I just made some pesto with basil from the garden. Does it freeze well?

[Ilsa]

I've got tons of basil, and more to come. I've given it away. Cooked with it, but I managed to make several small jars of pesto. What is the best way to keep it for the long haul? Does it freeze well? Will it expand much in the jars or remain about the same in volume? I need tips for making this work out well.

Also, I need tips for what to do with the rest of the basil that I harvest over the next week. Should I use a dehydrator or oven? Freeze it whole? Thanks.

[Amerigo Vespucci]

1. I wouldn't

Obviously, refrigerated pesto is available in most markets. But because of the ingredients, I wouldn't recommend freezing them. The exception would be if you have a vacuum device like FoodSaver, in which case you could put portions into their canisters and remove all of the air, but even with that, my answer would still be no.

Freezing Basil (http://southernfood.about.com/od/freezingfood/r/blbb310.htm): Rinse the basil leaves in a colander and let them drain. Lays the leaves out in a single layer on paper towels with more paper towels on top. After most of the water is absorbed, dry each leaf with more paper towels. When each leaf is totally and completely dry, put leaf by leaf in a plastic container and freeze.

:toast:

[Ilsa]

9. Thanks,. I'm going to use this method for drying them. nt

[siligut]

2. Pesto freezes well.

I just hang fresh herbs in an out-of-the-way place to let them dry. It is good on a Pizza Margherita. Good with fresh mozzerella, tomatoes and a dressing of oil and vinegar. Did you cross post in the cooking and baking forum?

[Ilsa]

6. I crossposted in the gardening group, since I figured they do alot of

preserving and canning in various ways.

[NV Whino]

3. Yes.

I made pesto last year and put it in serving size baggies and froze it. Works fine. Had nice "fresh" pesto all winter.

I would dry the plain basil rather than freezing it. Wash, pat dry with towels or paper towels, hang upside down in a dry room (as opposed to damp basement atmosphere). Once dried, it can be put into mason jars with rubber sealing ring. Or leave it hanging.

[yewberry]

4. I've done it.

It worked pretty well. Slight discoloration (I might be thinking of the arugula pesto, though), but nothing unappetizing.

Mmm, now I want basil.

[Ilsa]

8. Yeah, and the smell of fresh basil is intoxicatingly fresh. I love growing it. nt

[Suich]

5. I froze pesto in ice cube trays one year.

Worked fine!



:)

[Ilsa]

7. Thanks! I might try that. Then put the cubes in baggies. Then I can

add the pesto to spaghetti sauces, etc.

[DBoon]

10. it freezes much better than it survives in the fridge

I've found home made pesto grows mold after a couple of weeks and has to be thrown out

[CreekDog]

11. Yep it freezes pretty well.

In fact, one of the better brands here (a local one, Italian no less) is sold frozen.

[vixengrl]

12. Like others have posted--you can freeze pesto--but not basil.

I wouldn't really know too much about freezing pesto, because whenever I make some it gets eaten pretty quickly (same for hummus, salsa, and veggie chili--I always *say* I'm making a ton to eat for awhile, but it just....goes!) It doesn't have enough water to expand, but plastic is the better thing to freeze it in just because. We've tried freezing basil by getting it as dry as we could without dessicating it, but it still gets kind of mushy and brown when we take it out.

If you have a dehydrator, that would be a great way to go to preserve the whole leaf (bigger bits of basil somehow keep their aroma better, I think.) You can dry the herb even in a toaster oven, but it's hard to figure out when it seems "just right". You have to stay on top of it.

I tend to recommend if you have a lot of something good (like I end up with too many figs and grapes) you find people to share with. Most everything tastes best when fresh, and if you slip somebody some pesto, they might come back at ya with something good, too. (I have traded fruit for baked goods--just like lunchtime at school!)

[Ilsa]

22. Oh yeah, I've been giving away full baggies of basil leaves. I hate to

see anything go to waste. I am in Texas, and i have two neighbors that allowed me to find and place Obama signs in their yards. I share with them first, and they do likewise. We have a wonderful sense of community amongst us, and we hate to see stuff wasted and end up in the landfill. If they don't want something, it goes to Goodwill next.

[Duer 157099]

13. Blanch the basil first

Just briefly dip it in boiling water, that will preserve the green color and fresh flavor. Then make the pesto and freeze.

I haven't tried this yet because I've never had enough extra basil to do it with!

[Ilsa]

23. Uh-oh. I didn't do the blanching. I already have pesto ice cubes &

more to freeze. I'll do that with the next batch I harvest, which will be soon.

[Tangerine LaBamba]

14. Freeze it in ice-cube trays,

and then seal the cubes up in freezer bags, as air-tight as possible.

Pesto freezes wonderfully.

My grandmother showed me a great trick on preserving basil. Chop it coarsely, and mix it with water. Freeze it in ice-cube trays (my nonna loved freezing things), and then just bag it the same as the pesto. Works beautifully............

[vixengrl]

15. Wet it and freeze it, instead of dry-freezing it---

I never thought to do it that way--but it makes sense--keep the plant's cells full and moist so they don't lyse. Since it's already chopped, no browning. That's totally sensible, and I must try doing it that way. (If I have spare basil....which I might, this year.)

[HopeHoops]

16. WARNING: Do NOT add cheese or nuts before freezing!

Blend the basil, garlic, and olive oil as you normally would and freeze that (I've had it keep more than a year that way).

When you pull it out, allow it to defrost naturally and return it to the blender. THEN add your pine nuts (or walnuts) and cheese.

You CAN freeze complete pesto, but it will get progressively more bitter the longer it is in the freezer.

[Ilsa]

24. Duly noted. The next batch will be without the nuts and cheese. nt

[LostinVA]

17. VERY well -- just double-bag it in freezer bags

Pesto also defrosts great in a pan of warm (not hot water).

[Gormy Cuss]

18. The best way to make it for the freezer is to leave out the nuts and cheese and reduce the garlic.

The nuts because of textural change, the cheese because the saltiness is intensified and the garlic because the flavor intensifies. Just add the remaining ingredients when you thaw. I do freeze fully made batches of pesto for short terms like a month. Be sure to seal the surface with a coating of oil-- that helps preserve the bright green color.

Use the dehydrator to dry some basil rather than an oven. I don't care for the results of home dried basil but the dehydrator was better than the oven. I freeze lots of basil for winter use by blending it with olive oil and freezing it in ice-cube trays. Once frozen, I pop the cubes into a freezer bag. One or two cubes is enough to flavor a batch of spaghetti sauce or a soupe au pistou.

[bif]

19. Hint

It freezes well, but don't add the cheese. It gets sort of gummy. Add the cheese after it thaws.

[Moondog]

20. Penzey's sells a lot of high-end herbs and spices. Here's what they have to say -

"Basil that was dried or dehydrated under less than ideal conditions lost its sweetness, and took on strong woody overtones. Dehydrators now use partial vacuums to lower the temperature at which water evaporates, so basil can be grown under ideal conditions, dried, and shipped anywhere."

The freezing in water trick described upthread may be the best at-home technique. Unless you have one of these partial vacuum dehydrators. I just have one of those $30 dehydrators that I primarily use to make beef jerky. Tried drying some tarragon in it once, and the results weren't very good.

[WinkyDink]

21. Yes, but not with the Parmegiana. Add that to the defrosted pesto.