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/2...
Drying Basil:
Preheat oven to 275 degrees fahrenheit
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper
Spread basil leaves in a single layer
Cook for 1 hr.
Crumble to desired consistency (use a mortar and pestle for a fine powder)
Store in spice jar
I’m doing this tomorrow …1/2 acre of Basil 🌿 and 1/4 acre of flat Italian parsley. During summer I develop beautifully tied with cord, basis, parsley, rosemary, sage & oregano. Sell it to chef’s in town. Also bring 5lb jars of my raw honey 🍯 chefs love me. We get treated to dinner once during the summer to show appreciation of organic beautiful herb bouquets. I’ve added in the past edible flowers too. Enjoy your end of summer bounty 😊
Wow! That's enormous! I can see why chefs love you. Happy harvesting.
I, too, plant basil as a crop in my vegetable garden. I harvest leaves every week or so through the entire growing season. Look for the stem that comes between two leaves and cut there. The leaves of each set are perpendicular to each other. There are lots of videos about how to pinch back basil if that's not clear. This will not only make your plants bushier, but you can harvest +20X the amount of basil. So many people think that they can only harvest at the end of the season, and that is so not true! Harvest throughout the season!
I fill my sink with water, dump the basil in and swish it around. I then scoop it out into a colander, and then into a salad spinner. It is important to remove thicker stems; otherwise the pesto can be bitter. I make batches of pesto without cheese and freeze it in one cup containers, which are perfect for a package of pasta. I have my pesto recipe doubled, tripled, and quadrupled, etc. in a chart so that it is very easy to make depending on how much I've harvested. My recipe per cup of pesto uses only 1/4 cup olive oil and then 1/4 cup hot water along with the nuts, salt and garlic. I find that the extra oil is not missed. I have a giant jar of minced garlic and a big package of walnuts (that I keep in the freezer so they don't go rancid) that I got at Costco, and that makes this extremely easy to make. Come January, a bunch of fresh tasting pesto, brings to warmth of summer to a cold, gray and blustery day.
Thanks for the info. I do harvest throughout the summer as it's useful, but I also like harvesting a bunch at once when time allows me to process it. I actually just moved to this property a few weeks before making this video, so I inherited the basil--next year I'll be able to pinch back so it bushes out.
I enjoyed watching you preserve the basil all the different ways.
Thank you!
I'm in zone 8a in SC and I just pull the flowers off the Basil plants to get them to grow more leaves and prevent them from bolting.
Also if you add some fresh lemon juice to your ground Basil leaves with olive oil, you can prevent them from oxidizing and turning dark. Also when you make pesto to store in advance the pros say to leave out the cheese and instead add it back in to your defrosted portion when you are ready to use it. To give yourself a treat, try Macademia nuts or Pistachio nuts in your pesto for the nut portion.
When you get your dehydrator you can preserve the enzymes and nutrients if you keep the temperature at 118 F or below during the dehydration process.
Thanks for the tips! Lemon juice serves so many purposes--I'll give that a try.
Thanks for the tip about the lemon juice!
Very nice video, you spoke clearly, understandable, and demonstrated 3 different
methods, that anyone could use, without needing high priced equipment. Also, I
think you're very open minded, based on your replies to comments and suggestions
made.
We are retired and believe, our garden helps keep us active, healthy, and
saves a lot of money. We try to grow only what we need to get us through the Winter,
or until next years crops are sewn. Excess goes to our adult children and or friends
.
A lot to learn, just starting out, and very expensive. Preservation, and different
methods are important to learn as so to have as little or no waste, and fits your needs
without breaking the bank. Fits your means. Most can't rush out and purchase a freeze
dryer, or even a good dehydrator, when it can be hung in small bunches in a warm
room with low humidity. Thats the way we do it and it smells great. N/C. I'm no
Botanist, I do not know the nutritional value of Basil. Aromatic herbs are used mostly
for taste and aroma. If that's the case, "Fresh is always best" is not always true
if its taste that's important. Then why do most recipe books and professional chefs
say, if using dry herbs use 1/3rd the amount of fresh herbs to achieve desired taste.
And even that's debatable because no to peoples taste buds are the same.
Sorry for being so wordy. Just subscribed. TYFS.
Mark and Rosa
Mark and Rosa, it sounds like we're living similar rhythms right now. I'm excited for you! It sounds like you're starting on a healthy and gratifying journey. Thanks for watching!
a wealth of info about preserving and I so appreciate it!
I’m glad it was helpful!
So helpful seeing you using the small glass spice jars as that prompted me to use the many that I have sitting around! Thanks!
I love when I realize that I already have all the necessary materials on-hand!
If you have the space and time, dry your herbs in cardboard beer trays in a refrigerator. Also, never crumble your dried herbs until just before use. When you crumble them you are breaking the cell walls and releasing/losing the essence of the herbs. You want to do that as you are adding it to your food.
Thanks, that makes sense. I'll try leaving them whole. I know the flavor will be better--it'll just be a little cumbersome to crumble, measure, crumble, measure, etc. Hopefully as I grow in my cooking skills, I can just bravely crumble without measuring.
@@Locally_Raised You're doing it just fine. Crumbling the basil into small jars is what I've always done. I can't imagine having the space to keep all the dried leaves whole in a cabinet. lol
Thank you for this tip! I put my dried basil in jars stems and all out of laziness. Now I find out it was the right thing to do!! Perfect.
If you use a liquid measuring cup with your oil, you'll have a built-in pouring spout to prevent those unintended dribbles. Thank you for showing these methods of preservation!
Yes, I often use my dry and liquid measures interchangeably, but I know they're each best suited to their purposes. Thanks for watching!
Very nicely, cleanly preparations for long time preservation! Thank you!!
You’re welcome!
Perfect timing! I’ll be tackling the basil this week.
That's great; best of luck!
This is great! Love your channel! But first I think you need to show me how to get my basil to not die so I can get to this process 😂
Ha, better luck next year! Thanks for watching :)
I am with you on this!
Great video on preserving basil.
Thank you!
Great reminders or ideas. Nice others share what works for them
Last year we dried oregano according to dehydrator’s instructions and we threw it out as it tasted like hay.
This year I tried a better variety of oregano as the Greek wasn’t doing it for us. I was doing other things and my husband said he would throw the oregano in the dehydrator for me. 😂 he dried it at whatever temp popped up at start which I believe is 165. 😂It was terrific!! Sooo much flavor and it dried away faster than instructions said. It could have simply been the better variety-but I like to think it was a combo. Tried it with parsley and it was another win 🎉.
So there is more than one way to do things. I don’t worry what others do. If we like a different way and it works then that is how we learn.
I’m with you: I like experimenting until I find my favorite way to do something. I’ve been air-drying my oregano this year and it has a lot of flavor. I’m glad you’ve found something that works for you. Best of luck!
We're also in Central PA (near Bethel) and we have a spare Waring Pro dehydrator if you still need one. I don't know if you can message me on YT or something, but if you're interested I can have my wife bring it to you if you're close enough. We're happy to have found your channel, welcome to PA!
@@Locally_Raised my wife sent you a message on your other social media platform (tried to name it but YT won't let it post). You should delete the other message with your email in it, don't need anyone getting that! Funny how this worked out!
@@teejmiller Good call. Thanks!
I enjoyed every minute of your video! Keep them coming sweetheart. This old lady appreciates what you do and is loving learning new things at my age. Bless you!
Thanks so much! I appreciate the encouragement and am glad you got something from the video 🙂
This seasoned lady feels the same way 😅
I don't have a dehydrator either, so this video was much appreciated!
I have a few different varieties of basil growing and wasn't sure it would be wise to mix them together, but since you did I figure it might be fine.
Thanks for sharing!
I don't mind mixing up the flavors, and it makes my life easier. Thanks for watching--best of luck!
I do have a dehydrator and I prefer to dry my herbs on a screen or in baskets and set around my home. Works like a charm.
I think I'd freeze that basil as I do my Mirepoix; 1/8 to 1/4 cup dollops on a cookie sheet and when solid, move them to a ziplock freezer back. Much easier and more accurate measurement than breaking off a chunk.
It is convenient to have those pre-measured portions; I've just found that freezing in dollops is a bit more prone to oxidization.
I always dry herbs still on the stem. Just slosh them in water then clip or tie over a coathanger.
And of course you spill olive oil when you use a dry measure cup. That's what the Pyrex liquid measure cups are for.
Drying on the stem would be good for flavor retention; it takes up too much space for me, but of course every cook has their own systems.
I have an Air Fryer with three trays and it has the option for dehydrating so I Dehydrated my Basil and my Parsley in 10 minutes each round. Just in case you have an Air Fryer you might want to save your time and gas.
I do have any air fryer--I haven't given that a try yet.
Thank you for this!
Very beautiful garden
Thank you!
I loved the two recipes. Could smell the basil. I am worried for your fingers when you chop. Try putting a wet towel under the cutting board to keep it from slipping all over.
That's a great idea; thank you!
Great video, i do the same with basil too 👍👍
Thanks!
If you switch to a silicone scraper/spatula, you'll get everything out of that food processor.
Pesto looks great! Would you tell me where you found your little jars with the clamp lids that you put the Pesto in. Thanks for sharing!
Sure! I got the jars at Michaels Arts and Crafts Store
For those that do not have a food processor....I use my blender. I just add the olive oil right away.
Yes, good call. Thanks.
U also could make scoops and flash freeze
True!
Thinking i will subscribe just because our weather lessons will parallel. Hopefully your root veggies aren't rotting in the wet August. We have clay and it is always a risk.
That's good to know--I've got potatoes in the ground right now that I've been meaning to harvest. Hopefully they've been growing rather than rotting. I think I'll find out tomorrow.
I mix mine with garlic and salt too, but I freeze it at this point. When it defrosts I add the cheese if I want it. I seldom add the nuts as there are so many nut allergies.
That sounds really versatile; great solution.
@@Locally_Raisedwhat nuts do you use?
@@user-yb5jk9dw2n I used walnuts in this video, but I also sometimes use pine nuts.
When you dry in an oven you lose flavor due to evaporation. I put small bouquets tied with string then left to sit in a glass or jar. The stems wilt & the leaves dry. No need for an oven - or food processors with small batches.
Adding a good oil in jars with leaves is another simple preservation method which keeps basil for a few months, * if you avoid using garlic, which can develop * Botulism if canned improperly or used in salad dressings left in fridge for over a month.
Just to be safe, add fresh garlic when using, and there’s no loss of precious flavors as there’s no need to smash up the leaves or to dissipate with heat which creates steam as with your methods.
No judgement… I just prefer trying to preserve the flavors as much as possible.
Thanks fro the info. I've air dried before, but haven't done a side-by-side comparison for taste. I assumed the moisture lost during air-drying is comparable to the moisture lost during oven-drying, resulting in a comparable flavor. But maybe not.
I haven't preserved in oil. I'll have to give that a try. Thanks for watching!
Like the frozen oil paste. We used to just hang dry and store in a jar. We now have a freeze dryer and herbs are one justification for the extravagance. The come out smelling like they went in, and ready to jar and use.
@@brucehalleran1149 Nice! A freeze dryer is on my wish-list. It seems ideal for preserving all that flavor.
@Locally_Raised it's on my wish list too
Nice video! What temperature was your oven? Thanks. 😃
Thanks! My oven was set to 275F. It works best to set your oven to its lowest possible temp (varies from one oven to the next). The lower the temp, the more flavor is retained.
Dear friend,
Please don't misunderstand me, with same spoon, you have tested and same spoon you are using, product won't stay long , because of mouth microbes.
Jay shree ram.
Yes! Ick! Human saliva is extremely germy.
Yes, I can understand the concern. If I was making this for guests, I would be more careful. I just serve this to my family, and my kids won't currently eat pesto, so it will just be eaten by my husband and I.
I think she’s cooking for her family… Get a grip.
I'd love to know what kind of botles those are and where to get them, with the hook clamp and translucent gasket top.
I got them at Michael's. I'm not sure if they're still in stock (it was last year), but these bottles on Amazon are pretty similar:www.amazon.com/SPANLA-Airtight-Silicone-Condiments-Seasoning/dp/B07TYV75FC/ref=sr_1_9?crid=YQ5NP4BV7AFS&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.qXCtnOAKXYsnSgePkSnc0KLS06QAc6MX8vw4IZSd_DjJ62OjggfDlqcJUUexIPLQ-LmwMzDmEayxYM-t6s8YLO4ugCokcqOA-pl7e3T-tLkHCIDhgxKgLouMwrvdvZEDF8Qfz5qWX3vJT-cvunx8Fp-Ar-vNweCcoygudHaqAaQWqG797nms2dOmYYFzPfyRanmVu5L13pdcEeEzJBzRAce_efBCyXLXw5kiGpxIJhVaQ2cbSXRRUfmO9P7Uq8O2QQMFxM-HOMwx-AFR5jPfZJGd8rVx6-gZYq9yTiWwD8U.4J7cC4SI55cLgn8QlTIx3BkpG294OQyhfhboq9GY1jM&dib_tag=se&keywords=glass%2Bjars%2Bwith%2Bairtight%2Blid%2B4%2Boz&qid=1716861631&sprefix=glass%2Bjars%2Bwith%2Bairtight%2Blid%2B4%2Boz%2Caps%2C99&sr=8-9&th=1
@@Locally_Raised Thanks, SO much! You're a dear! Love your homestead, btw. Subscribed.
Does your basil regrow when you cut it off that low?
It does, but it’s not as full and productive.
@@Locally_Raised thank you. My first year growing it
@@glendabendel421 That’s great! Best of luck.
I am listening as I get my peppers into ferments 🙂 Thanks for showing us your basil-saving methods! Here's just a quick comment: Please turn off sound/stop the video when using noisy appliances😵💫
Will do. I hope your ferments turned out well!
Do you cull bug eaten, spotted, or any other blemish things?
I don't. Blemished leaves were definitely the minority, and I tend to be a slightly impatient cook, so it just wasn't worth it to me.
I have done
it either way...
Still turns out OK.
Don't be to fussy.😊
I'm allergic to walnuts and don't like pine nuts? Any suggestions to add to pesto?
Just make it completely nut free. Basil, garlic, salt, pepper, cheese and oil.
I don't know why that didn't occur to me, must be I really love most of the things I am allergic to. Not fun but hey, only game in town.@@EmilyGOODEN0UGH
I use cashews,...
Sometimes macadamia
Any nut seems to be good.
try sunflower seeds - i do half-and half with walnuts and nobody's caught on yet, so 100% sunflowers seeds might be worth testing. It gets the texture right, anyway!
You could use raw cashews
stinky beans produce bad smell after we eat it but the smell only come out when we urinating or maybe fart. some people eat it raw or cook it first
You never used the walnuts?
Good question. I did use them. I had gotten out more than I needed, so some were chopped and added and the extra remained in the bowl.
@@Locally_Raised I also have used walnuts - I like it better than pine nuts. I also use my salad spinner it helps the leaves dry faster - just works good for me - not necessary but reduces drying time. Good job!
@@shirleytaylor1272 I've been thinking it might be time to get a salad spinner. Good call.
something has eaten all my basil SE PA
Oh no! So sorry to hear that.
If ever you are purchasing from supermarkets, you wash and keep in jar as you keep flowers in flower pot , all water will go down and you will get dried leaves, remove the leaves and crush. Jay shree ram.
Thanks for sharing. You're right: herbs can certainly be air-dried as well.
You have garden, so you shower the plants day before breaking leaves, it will dry in air, you just break and use it. Jay shree ram.
I need to watch his comments. This seems obvious for something that never occurred to me.
Love the instruction, hate the smacking sounds as you taste it. Ugh. Also, "Salt never hurt anything?" Except too much of it has given more than a few people heart issues and high blood pressure. :)
Please don’t put the scraper you just put in your mouth back in the pesto!
It's hers.
🤣🤣🤣 what a joke
Your video is too long. No need for us to eaych yyou cut all the plants we also didn't need to see you wash every stem we get it.
Fast forward