Best Way to Store Fresh Basil

If you cook Italian dishes on a regular basis, you know the importance of keeping fresh basil on hand. With a myriad of uses, from soups and sauces to seasoning fresh poultry and pork dishes, fresh basil adds a level of flavor to food that dried basil cannot provide. If you want to keep this pungent and savory herb on hand, read on for some easy ways to store fresh basil.

Things You'll Need

• Fresh basil
• 6-inch clay pot
• Potting soil
• Stones
• Food processor
• Vegetable or chicken broth
• Ice-cube tray
• Plastic storage bags or containers
• Labels
• Marker

Instructions

The Best Way to Store Fresh Basil

1. 

   Grow basil from seed and keep it in a well-lighted area. Starting your own basil plants gives you instant access to the freshest basil around. In addition, you can grow several different varieties, such as Thai, globe, boxwood and sweet basils, to add new dimensions to your favorite dishes.

2. Line the bottom of a 6-inch-diameter clay pot with some small stones and fill with a high-quality potting soil. Saturate the soil with water and stir to mix in. Add more soil if you got it too wet.

3. Poke holes in the soil at least 1 inch apart with a drinking straw or a pencil. Place one seed in each hole, and then cover over with the soil. You can plant several varieties in one pot or use different pots for each type.

4. Place the pot in a warm, sunny window. If you want to speed up the germination process, cover the pot with a layer of clear plastic wrap. After three to five days, you should see the first sprouts. At this point you can uncover the pot and allow the plants to continue growing.

5. Water once a week or when top soil is dry to the touch, but do not soak the plants. Within 45 to 60 days you should be able to begin harvesting leaves from the plant for cooking. To harvest leaves for cooking, gently pinch from the base, taking larger leaves first.

Storing Fresh Basil for Later Use

1. 

   Preserve fresh basil for later use by freezing. Remove leaves from stems, rinse thoroughly and pat dry with clean towel or paper towel. To slice before freezing, stack several leaves and then roll into a tube. Slice into thin strips. Store cut basil or whole leaves in a plastic storage bag or small plastic container.

2. Finely chop or pulse handfuls of fresh basil leaves in a food processor for later use in pesto sauces and marinara. For 1 cup of fresh basil leaves, add 1 to 2 tbsps. of vegetable or chicken stock.

3. Transfer a tablespoon of chopped basil leaves into each section of a clean ice-cube tray. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze for at least one hour. Once the fresh basil is solid, remove from the ice-cube tray and put in plastic storage bag or plastic freezer-safe container.

Tips & Warnings

• Use labels or ink-friendly storage bags to record date of freezing, type of basil and amount per cube.

• You can use frozen basil cubes directly from the freezer.

• Prepackaged fresh basil will last in your refrigerator's crisping drawer for at least a week.

• For eye appeal, only use fresh basil leaves to garnish a dish. Frozen basil will wilt when thawed, and is best to use only in dishes where it will be incorporated into the recipe.

Resources

• About Basil