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 prepare greens for long-term storage. At the same time, the plant fully retains both its taste and beneficial properties, as well as its pleasant rich aroma.

Is it possible to freeze basil for the winter?

Basil can be purchased at almost any grocery store, but the freshness of the plant remains in question. On an industrial scale, it is often subjected to temporary defrosting for various reasons, after which it is frozen again. This is strictly forbidden - after repeated freezing, the greens lose all their beneficial 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 frozen greens will always be under control.

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

Rules for preparing basil for winter for freezing

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

1. Regardless of the freezing method, it is a good idea to first soak the basil leaves in water at room temperature for half an hour. At the same time, you need to add salt to the water - if there are any small insects left in the greens, 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. When frozen, basil may darken, but this will not affect the aroma or taste of the plant. This phenomenon can be avoided by blanching the leaves before freezing. To do this, they are immersed in boiling water for a few seconds.
4. To prevent the leaves from becoming covered with dark spots after harvesting for the winter, instead of blanching, you can use another remedy, namely, storing the greens in special bags for freezing. In this case, after placing the plant in the 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, place the washed basil on paper napkins or a towel until completely dry.
6. Usually only the leaves are frozen, separating them from the branches.
7. When adding frozen greens to dishes, you must immediately put the remaining material in the refrigerator to avoid premature defrosting. That is why it is recommended to place the leaves in containers in small portions.
8. It is very convenient to place 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 while cooking.

Freezing basil for the winter at home

You can freeze basil for the winter either in the form of whole leaves or in a crushed state. The plant also retains its beneficial qualities well in the form of puree.

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

• fresh;
• freezing with preliminary blanching of leaves;
• pouring seasoning with broth, water or oil;
• in the form of 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 of harvesting greens for the winter.

How to Freeze Basil Leaves Fresh

Fresh basil can be frozen according to the following scheme:

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. Place the dried seasoning on parchment paper and place it in the refrigerator or freezer for 30-40 minutes. It is important to arrange the basil so that the leaves do not touch each other - otherwise they may stick together.
3. After such preliminary freezing, the seasoning is quickly distributed into individual portioned bags or containers. It is important to do this before the basil defrosts.
4. Tightly closed containers are returned to the freezer for winter storage.

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. The washed basil is thoroughly chopped by hand or using a blender. It is important here not to chop the leaves too finely - you should not end up with mush.
2. The crushed leaves are placed in a colander or sieve, after which they are lowered into boiling water for 10 seconds. It is very important not to overcook the basil - if you keep it in water for too long, it will cook.
3. To cool the greens as quickly as possible, immediately after blanching, place a sieve or colander in a container of cold water. For better cooling, you can fill the vessel with ice cubes.
4. Spread the cooled basil in an even layer on a plate, tray or baking sheet to dry.
5. When the slices are dry, they are placed on the same surfaces in the refrigerator for initial freezing.
6. The set greens are quickly placed in containers or bags, and then returned to the freezer.

After blanching and cooling, chopped basil can also be placed in ice containers and filled with water (preferably boiled). After ice has formed 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 greens section.

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, they also use a variety of liquids that are poured over chopped basil. Whole leaves will not work in this case.

The cooking algorithm is as follows:

1. The leaves are washed in running water and dried thoroughly.
2. Dried herbs are cut using scissors or a knife, but you can also use a blender in the same way. The cutting should be large - if you put the leaves in a blender, you will get a puree.
3. When cutting by hand, the leaves are first placed in ice containers and only then filled with oil, broth or water. If you use a blender for chopping, you can add the basil already in the bowl of the device. Recommended proportions of green mass and liquid: 1:2.
4. The filled ice trays are placed in the freezer. The oil, broth or water should completely cover the seasoning.

Olive oil is most often used to freeze basil for the winter, but vegetable oil and butter can also be used. Before pouring butter over the greens, you must first melt it.

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

After this, the bag is placed on the bottom of the freezer. When the green mass freezes, you can break off neat plates from it for cooking.

Freezing Basil Puree

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

1. The leaves are carefully cut from the stems - twigs are not needed in this case. When growing basil at home, you don’t have to tear out the whole plant, but cut off only the top 10-15 cm. The rest will soon be restored.
2. The greens are thoroughly washed in cold running water, after which you can place them in a container with water at room temperature for half an hour. This is done so that the leaves are saturated with moisture.
3. After this, the basil is laid out on a towel, damp cloth, baking sheet or tray. You can gently blot the leaves with a towel - this will help them dry faster.
4. When the greens are dry, transfer them to the blender bowl, filling the container by one third or half. It is not recommended to pack 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. Additionally, olive oil will give the greens a richer flavor. Recommended oil dosage: 3-4 tbsp. l. one-third to one-half of a blender. If necessary, you can replace the oil with boiled water. The proportions remain the same.
6. The leaves are crushed to form a thick, homogeneous paste.
7. The resulting mixture is carefully poured into ice containers, after which the containers are put into the freezer.
8. If desired, after a day, you can remove the ice-set basil cubes from the molds and transfer them to a plastic bag for freezing herbs and vegetables or a container. After this, the puree is put back into the refrigerator.

The convenience of freezing greens in a puree state is that the green mass is frozen in portions. This makes the cooking process much more convenient.

Instead of ice cube trays, you can distribute the basil puree into small jars or containers. At the same time, they need to be lightly pressed and poured with a few tablespoons of vegetable oil, without stirring - the layer of oil should evenly cover the surface of the puree. This is done in order to limit air access to the 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. If all storage rules are followed, this period increases to 1 year, but no more. Yes, it will still be suitable for eating, and will even fully retain its taste and aroma, but annual basil will not bring any benefit to the body - by this time it will have lost about 90% of its nutrients.

To store basil, place it 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 prepare 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 of freezing and greenery storageso that the spice retains its beneficial qualities for as long as possible. In particular, under no circumstances should basil leaves be thawed and then re-frozen. Otherwise, storing greens is not particularly difficult.

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