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Subject Topic: Saving basil/making pesto Post ReplyPost New Topic
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hylabrook1
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Posted: June 08 2010 at 6:21pm | IP Logged Quote hylabrook1

Making pesto is one of my summer goals this year. I've planted 6 basil plants and am dutifully pinching/pruning so as to get the biggest, fattest, juiciest plants ever. At this stage, the plants are still quite small, and when I pinch the tips, I get a handful of leaves, far too few to make a batch of pesto. Can I freeze the leaves while they are accumulating? Or does it make a better job to wait until the plants are sizable and then make batches of pesto to freeze? I can dry the bits I'm pinching off because nice dried basil is also something I want to have. So: freeze leaves or freeze pesto?

Any and all basil advice is appreciated!

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Nancy
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guitarnan
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Posted: June 08 2010 at 6:38pm | IP Logged Quote guitarnan

Freeze pesto. Much more effective!

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Becky Parker
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Posted: June 08 2010 at 6:42pm | IP Logged Quote Becky Parker

Nancy,
I don't make pesto but I do freeze basil. I just chop it up fine, put about 1 tablespoon into each "cup" of an icecube tray, top it off with water and freeze it. Then I put the cubes into a freezer bag and when a recipe calls for basil I just throw a cube or two into the pot.
I read once that freezing basil preserves the flavor better than drying it so that's why I do it that way.
For pesto, I don't really know. The drawback of the icecube tray method is that if you want to use it in a cold recipe, you have to thaw it and drain it first. It also sometimes discolors, which isn't really noticable in cooked dishes, but again, in pesto, it might not work too well.
You could always make a small batch of pesto and freeze it to see how it does. I don't think there's anything in it that wouldn't freeze well.

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Becky Parker
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Posted: June 08 2010 at 6:43pm | IP Logged Quote Becky Parker

Oops! Nancy and I posted at the same time!

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Natalia
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Posted: June 09 2010 at 8:25am | IP Logged Quote Natalia

I do as Becky does: freeze the leaves in ice cube trays. Once they are frozen, i put them in a Ziploc bag. It is great to have them for soups, pasta or any other hot dish that calls for basil.

With 6 basil plants, you are going to have plenty of pesto to make! Why don't you use the small amounts for other things like mixing it with butter and garlic to make garlic bread or using it with fresh tomato, ham and Parmesan cheese to top a pizza or on focaccia bread?

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