Basil: An Herb Society of America Guide
Freezing & Oil Preservation
There are many options for freezing basil, and for many herb enthusiasts, freezing is the preferred storage method. Leaves can be frozen on cookie sheets and then stored in plastic bags or containers labeled with name and date (24, 38). Basil can blacken with freezing, but Susan Belsinger suggests chopping, covering with oil and freezing in baggies to keep leaves green (8). Leaves can also be combined with olive oil in a food processor or mortar/pestle and frozen in ice cube trays (51, 62, 84). Frozen basil can then be added to soups, sauces or pesto (8, 62). Basil can also be made into pesto and frozen. Thomas DeBaggio and Susan Belsinger recommend freezing pesto minus the garlic and adding that fresh (23).
Madalene Hill and Gwen Barclay prefer oil concentrates to other preservation methods. To make a concentrate, blend
2 cups firmly packed fresh leaves with 1/2 cup vegetable oil. Do not strain out the leaves. This will produce a thick paste about the consistency of pesto (44). All herbal oil products, including pesto, should be stored in plastic or glass containers and kept in the freezer to prevent botulism. Concentrates can be stored
for up to 2 years (45).
Next topic: Preserving in Oil & Salt