Basil question...

milaneyjane wrote:I just freeze my basil leaves directly in a ziplock back and take out what I need. You have about thirty seconds to chop them while they are still crisp and frozen or you can chop them thawed. Tastes garden fresh.

This is what I'm trying this year. It'll be the first year I try to preserve anything for the winter. Each weekend I pick a bunch of something or another, wash it, put it on trays to freeze overnight, and then store in my vacuum sealer bags. I've got tons of parsley, some Thai basil, some sweet basil, and I just did some sage and rosemary and scallions last night (not sure how those scallions are going to do from frozen).

I've got tons and tons of oregano - it didn't really take off until late August, but now it's completely taken over its square. I might take some ideas here and try to root a couple stems and bring some inside for the winter!

The basil in the pond gardens went to seed early in the heat and the plants died. My son, not knowing much about gardening, just pulled the dead stalks and left the squares empty. We now have half a bed of beautiful lemon basil from reseeding and a few thai basil plants.
I'm trying to catch the seeds now for next spring.
Kay

When repotting herbs for winter keeping the plant size dictates the pot size but most common herbs will work out well in a 6” pot, bigger mite be better due to root compacting but space can be a problem with big pots. My bay laurel and rosemary get 10” pots. If parsley is grown in a 10” pot that comes inside nicely too it’s long taproot makes repotting difficult. Basil will oxidize faster if damp and air exposed so I tear a 24” strip of aluminum foil then line leaves in a single layer along an edge, flip that over to cover both sides and repeat until the sheet is filled up. That is easy to spot in the freezer and takes little room, works nicely too. Use your spearmint snipped into garden salads or over fresh fruits. I cut mine down in branches than hang bundles to dry believing the essential oils from the stems will flow down into the leaves for stronger flavor best that way.