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

I have never had much luck drying basil. The end result does not seem
to me to be remotely like the fresh, and so I don't bother. I have
not tried the various freezing altermatives. Since I live in a
relatively warm climate and have a small greenhouse, there are really
only about 60-80 days during which there is likely not to be fresh
available.

On the other hand, if your basil has gone to seed, you might want to
consider cutting off the seed heads and drying them. They provide a
fairly strong, and "durable" form of stored basil. To use in
cooking, it is better to tie them in cheesecloth as the husks are kind
of tough. Give it a try.