BASIL

Down our way, some of us still have a pot or two of those lovely green basil plants of summer—still enjoying the warm, sunny fall weather.  But we all know, both the fresh basil and the sunny days won’t last much longer.  Pesto was put up weeks ago—we have plenty.  So here’s an easy way to have a few whole basil leaves for soup or pasta sauce in the middle of January.   Freeze them!

Separate the leaves and spread them out on parchment paper.  Drizzle a little olive oil over the basil and toss with your hands so each leaf is covered.  Freeze the leaves flat on the paper until they’re solid—maybe overnight.  Then pack the leaves in a freezer bag—when you need some basil, just break off a few leaves and that fresh summer aroma is yours.  And did you know?  You can keep basil cuttings, roots and all, in water all winter in a sunny window.

The Kitchen Hive