The best ways to keep basil for the winter at home

Basil Is a herb with a strong aroma, which adds piquancy to any dish. Plus, it contains many vitamins, essential oils, and phytoncides, making it healthy.

We will tell you in detail about the methods of harvesting and storing greens that allow you to preserve their taste, aroma and useful properties.

Selection and preparation of basil for storage for the winter

The spice is harvested twice a summer: before the beginning of the flowering period and after it, when the plant gains strength and gets stronger. Only the upper leaves are cut off, leaving the lower ones and without pulling the bushes out of the ground. Otherwise, re-harvesting will not be possible.

Reference. The more often the crops are harvested, the more shoots are formed. After flowering, the aroma of the basil diminishes.

The preliminary preparation of greens depends on which storage method is chosen. If you plan to freeze basil, water the plants in the evening so that the leaves have time to absorb moisture and become more elastic and juicy. In case of subsequent drying, no pre-watering is required.

For preparation for the winter use all parts of the plant: leaves, shoots, flowers and stems. It is important that they are healthy and strong. All dry, diseased and damaged specimens are thrown away or consumed in the near future. Greens suitable for storage are washed under running water to wash off the dirt, and then dried thoroughly.

Freezing

Freezing - the best way to prepare greens for the winter, which not only requires a minimum of time, but also allows you to preserve all the benefits of basil.

Fresh

Washed and dried leaves or whole bunches of basil are folded into a selected container and sent to the freezer. It is important that the container is airtight, easy to open and close.

Containers with tight lids, zip lock bags and cling film are ideal.

Blanched

Freezing basil has a significant disadvantage - the leaves of the plant lose color, taste and structure during such storage. To avoid this, they are blanched. In addition, blanching allows you to get rid of possible bacteria or fungi and remove excess bitterness.

For blanching, you will need two containers - with boiling water and ice water. First, the basil is placed in boiling water for 3-5 seconds, and then in cold water. After that, lay it out on parchment paper to dry.

The heat-treated and dried leaves are put into freezer containers and put into the freezer.

Important! You can't keep greens in boiling water for a long time, otherwise it will boil down.

Puree

This is a convenient way to freeze basil. The raw materials are concentrated and can be stored in portions.

It's easy to make such a puree: Leaves and stems are placed in a blender bowl, a little water is added to them and thoroughly chopped. The resulting mass is poured into molds that can withstand a long time in the cold, and placed in the freezer.

Reference. The water can be replaced with any other liquid, such as vegetable broth, vegetable oil, or even green tea.

How to dry basil for the winter

Drying allows you to preserve all the benefits and flavor of the basil. This method of preparation does not cause difficulties, and the resulting seasoning is added to the first courses and side dishes from vegetables.

On air

Natural air drying preserves the aroma of the basil as much as possible, as well as all the vitamins and minerals it contains.

A baking sheet or board is covered with parchment paper, whole or crushed leaves are spread on it and removed for 1-3 days in a warm and dry place or taken out into the street, having previously covered with gauze to protect from flies, other insects and dust.

If bunches of greens need to be dried, they are hung in a well-ventilated dry area. High humidity is the cause of raw material decay.

In the oven

Drying in the oven takes much less time than outside. However, there is a risk of overdrying the greens, which will cause the leaves to turn into dust and lose vitamins.

As when drying in air, leaves or stems are laid out in one layer on a baking sheet covered with parchment and sent to an oven heated to + 40 ... + 50 ° C for 40-60 minutes, without closing the door.

Important! If the door cannot be left open, the temperature is lowered to + 30 ° C, and the oven is ventilated every 15-20 minutes.

In an electric dryer

Leaves prepared for drying are laid out on the trays of the dryer in an even layer, the temperature is set at + 40 ° C, and the time is no more than an hour.

Reference. In an electric dryer, leaves and stems are treated separately, otherwise drying will be uneven.

Basil blanks

For the winter, greens are not only frozen or dried, but also canned. There are many recipes, so choosing the most suitable one is not difficult.

Salted basil in jars

This method of preparing basil is no different from salting dill, parsley, or other herbs. The leaves are first blanched, then covered with salt and tightly, until the juice is released, placed in pre-sterilized jars (the optimal volume is 250 or 500 ml). Then the cans are placed in a saucepan, sterilized for 15-20 minutes. and close with lids.

Pickled greens

To marinate 500 g of basil, you will need:

• salt - 50 g;
• vinegar - 50 ml;
• sugar - 70 g

Prepared leaves are finely chopped or crushed in a blender, salt, sugar and vinegar are added to them, mixed thoroughly, the resulting mass is transferred to clean sterile jars and sent for 15 minutes. in a water bath for pasteurization. After that, the jars are closed with lids, placed under a blanket until they cool completely, and then taken out into the pantry or cellar.

Basil paste

Canned pasta consists of only 3 products:

• basil - 500 g;
• olive oil - 200 ml;
• salt - 80 g.

The greens are crushed with a blender to a puree-like consistency, combined with oil and salt, mixed thoroughly, laid out in jars and covered with lids.

Reference. Pasteurized puree is stored in the cellar or pantry, unpasteurized - on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator.

Dressing with nuts

Ingredients for making a savory dressing:

• basil leaves - 300 g;
• garlic - 3 cloves;
• any nuts - 50 g;
• vegetable oil - 250 ml;
• salt to taste.

Place the nuts in a blender bowl and grind them into flour, add basil, garlic, oil and salt to them and beat everything so that a homogeneous mass is obtained. It is laid out in storage containers and placed in the refrigerator or freezer.

In oil

Thoroughly washed and dried leaves are placed in dry jars with a volume of 300-500 ml, filled with vegetable oil and covered with lids. Add a little salt if desired. Store such a blank in the refrigerator.

Basil vinegar

To make basil vinegar you will need:

• basil - 5 branches;
• table vinegar 9% - 300 ml;
• bay leaf - 1 pc.

Put clean and dry basil and bay leaves in a prepared jar, pour them with vinegar and put them in a dark place for 15-20 days. When the vinegar is infused, it is filtered through a sieve.

Basil vinegar is used as a salad dressing and for making marinades.

Terms and conditions of storage of basil harvested in different ways

The shelf life of basil depends on how it was harvested:

• frozen - up to 2 years;
• canned and dried - up to 1 year;
• salted - 3-4 months;
• blanched - 6-12 months.

Dried greens are stored in craft bags, linen bags, glass or clay containers in a dry, cool and dark place. It is advisable not to store other herbs nearby, otherwise the basil will absorb odors.

Important! Dry greens should not be stored indoors with high humidity. This leads to the appearance of mold on it.

Frozen basil is stored in the freezer, avoiding defrosting and re-freezing, and canned basil is stored along with other preparations. Opened cans are stored in the refrigerator for no more than 2-4 days.

Conclusion

There are many ways to harvest basil for the winter, and each housewife can choose the most convenient one for herself or use several at once. Dried herbs will reveal the taste and aroma in hot dishes, whole frozen leaves will complement salads and become a decoration of the dish, and sauces and pastas will become a fragrant dressing for salads or spaghetti.