Basil is probably my most favorite and most-used herb. It is a must-have in my garden every year. I always plant plenty so the plants can get nice and big and I can dry the leaves at the end of the season.
When growing basil, make sure to not let it flower or go to seed. Do this by picking off the flowers as they appear, or simply harvesting it regularly. When harvesting, don’t go more than a third to halfway down per stem at a time, and be sure to use sharp scissors so as to not damage the plant. The energy of the plant will then go to making more leaves, and therefore more herb for you to use.
In the fall when the cold comes or is threatening to come, harvest the basil. It’s usually the first crop I will clean out of the garden in the fall since it doesn’t tolerate as cold of temperatures as other crops. Better to harvest early than to risk it freezing on a cold night.
After harvesting, preserve the basil. I like to dry it in my garage. Follow these simple steps.
How to air dry basil in your garage:
You can also follow these same basic steps for other herbs like rosemary, oregano, or even coriander. (With coriander, instead of harvesting the cilantro leaves you’ll need to let the plant go to seed then harvest the little coriander seeds once they’re dry.)
The fresh taste of homegrown and home-dried and preserved herbs to your cooking is sure to please.
2 comments
You can freeze basil by packing it very tightly in a freezer bag. Push it into the bottom of the bag, roll it up tightly, secure with rubber bands and freeze. When you want to use it, just cut off what you need. It tastes like fresh – much better than dried basil.
I have dried basil in bunches under a shade cloth tent to protect from dust and harsh sun, but it bleached somewhat anyway. I then put basil leaves on cookie sheets in the refrigerator at 40F and found that the leaves dried more quickly and maintained their dark green color. For some strange reason, purple basil doesn’t stay purple in the Mojave desert.