I cut the stalks off and tie them together. I then take a large brown paper
bag and punch holes all over the bag so that there is plenty of ventilation
all through it. I then put as many of the tied up stalks that I can fit
into the bag/s and hang them up in my garage on a nail and let the basil
dry for a month or more. When they are all dried up I strip off the leaves
an store them in an air tight mason jar/s. I use basil in some German type
sausage that I make. When I am ready to use the basil I take a bunch of
leaves and rub my hands together to pulverize to a powder like substance.
The sausage I make is called " grits wurst".
My 2 cents worth.


"Penny Morgan" wrote in message
. com...
You can dry it by cutting off the top half of the plant and letting the
rest
continue to grow. You take the cut pieces and tie them together with
string
or a rubber band and let them hang upside down from a bar or hook. I used
a
shower rod that was in our extra bath. The air was circulated by our air
conditioning running through the vents and there was plenty of light. It
takes several days to completely dry and then I store it in old mayonnaise
jars with a tight lid. Another favorite way to store basil is to freeze
it.
I would remove leaves and wash them in cold water. Don't dry them off.
Put
the wet leaves (you can have several leaves in layers) in a gallon size
freezer ziploc bag and seal it. I used to vacuum seal it by using a straw
and sucking out the remaining air in the bag, thus removing the chance of
freezer burn on the leaves. The water on the leaves protects them from
freezer burn or drying out. It's similar to freezing fish in a container
filled with water. When I need basil for a recipe, I just crunch the bag
and the basil breaks into little pieces because it is brittle. I shake
out
what I need into the pot and put the rest back in the freezer.

I used to freeze several branches when I had an overabundance during the
growing season and then wait until the end of the season to dry the large
plants. I would just cut them off at the bottom of the stem and hang them
upside down with string.

Penny
Zone 7b - North Carolina
"John S. DeBoo" wrote in message
...
Is there a particular process for drying this or does one simply
pluck the leaves and let them dry? My plants are 1' tall if that
matters any and growing like mad.

--
John S. DeBoo