Fresh Basil

[proudtobefrompetal]

I have a *ton* of fresh basil growing on my porch. Now what? Can I freeze it? What do I do now? I've only used a couple of the leaves once in some homemade spaghetti sauce, but I don't want the rest to go to waste.:confused:

[TheBee]

I have a *ton* of fresh basil growing on my porch. Now what? Can I freeze it? What do I do now? I've only used a couple of the leaves once in some homemade spaghetti sauce, but I don't want the rest to go to waste.:confused:

I wish I were you! We use basil in almost everything. Have you thought about making a couple of big batches of pesto and freezing them? You can use it in a lot of stuff besides pasta (but it's great just plain on pasta too), and fresh basil is perfect for it. There are tons of recipes for pesto on the web. We use fresh basil leaves in pasta salads and soups as well (pesto minestrone is really good). I'd really just poke around online and in your cookbooks and see what you can come up with! I also love basil on veggie sandwiches--just tomato, cheese, a little mayo and some fresh basil. Really good. :) I know you can't just freeze fresh basil (it gets black and slimy and gross), but you may be able to dry it. I think I've read somewhere that you can hang bunches of herbs upside down in brown paper bags, and they'll dry well. Good luck, and I hope this helps! :)