freezing basil and a little vacation

I am back from a splendid "vacation" visiting my daughter and three grandchildren (and the cats and doggie) in their lovely house in Minneapolis. It was truly a wonderful visit, in spite of the alarming moment when the puppy Maisie ran away (found a few blocks away hanging out with a little brewfest party:), and the sigh when I realized, yes.  The three year old still bellows his rising and shining at 4 or 5 am.  I was thrilled to find the lavender turtleheads flowering in the side yard, right on schedule as it is in New Hampshire.

Now back at my place, and checking on my basil in my little garden, I saw the first golden leaf beside the bush.   First an inhaling of that wonderful scent, and then snipping away to fill a bowlful of those gorgeous, fragrant leaves.  It rained last night, but by afternoon the leaves were dry - perfect for freezing.

This is a trick I learned some time ago - that if you clip basil when it's perfectly dry and place in a clean, dry, freezer container and stick in your freezer, the basil will stay green and fragrant - and that is such a treat in February!  As I'm not familiar with the frost date in St. Paul, I decided to stash that beautiful basil while it was on my mind. Just remember, it has to be completely dry before clipping.  Simply snip off the very dry leaves and layer in the container, discarding the stems.

Happy September!

One year ago:  Little peach and nectarine galettes

Two years ago:  Buttery Cabbage Slices(steaks)

Three years ago:  Poached apricots with cardamom and cinnamon cream

Four years ago:  Lemon muffins and the last of the tomatoes

freezing fresh basil

On a chilly day last September, I was struck by a display at the farmers' market - wild and vibrant stalks of fresh basil. I was curious, so I struck up a conversation with the lady behind the extravagant display. She passed on the amazing revelation that fresh basil could be frozen, without it turning black, as had so often happened in the past with my experiments with that delicious herb. The secret?

Pinch off the leaves while they are bone-dry, and toss into a plastic container, then freeze. She insisted that they would stay green as the day you picked them. You know what? She was right.

I froze some basil leaves, then roughly tore them on a pasta dish. 20 minutes later, they were still aromatic and green. Thirty minutes later, a little blackening, but still green, and that heavenly scent was still there. So there you have it - fresh basil from the depths of your freezer!

The top photo shows the frozen, dry, basil, and the bottom, the torn frozen basil gracing a pasta dish.

Isn't it amazing?