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If you ’re front for a quick and easy way to preserve fresh St. Basil , this Emily Post is for you ! take along and learn how to freeze St. Basil in ice block tray with olive rock oil , piss , or other rock oil of choice . It ’s unsubdivided to do , and creates theperfect little portion of basilto papa into a skillet , soup , and more – whenever you require it . Truth be secern , I discover myself using our leisurely - freezy “ St. Basil bomb calorimeter ” even when we have sweet sweet basil useable in the garden ! They ’re merely too convenient to resist .
This post will cover the gentle step - by - step physical process of freezing basil , including wind on how to defrost and use frozen sweet basil third power in cooking too . Hot tip : you may utilize this method to freezeany type of fresh herbsin glass cube tray ! I ’ll also briefly explore a couple other way to preserve sweet basil , including freezing whole basil leaves in bags , dehydrating basil , and freezing pesto .
Related : See our complete guidebook ongrowing basil – with tips to make it extra bushy and harvest all summer long !
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Does basil freeze well?
It sure does ! A usually need question is “ is frozen basil still good ? ” – and while you may not need your basilplantsto freezing outside in the garden , freeze down basil is an splendid way to keep up sassy Basil of Caesarea leave to enjoy later .
In fact , many chef and basil connoisseurs prefer the flavor of frozen basil vs dehydrated or dry Basil of Caesarea . Do n’t get me wrong , I love dried basil too . But when it come to preserving basil , freezing it may beas tight to freshas you may get ! Especially freezing basil in ice block trays , where the Olea europaea oil or water encapsulates the Basil of Caesarea to really lock away in those fresh flavors .
Freezing basil in olive crude or water make aprotective layer around the basilto prevent oxidation ( photograph to air ) , which slows abasement in storage and keeps the basil wait nice andgreenin colour ! When break to air , oxidized sweet basil twist chocolate-brown or opprobrious . Black Basil the Great is n’t harmful and still honorable to eat , though it ’s a little less appetizing .
Should I blanch basil before freezing?
Nope ! After browsing many article where phratry did side - by - side tests of freezing blench vs unblanched basil , I ’ve come to conclusion thatit ’s not worth the effort(or risk ) . A quick blanch will help frozen basil continue a bright green coloration , BUT just a moment too long in the hot water or steam can speedily leave in mushy , overcooked sweet basil . Unblanched Basil of Caesarea retains a interchangeable dear tang along with a better texture .
Supplies Needed
Should I freeze basil in olive oil or water?
That ’s really up to you . freeze basil in methamphetamine block trays with olive crude oil or water are both bang-up option . Both surface the basil , prevent oxidation , and efficaciously save it . To shake things up , you could even freeze it in broth !
immobilise Basil the Great in ice cube trays withwatermakes it slightly more versatile in regards to utilisation and flavor , since you may employ the Basil of Caesarea without adding rock oil to your repast . On the other manus , you may not want to append urine to your dish either ( such as making agitate fry or salad dressing ) . In that case , you ’d need to deice the basil cube and sift out the Basil of Caesarea to use .
Personally , I love freezing basil inolive oilbecause it ’s even easier and faster to employ ( for me ) . I simply slash a frozen basil cube with olive oil into a pan or pot and go ! That little bit of oil is a welcome addition in most cases .
Instructions: Freezing Basil in Ice Cube Trays
For the good results , use thefreshestbasil possible . If you ’re preserving homegrown Basil of Caesarea , harvest time during the coolheaded morning hours while the plants are most perky and lush . If you ca n’t process it right away , entrepot cut St. Basil halt in a spyglass of water supply – like flowers in a vase .
Instructions continued
How to Use Frozen Basil Cubes
The agency to use frozen St. Basil the Great cubes are endless ! Add them to any dish or meal that you ’d enjoy refreshful or dry basil in , let in but not fix to :
Rather than mother with defrosting , I ordinarily add up frozen basil cube with olive oilstraight from the deep freezer , let them to melt justly into the bag .
If you freeze out your St. Basil the Great cube in water but do n’t want water in your saucer ( or oil ) , simply place the basil block in asmall bowl or cupful to de-ice , and then strain off the urine or rock oil once it melt – leaving just the Basil of Caesarea bits to use .
Other Ways to Preserve or Freeze Basil
In addition to freeze St. Basil in ice cube trays , we enjoy tofreeze pestotoo ! break out our popular walnut tree , parmesan and lemon“Besto Pesto ” recipe along with freezing instruction here . There are vegan and nut - free variations include . Every summer , we stock our deep freezer with enough pesto to last us through the year . I love to use it on sandwiches , pasta , testis , and more .
dry basilis another great fashion to preserve it . Once dehydrate , it ’s amazing how much sweet basil can condense down in a single jar for convenient dry store in the pantry . We like to store dry out basil leaves whole to keep the flavor and scent as fresh as possible . Crush it up at the time of employment , sprinkled into soups , stews , and sauces all wintertime long . See our dry basil tutorial here – with tips for drying basil in either afood dehydratoror the oven .
Can I freeze basil leaves whole?
Yes , whole basil leaves block quite well too . Plus , it ’s even faster to do than freezing St. Basil the Great in frosting regular hexahedron tray ! However , the storage life history is a piffling shortsighted since they ’re not coated with oil color .
To immobilize whole sweet basil leave , wash and gently but thoroughly dry out the leaves , and then pile them powerful into a resealable Deepfreeze bag . Keep the farewell spread out in a fairly flat bed , though it ’s ok to layer leaves on top of eachother some too . push down to absent as much air as possible from the bag before sealing . Then when you want some , just launch the bag and break off a small clod of basil to use .
How long does frozen basil last?
Using the methamphetamine hydrochloride cube tray method acting , fixed basil in olive oil or water should stay good for up to a year or longer . However , the tang will bebest if used within six months . After that , it ’s more likely to lose some of its fresh flavor or spring up freezer burning in storage . Whole St. Basil leaves frozen in bags should be used within 3 months for the best quality .
It’s as simple as that.
Freezing Basil in Ice Cube Trays – Olive Oil or Water
Equipment
Ingredients
Instructions
