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Preserve fresh basil

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Zziggi
Zziggi Posts: 2,485 Forumite
1,000 Posts
in Old style MoneySaving
Hello Everyone.

I went a bit mad at the bargains in Tesco yesterday. 4 big pots of fresh basil. Despite cheese, tomato & basil sandwiches today, we've still got tons of the stuff. How can i preserve it?

I wondered if i could chop it all up in my food processor with some olive oil and then put it in a pot to save ready to add to pasta dishes. Would this work? Any better suggestions (please)?

Thanks in advance
«1

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  • furndire
    furndire Posts: 7,308 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    If you try and keep it growing in a bright window, always water it from underneath. I read this tip a month or 2 ago on another site, and have successfully kept a plant growing since then. I keep taking some of the leaves off, and they are tending to be a bit yellow, as I don't think we get enough hours of sunlight in this country.
    As regards using it, I have frozen leaves and occasionally used them, but it isn't particulary sucessful.
    Fresh Basil is my favourite herb.
  • Quasar
    Quasar Posts: 121,720 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic
    Zziggi wrote:
    Hello Everyone.

    I went a bit mad at the bargains in Tesco yesterday. 4 big pots of fresh basil. Despite cheese, tomato & basil sandwiches today, we've still got tons of the stuff. How can i preserve it?

    I wondered if i could chop it all up in my food processor with some olive oil and then put it in a pot to save ready to add to pasta dishes. Would this work? Any better suggestions (please)?

    Thanks in advance

    Yes you can, take it from an Italian. Chop it and steep it in olive oil (extra virgin would be ideal, but it's not compulsory). If you like garlic, chop a clove or two and mix it in. You now have the original Pesto sauce. :D

    You can of course just use a little bit now and then to add to tomato sauce etc.
    Be careful who you open up to. Today it's ears, tomorrow it's mouth.
  • annie-c
    annie-c Posts: 2,542 Forumite
    If you freeze it chopped up in water (in ice cube trays) then you can use it for months to come.
  • furndire
    furndire Posts: 7,308 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    Never thought to do that Annie-c, even though I've read about it before.
  • mah_jong
    mah_jong Posts: 1,284 Forumite
    Mortgage-free Glee!
    Zziggi wrote:
    Hello Everyone.

    I went a bit mad at the bargains in Tesco yesterday. 4 big pots of fresh basil.

    Keep some wrapped in a damp newspaper in your fridge, should be Ok for a wee while ...
  • pmorrisjones
    pmorrisjones Posts: 125 Forumite
    I've grown some basil and again it has run to seed. Can I freeze the leaves (don't need them at present) and if so how? Thank you.
  • Magentasue
    Magentasue Posts: 4,229 Forumite
    Not sure but I don't think basil is a good one to dry or freeze - do you like pesto? I'd make a couple of jars of that.
  • serena
    serena Posts: 2,387 Forumite
    I try and pick off the flowering shoots of basil as soon as they form and then they continue to grow.
    It is never too late to become what you were always intended to be
  • Samphire
    Samphire Posts: 79 Forumite
    I'll second the pesto suggestion - that's what I did with my enormous basil plant before going on holiday rather than come back to it all wilted and brown! If you don't like pesto you could try making a herb butter - mush basil up with butter, roll into a log and then freeze - you can then cut slices off as needed. I've read that you can freeze basil with a little water in an ice cube tray - it won't look good enough for garnishing when defrosted but you could pop a herby cube into a pot of something. I always end up making pesto with mine unless I'm putting it on a tomato or mozzarella salad Mmmmmm......
  • freyasmum
    freyasmum Posts: 20,597 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic
    I'm not entirely sure if you can freeze it, but I don't see why not? As mentioned, it won't look nice enough for garnishing but you should be able to use it for cooking.

    An easier way to do it it to place the leaves into a bag and pop into the freezer and bash the bag a few times once it's frozen - you'll get 'chopped' basil without having to stand and chop it all (I find chopping herbs a bit of a nightmare) and you'll be able to put as much as you want into a recipe rather than having to put a whole cube in :)
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