How to Harvest Basil & Keep It Fresh
Dried basil should be illegal. It has no flavor. It has no texture. And it is a very sad substitute for fresh basil, which is so tasty and easy to grow! A single basil plant can yield 12 or more cups of leaves in a single season. So what’s the secret to getting the most out of your basil? Eat a lot of it! The more your harvest the more your plants will produce!
Pinch Right Above the Little Leaves
When harvesting basil, it’s best to pinch off a piece of the stem rather than just snipping off a leaf or two. Before you make your pinch, take a close look at your basil plant. Basil leaves grow in sets of two and the leaves are positioned exactly opposite from each other on the stem. If you examine the point where the leaves meet the stem, you should see two sets of tiny leaves growing out of the junction. When you’re harvesting, it’s important to make your pinch directly above a set of leaves. Why? By taking off the lead stem, you send a signal to the tiny leaves that it is time for them to grow into branches.
Keep Fresh Basil in Water
After you’ve harvested your basil, don’t stick in the fridge. The leaves quickly turn black and slimy when refrigerated and lose their signature spicy sweet flavor. To keep my basil fresh, I put it into a short, stout vase of water and keep it out of direct sunlight. The basil tends to droop at first, but after about 12 hours it perks right up. I change the water every other day and use the leaves as I need them. I like to keep the vase on my desk, because it makes my whole office smell like basil!
The basil will stay fresh in the jar for a week or more. In fact, if you leave the stems in water they will eventually root and you can replant them in a pot or out in the garden!
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July 31st, 2008 at 7:03 amI was heading down the coast to our beach house and noticed my basil needed picking. I picked off all the tops and put them in a plastic bag leaving it oven so they could vent, but still keep moisture inside. I had alot and used some each day. Do you know by the end of the week what was left in the back looked like I had just picked it. It was never in the fridge and never in water, just lightly moist. I put the basil in salads in pasta, but when I asked the kids if I should put it in pancakes they thought I was crazy!
July 31st, 2008 at 9:26 amHere at Barnyard gardens we grow greenhouse basil and have a lot of extra laying around. We have had good luck drying our extra basil here and there We simply put it in a large paper shopping bag in a dry but not too hot of a spot (not too much in a bag at once). We fold the top of the bag shut and once a day (or so) we open it up and give the bag a shake and rustle the basil about. The dried basil has an intense fresh flavor for our pasta dishes in the winter. We don’t do a ton like this because we process quite a bit of basil in oil and freeze it but once in a while that dried basil is convenient and we find this method results in flavor worth doing! I have had similar luck doing this in a cardboard box but the shopping bag seems to be more convenient.
July 31st, 2008 at 1:19 pmI’ll have to try your method for drying basil. I’ve only tried store bought dried basil and have always been so disappointed with its flavor. Thanks so much for the tips on keeping basil fresh and drying it!
July 31st, 2008 at 6:38 pmYour basil looks so nice & lush! Lately, I have been harvesting mine, placing it in a Rubbermaid-type container, & freezing the leaves whole. The basil stays green. When I want to add it to a recipe, I take out the amount I want to use and literally crumble the frozen leaves into my dish.
August 1st, 2008 at 1:14 pm
August 11th, 2008 at 6:19 am