A Whole Lot of Basil to Harvest

#EatNZKaitaki Lydia Thomsen is a nutritionist, gardener and compost warrior, she shares her tips on how to deal with a whole lot of basil, and how to keep it vibrant, green and delicious!

When a ¼ of a bed of basil desperately needs harvesting, and there’s no time to make THAT much pesto... We’ll try blanching this bed of fresh basil first, before popping it in the freezer!

It’s Autumn Equinox in this part of the world which is the perfect opportunity to take stock of how the growing season has been and how we set ourselves up over the cooler months.   We only planted two beds of basil in our greenhouse this year (and a quarter of a bed outside) to see how it would perform; and we’re beyond stoked and grateful to see how healthy, fragrant and abundant this crop has been. The basil outside however struggled in comparison, and has meant making the call to ‘crop it out’ completely.  But cropping out doesn’t necessarily mean ‘destined for the compost’… As much as I LOVE composting, my intention in the market garden this year is to be more conscious about storing and preserving food, especially when it is in abundance and still in relatively good health/condition to safely eat.

So back to the BASIL… In order to have straight up basil to add to a recipe over the cooler months is to freeze it.  It is possible to dry basil but IMHO the dried basil lacks flavour in comparison to frozen basil.  

The best way to preserve fresh basil is to first blanch it in boiling water for a few seconds (30 seconds max), then remove them with a slotted spoon and place it in an ice bath. Remove the leaves from the ice bath and place them on a paper towel or clean dish towel and pat dry. Roll the leaves in a short cigar-shaped roll and place them in a zip-lock bag or freezer-safe container.   This makes it convenient to add to dishes right away, without having to wait for the basil to thaw if placed in ice cubes.  

Because basil will go black in colder temperatures, blanching the leaves and then placing them in an ice bath means the leaves will hold their green colour.   The best part is, frozen basil will last 4-6 months in the freezer meaning you can add it to any favourite pasta sauce dish, or salad dressing at your leisure all year round!  And yes, this also means pesto from frozen basil is still a possibility :)

Words and photos by Lydia Thomsen - @agreeablegrub