Freezing Fresh Basil

Thanks to the DIY Wood Planter Boxes we made for our oldest son's birthday earlier this year (and his major green thumb!), we now have a nice supply of frozen basil leaves ready for use.




We don't have a garden, but when we're fortunate to receive gifted fresh veggies, fruit and herbs, those that we aren't able to eat are frozen to be enjoyed later.

Fresh basil is a great herb to freeze and it takes just a few easy steps to take them from garden to the freezer.

Remove the basil leaves from the stems and drop them into boiling water for 2 seconds to blanch. 

Transfer them immediately to an ice water bath.



 
Remove leaves from ice water bath and place them in a single layer on paper towels to drain. Gently pat dry completely using paper towel.




Place in freezer storage bag in single layers separated by parchment paper or wax paper and place in freezer.



It's nice to have basil leaves on hand to toss into recipes whenever we need them.  And, fresh basil tastes soooo much better than store-bought dried basil leaves.  

If you have an abundance of fresh garden items, consider freezing them - you'll love having them available when they're off season.   Enjoy!



Your comments are greatly appreciated and I look forward to your thoughts and ideas!  I try to respond to comments via email as soon as I can. If your email address isn't available, I will comment here. Thanks so much for visiting!




4 comments:

  1. That's a great way to preserve fresh basil leaves!

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  2. Carolyn, what a fantastic idea.. I love fresh basil.
    We don't have herbs in our garden.. But next spring, I hope to
    make a little section for herbs..
    wish you were close by... I would share my veggies with you. smile

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  3. Wow, what a great idea to blanch and freeze! I will have to try that this year if my basil will get going (for some reason it's having a hard time this year).

    In past years I have blanched my basil for pesto as well. It keeps it from going brown!

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  4. Presereving basil is important when it is not available in the garden. Thanks for sharing this idea so that we can enjoy basil aroma food throughout the year.

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