"Pat Meadows" wrote in message
...
On Wed, 17 Sep 2003 10:38:50 -0400, Allan Matthews
wrote:

When I planted my new raised garden July 15, I bought a left over
withered basil plant and stuck it in. Now it is 2 feet in diameter, 2
feet tall and dense with leaves. How is the best way to dry
this?Thanks

With a food dehydrator, probably.

But I don't dry basil, I don't think the taste holds up very
well to drying. I freeze it, and this keeps all that great
'fresh basil taste' (although not the texture, of course)..

I puree lots of basil leaves in my blender, with enough
water to make a thick but pourable slurry. Then I pour this
into ice-cube trays and freeze them. When they're frozen
solid, I take the 'basil-cubes' out of the ice trays and
store them in the freezer in a freezer bag.

Then I just grab a basil cube or two and toss it into soups,
stews, chili or pasta sauce whenever I'm cooking them.

Pat
(snip sig...)

You can also wash and pat dry each individual leaf, wrap in a paper towel,
napkin, or cheesecloth, then put a stack into a sandwich bag and freeze them
that way. When you use them, take them out, cut them frozen (once thawed
the consistency will be practically gone), and use them that way (if you are
cooking, that is, don't do this for fresh salads...lol). I've done this
too.

Also, you can get some olive oil, a nice jar with a sealable lid, and make
some basil oil by washing, then filling the jar with your fav. oil, and
dropping in a "twig" of basil with leaves. You can also add a bit of thyme,
rosemary, and sage, and use that for cooking a YUMMY chicken or pork.

Trai