I had so much basil it was crazy this last year. I dipped in boiling water and froze it in sandwich bags. Boatloads in the freezer.
Is that how you store it? I'm so doing this next season. What does the boiling water do?
I've never done that, I generally put it in my food processor with olive oil (or make pesto) and freeze it in ice cube trays covered with a thin layer of olive oil. After it freezes I transfer to a ziplock. Well now I have a food saver machine so next summer I'll be cryovacing instead.
I have bought the plants more than a few times. Unfortunately I only am able to keep it alive for more than a few weeks about half of the time. There were a few times in the late spring I bought it and was able to keep it alive in pots for the remainder of the growing season, but we just don't get enough light in the winter to keep it alive.
I don't really like the plants with roots sold in the plastic bag. The leaves are small, immature, and bland (picture below is deceiving, IRL the leaves are smaller).
Hey…BrightFarms has a growing operation just a few miles from me!
The quick blanch preserves the color otherwise it gets dark. Dark doesn't change the taste but it loses the eye appeal you're used to with basil. It looks better in natural light but the sun is going down so this is in my kitchen.
That kinda looks like weed. 🤣
I heard of it in the gardening/preserving forum I'm in. Blanching is more than just a quick dip in boiling water. 👍
Yes, I am quite familiar with blanching green vegetables like asparagus and broccoli, just never heard of doing it with basil before. Interesting.
We have had varieties with the root systems in our grocery store with huge leaves before. Last year I was able to keep it alive until the end of the growing season and it was beautiful! But that rarely happens.
But it says Basil...
