Is it possible to freeze basil for the winter

Freezing fresh basil for the winter is very simple – this is one of the fastest ways to harvest greens for long-term storage. At the same time, the plant fully retains both its taste qualities and useful properties, as well as a pleasant rich aroma.

Is it possible to freeze basil for the winter

Basil can be bought at almost any grocery store, but the freshness of the plant is still in question. On an industrial scale, it is often temporarily thawed for various reasons, after which it is refrozen. It is absolutely impossible to do this – after repeated freezing, the greens lose all their useful properties.

In this regard, a logical question arises – is it possible to freeze basil for the winter on your own? The answer to this question is simple – yes, you can. At the same time, the quality of frozen greens will always be under control.

Frozen basil is used to make sauces, soups, pastas and salads.

Rules for harvesting basil for the winter for freezing

There are a number of general recommendations for freezing basil for the winter at home:

1. Regardless of the method of freezing, it is useful to pre-soak the basil leaves in water at room temperature for half an hour. At the same time, salt must be added to the water – if some small insects remain in the greenery, this measure will help get rid of them. After soaking, the greens are thoroughly washed in running water.
2. The leaves of the plant must be washed even if they have not been soaked before.
3. Frozen basil may darken, but this will not affect the aroma and taste of the plant. This phenomenon can be avoided by blanching the leaves before freezing. To do this, they are dipped in boiling water for a few seconds.
4. In order to prevent the leaves from becoming covered with dark spots after harvesting for the winter, instead of blanching, you can use another tool, namely, storing greens in special freezer bags. In this case, after placing the plant in a bag, it is important to release all the air from it. To facilitate this process, it is recommended to use ordinary drinking straws.
5. Before freezing, the washed basil is laid out on paper napkins or a towel until completely dry.
6. Usually only the leaves are frozen, separating them from the twigs.
7. When adding frozen herbs to dishes, you must immediately remove the remaining material in the refrigerator to avoid premature defrosting. That is why it is recommended to lay out the leaves in containers in small portions.
8. It is very convenient to lay out the basil for freezing for the winter in separate silicone molds or ice containers. The latter, as a rule, have a volume equal to 1 tbsp. l. This makes it much easier to determine the right amount of frozen greens during cooking.

Freezing basil for the winter at home

You can freeze basil for the winter both in the form of whole leaves and in a crushed state. Also, the plant retains its beneficial qualities well in the form of mashed potatoes.

All types of basil are suitable for freezing. There are the following methods of harvesting this plant for the winter:

• fresh;
• freezing with preliminary blanching of leaves;
• pouring seasoning with broth, water or oil;
• in the form of a puree.

In general, all these methods are very similar, with the exception of some details. Regardless of the freezing scheme, the main thing is to adhere to the basic rules for harvesting greens for the winter in the process.

How to freeze fresh basil leaves

Fresh basil can be frozen as follows:

1. The leaves are thoroughly rinsed in cold running water, and then laid out to dry on paper napkins, a baking sheet or a towel. In order to speed up this process, you can gently blot the leaves.
2. The dried seasoning is spread on parchment paper and moved for 30-40 minutes in the refrigerator, in the freezer. It is important to lay out the basil so that the leaves do not touch each other – otherwise they may stick together.
3. After this pre-freezing, the seasoning is quickly dispensed into individual portion sachets or containers. It is important to have time here before the basil thaws.
4. Tightly closed containers are returned back to the freezer for storage for the winter.

How to freeze blanched basil in the freezer

One of the most popular ways to freeze greens involves pre-blanching. Plants are harvested according to the following plan:

1. Washed basil is carefully ground by hand or with a blender. It is important here not to cut the leaves too finely – in the end, the gruel should not turn out.
2. The crushed leaves are placed in a colander or sieve, after which they are lowered for 10 seconds in boiling water. It is very important not to overcook the basil – if you keep it in the water for too long, it will boil.
3. In order for the greens to cool as quickly as possible, immediately after blanching, the sieve or colander is lowered into a container of cold water. For better cooling, you can fill the vessel with ice cubes.
4. Chilled basil is evenly distributed on a plate, tray or baking sheet to dry.
5. When the cut is dry, it is placed on the same surfaces in the refrigerator for primary freezing.
6. The seized greens are quickly laid out in containers or bags, and then returned to the freezer.

Chopped basil, after blanching and cooling, can also be decomposed into ice containers and poured with water (preferably boiled). After ice forms in the recesses, the cubes are removed from the mold and transferred to containers or plastic bags. Then they are put back in the freezer, in the department for greens.

Such cubes can be added to dishes during cooking, even without prior defrosting.

Freezing basil for the winter in vegetable oil, broth or water

To freeze this seasoning for the winter, a variety of liquids are also used, with which crushed basil is poured. Whole leaves in this case will not work.

The cooking algorithm is as follows:

1. The leaves are washed in running water and dried thoroughly.
2. Dried greens are cut with scissors or a knife, but a blender can also be used in the same way. The cut should be large – if you overexpose the leaves in a blender, you get mashed potatoes.
3. When cutting by hand, the leaves are first laid out in ice containers and only then poured with oil, broth or water. If a blender is used for grinding, you can pour the basil already in the bowl of the appliance. Recommended proportions of green mass and liquid: 1:2.
4. Place filled ice cube trays in the freezer. Oil, broth or water should completely cover the seasoning.

To freeze basil for the winter, olive oil is most often used, but vegetable and butter oils can also be used. Before pouring greens with butter, you must first melt it.

When frozen by pouring, ice containers can be replaced with airtight bags. To do this, the greens are placed in a bag, distributing it in a thin layer, and tightly closed. On a flat surface, deep grooves are pressed with a ruler, wire or wooden stick so that squares form.

After that, the package is placed on the bottom of the freezer. When the green mass freezes, it will be possible to break off neat cooking plates from it.

Freezing basil puree

In a puree-like state, the seasoning is prepared as follows:

1. The leaves are carefully cut from the stems – branches in this case are not needed. When growing basil at home, you can not pull out the whole plants, but cut off only the top 10-15 cm. The rest will soon recover.
2. The greens are thoroughly washed in cold running water, after which you can place it for half an hour in a container of water at room temperature. This is done so that the leaves are saturated with moisture.
3. After that, the basil is laid out on a towel, damp cloth, baking sheet or tray. You can gently blot the leaves with a towel – so they dry faster.
4. When the greens dry, they are transferred to the blender bowl, filling the container by one third or half. It is not recommended to clog the container too tightly.
5. Before starting the grinding procedure, the seasoning is lightly poured with olive oil with the addition of a small amount of water. This is done so that the basil does not subsequently become covered with dark spots. In addition, olive oil will give greens a richer flavor. Recommended oil dosage: 3-4 tbsp. l. one third or half of the blender. If necessary, you can replace the oil with boiled water. The proportions remain the same.
6. The leaves are crushed until a thick homogeneous slurry is formed.
7. The resulting mixture is carefully poured into ice containers, after which the containers are removed into the freezer.
8. If desired, after a day, you can remove the ice-bound basil cubes from the molds and transfer them to a plastic bag for freezing herbs and vegetables or a container. After that, the puree is put back in the refrigerator.

The convenience of freezing greens in a puree state lies in the fact that the green mass is frozen in portions. Thanks to this, the cooking process becomes much more convenient.

Instead of ice cube trays, you can divide the basil puree into small jars or containers. At the same time, they must be slightly pressed and poured with a few tablespoons of vegetable oil, without stirring – a layer of oil should evenly cover the surface of the puree. This is done in order to limit the access of air to greenery.

Then the jars or containers are hermetically sealed and put in the refrigerator.

You can learn more about the procedure for freezing basil for the winter from the video below:

Terms and conditions of storage

You can store frozen basil in the refrigerator for up to 6-8 months. Subject to all storage rules, this period increases to 1 year, but no more. Yes, it will still be edible, and even fully retain its taste and aroma, but annual basil will not bring benefits to the body – by this time it will have lost about 90% of its nutrients.

For storage, basil is placed in the freezer in the compartment for vegetables and herbs.

Conclusion

Freezing fresh basil for the winter is not at all difficult – there are many ways to harvest this plant, so finding the most convenient method for yourself is not so difficult. It is impossible to single out one as the best, since each of them has its own advantages and disadvantages. The most important thing is to follow the basic rules for freezing and storing herbs so that the spice retains its useful qualities for as long as possible. In particular, in no case should basil leaves be thawed and then re-frozen. The rest of the storage of greenery is not particularly difficult.