Preserving Basil

I Love Fresh Basil

Basil just so happens to be one of my favorite herbs, I plant it every year and enjoy it as much as I can every summer season. The one problem I run into though is in the winter....I don't typically use dried basil, I prefer fresh and the winter is just not basil's season.

This year I decided to do things differently, instead of purchasing fresh basil during the upcoming winter months I made up my mind to make my own preserved basil from my garden which is currently overflowing in yummy leafy basil which I definitely don't want to go to waste!

I've seen this idea many times online and decided to give it a go myself! 

Frozen Fresh Basil in Oil and Water

Step 1: Gather your herbs - you can do this for any herb that you enjoy cooking with.

Step 2: Wash your herbs, pick the leaves you are going to use and discard the rest. Then dry your herbs gently on either a paper or hand towel.

Washed and Picked From Their Stems.

Fresh From My Garden! Washed and Ready!

Step 3: I used a food processor because it's much easier and quicker but you can also hand mince your herbs with your favorite sharp knife (non serrated please!). Deposit your minced basil into a bowl.

Step 4: Using a muffin tin or ice cube tray, divide out your basil accordingly. I used the muffin tin for 1 tablespoon scoops of my basil, and an ice cube tray for 1 teaspoon portions of basil. Don't pack them in tightly, but rather gently and somewhat loosely pressed into the bottom. You want to give your liquid a chance to completely encase the basil.

Prepped and Ready

Herbs in the Bottom, Don't pack them too tight!

Step 5: Now for the fun part! Using your favorite oil, or water go ahead and just cover the top of the pressed basil. I used mostly Grape Seed Oil for my basil because I use oil in a lot of different cooking recipes, but I also used water for a whole ice tray for recipes such as soup where I might not want to add oil.

Just cover the top of the herbs

Step 6:  Toss it in the freezer for a few hours and then bag it!

Enjoy!

Pic from: fatandhappyblog.com

Author's Update:

Upon removing my supposedly frozen cubes from their trays, the oil was a complete mess! As soon as I took it out of the freezer it began to melt! The shapes did not hold up as planned.

For future reference, the water cubes worked great! And I think melted butter would be a better choice rather than oil, melted butter freezes super solid.