Best way to dry basil leaves?

[Anonymous]

Our plant is doing so well, we can't eat it fast enough or give it to enough neighbors. Does anyone really dry their fresh basil for later use? I see a few instructions online, but is it worth it? If so, your suggestions for how to do it would be helpful. Thanks!

[Anonymous]

rather than drying it, make pesto! It is pretty easy to make if you have a food processor or a blender and can be frozen. The basil will maintain its flavor better this way too.

[Anonymous]

I agree with the PP, don't dry them, freeze them. If you don't want to make pesto, you can also wash and dry the leaves and them stick them in a freezer bag. I did this last fall, and I had amazing flavor all winter!

[Anonymous]

Don't dry! Dried basil is flavorless. I agree on the pesto recco.

[Anonymous]

Mix basil leaves and olive oil in the food processor and then spoon it into an ice cube tray and freeze. Once they are frozen pop them out and store them in a freezer ziploc. Whenever you need basil for tomato sauce or some other recipe just drop in a cube or two. Or use lots of cubes to make pesto (by adding cheese, pine nuts, etc).

[Anonymous]

My mom used to dry it in her car.

It worked. But it stunk like cat pee.

[Anonymous]

Another rec for freezing. Either whole leaves (make sure they're dry), or pureed. That way, you preserve the oils, which is where the flavor is.

[Anonymous]

I agree, frozen is the way to go. Stack the the leaves in tightly packed piles in freezer bags. Dried basil is sort of like dried parsley...tasteless compared to fresh. The ice cube idea sounds good too.

[Anonymous]

I love dehydrating my basil- it really intensifies the flavor.