THE DIRT: Preserving your bumper crop of basil

Did you plant basil this year? I love it. It’s so fun to just snip a bit off and instantly add flavor to your dish. But the basil grows so fast and there’s no way I can use it that quickly. I did a little research and wanted to try a way to preserve my fresh basil. There are loads of options. You can make basil oil, you can freeze small amounts of basil in oil or butter, you can blanch it or you can make basil salt. I was intrigued!

To make the basil salt, you’ll want to gather your stems of basil and have Kosher or Sea Salt on hand.

Wash your basil and lay it on paper towels to dry. Cut up the leaves into smaller pieces and include some of the stems. Add 1/2 – 3/4 cup of Kosher or Sea Salt to your food processor and about 1 cup of packed fresh basil. Pulse and stir. Now, a lot of the sources say to pulse the salt until it’s fine, I opted to keep mine coarse. Once you have the desired consistency, pour the salt onto a baking sheet lined with parchment. Bake at 225 degrees for 30-40 minutes to remove all the moisture. Let cool.


While your salt is cooking make some cute tags and get your jars ready. I’m going to be making more of this salt and using it for gifts.

Pour the cooled salt into the jar and add your tag.

Sprinkle it on sliced tomatoes and drizzle some olive oil over it, use it on bread or rolls instead of garlic bread, or add it to your pasta sauce. I’m sure I’ll think of other ways to use this basil salt.

The best part is, my bumper crop of basil won’t go to waste.

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Thank you so much for stopping by.

 

P.S.

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