# What's the best way to preserve basil? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 25, 2003, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-way-to-preserve-basil/184306 "2003-06-25T15:55:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![teela\_brown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d9b06d/32.png) [@teela\_brown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teela_brown)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2003, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-way-to-preserve-basil/184306/1 "2003-06-25T15:55:52Z")
I’m up to my armpits in basil. Overenthusiastically, I’m planting bookoo basil at about two-week intervals, and it’s easy to see I’m going to have way more than I know what to do with. It’s an exceptionally fragrant, spicy basil (Genova Profumatissima), and I’d love to be able to cook with it in midwinter. Trouble is, dried basil tastes like squat. I’ve Googled about a bit, and see various recipes for preserving it by freezing or pickling it in vinegar or oil. Before I invest the time on any of these methods, does anyone have any experience in this? I’d appreciate any advice. ---
**Author:** ![Michael\_Ellis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/977dab/32.png) [@Michael\_Ellis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Michael_Ellis)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2003, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-way-to-preserve-basil/184306/2 "2003-06-25T16:05:31Z")
Keep it away from Sybil. ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2003, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-way-to-preserve-basil/184306/3 "2003-06-25T16:17:32Z")
Put him in the freezer, my Dear Watson ---
**Author:** ![Dogzilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e480ec/32.png) [@Dogzilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dogzilla)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2003, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-way-to-preserve-basil/184306/4 "2003-06-25T16:22:11Z")
Basil tends to turn black the minute you cut it, heat it or try to preserve it in anyway. If you want to keep it green, I’d buy a good bottle of extra virgin olive oyl (or several if you have basil coming out your hoo-ha) and stuff the leaves in the bottle. Store in a dry, dark place. Do not use after about 6 months. The oil will become infused with essence of basil – yummy to cook with. You could also make a buttload of pesto and give jars away to your friends, which is probably what I would do with all that. With many herbs, I chop them up, toss them in a freezer/zip-loc baggie and toss in the freezer. Keeps up to a year and you can open the baggie and throw in whatever amount you need at the time. I fear basil would turn black if you tried this, but hey if you have a lot – try it and let me know how that works out. ---
**Author:** ![lost4life](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c4cdca/32.png) [@lost4life](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lost4life)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2003, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-way-to-preserve-basil/184306/5 "2003-06-25T18:00:27Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Michael Ellis \* > \*\*Keep it away from Sybil. \*\* Hmmmph. I opened this thread with the full intention of posting the very same smart-assed comment… ---
**Author:** ![photopat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e95f7d/32.png) [@photopat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/photopat)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2003, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-way-to-preserve-basil/184306/6 "2003-06-25T18:22:11Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by ArchiveGuy \* > \*\*Put him in the freezer, my Dear Watson \*\* Damn it! No, no, that’s okay, it could still work… I put all the movies on DVD myself. ---
**Author:** ![3trew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/3/13edae/32.png) [@3trew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/3trew)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2003, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-way-to-preserve-basil/184306/7 "2003-06-25T18:48:03Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by lost4life \* > \*\*Hmmmph. I opened this thread with the full intention of posting the very same smart-assed comment… \*\* I was going to go with “Fire Manuel”. ---
**Author:** ![MsWhatsit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb8c5e/32.png) [@MsWhatsit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsWhatsit)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2003, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-way-to-preserve-basil/184306/8 "2003-06-25T18:52:08Z")
Honestly, the only way I’ve ever been able to preserve basil is by making it into pesto sauce and preserving THAT. Not exactly what you were looking for, I know, but basil really doesn’t keep very well. ---
**Author:** ![Stephi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecd19e/32.png) [@Stephi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stephi)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2003, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-way-to-preserve-basil/184306/9 "2003-06-25T19:08:54Z")
I guess it depends upon what you use it for. Are you putting it into sauces a lot? Then try chopping it, add a small amount of water, and freeze it in ice cube trays. This makes nice little portions. The water will keep it from going too dark, but it will still be discoloured a little. If you’re putting it on pizza a lot, you could pack it in oil. Take some extra virgin olive oil and pack those leaves in. This is good for adding it to pizza, tomatoes, etc. But really, nothing beats the taste of fresh basil, except maybe fresh coriander. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Zenster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/cdc98d/32.png) [@Zenster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zenster)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2003, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-way-to-preserve-basil/184306/10 "2003-06-25T19:13:36Z")
As **Dogzilla** said, consider making a basil infused oil or a large batch of pesto, as the sauce tends to freeze quite well. Let me know if you’d like some recipes posted here. Personally, I’d go with the pesto. _Ricotta ravioli con pesto_ is one of the most delightful dishes on earth. Make the sauce in small batches to refine your technique. ---
**Author:** ![teela\_brown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d9b06d/32.png) [@teela\_brown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teela_brown)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2003, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-way-to-preserve-basil/184306/11 "2003-06-25T20:39:24Z")
Thanks for all the suggestions, everyone, _Fawlty Towers_ fans included. After reading your advice and Googling a bit more, this is what I believe I’ll try. Chop basil finely and add just enough olive oil to form a thickish paste. Freeze it in blobs in an ice cube tray and toss the cubes together in a ziploc bag and keep them in the freezer. I’ll try it on my first couple of plants, which will be sacrificed in the name of research. In a couple of weeks, I’ll thaw out the cubes and report back here to let you know how they taste. The pesto idea is good, but I often use basil in lighter preparations, like to season grilled fish or to mix with mashed garlic and butter to make garlic toast. We’ll see how this approach works. ---
**Author:** ![j.c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/73ab20/32.png) [@j.c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/j.c)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2003, 6:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-way-to-preserve-basil/184306/12 "2003-06-26T06:54:58Z")
Frozen basil will not be pretty green, but there won’t be much of a taste problem. If you want it on the lighter side, you could try doing the frozen paste thing with clarified butter.