Got too many herbs??

[JohnT]

I always plant a TON of basil and other herbs. This is great for the 4 or 5 month season that I can make use of them, but what about the winter?????

During the winter, I go into "Fresh Basil Withdrawl". The price of fresh basil in the store is insane, so I suffer slowly in the cold.

Then it hit me... MAKE A FLAVOR PACK!!!

I read somewhere that you can put basil into ice-cube trays and then fill with water/freeze. It seems to me that this is WAY too little for a decent sauce.

So I harvest my basil (not too much to kill the plant, so that I can get sveral harvests over the summer). I chop it into a bowl and add oregeno, parsly, and thyme. I mix the herbs well and then load them into ziplock freezer bags. I then add water to each bag, then freeze.

The idea is, when I make sauce in the winter, I can simply peel the plastic off and toss the ice-black into the pot.

Has anyone else tried this????

 

[LittleBearGameFarm]

I make the ice cubes you were talking about and love to use basil in cooking. I usually run some basil and oregano through the food processor with a little olive oil. Then add some chicken stock to it and freeze it in ice cube trays. Once frozen, put it in zip locks. We don't make huge vats of sauce too often. Typically, tossing a couple of basil cubes in gives the sauce the great fresh basil flavor.

 

[ibglowin]

I make pesto in the fall out of mine and then just suffer through the winter or pony up the big $$$....

 

[Pumpkinman]

John,
like mike, I make a very thick pesto and then line ice cube trays with plastic wrap, I fill with the pesto and cover with plastic wrap, when frozen, I pop em out and put in a ziploc freezer bag, I can usually fill a gallon size Ziploc half way, maybe more. When cooking, take a few pesto cubes and add them to a sauce or whatever you are cooking.
We've been doing this for years......Unfortunately, this year I am basil-less.

 

[jswordy]

I had a whole bunch of herbs but then that darned plane flew over and the deputies came and pulled them all up!

 

[JohnT]

I had a whole bunch of herbs but then that darned plane flew over and the deputies came and pulled them all up!

Too funny Jim!

 

[ibglowin]

YOu gotta apply for da card Jim, then you be legit!

 

[Runningwolf]

Keep it up Jim, one more post closer to 2000. What about dehydrating them?

 

[jswordy]

Keep it up Jim, one more post closer to 2000. What about dehydrating them?

The deputies? Well, they looked pretty dehydrated after pulling up all my herbs, but they weren't getting any water from ME, the danged fools!

 

[Enologo]

Too funny LMAO!

 

[JohnT]

Jim,

You had me rolling on the floor with that one!

Seriously, I hear that dehydrated herbs loose much of their flavor.

 

[GreginND]

I am still enjoying pesto from the freezer from LAST year. This year I didn't get my garden in due to a wet muddy spring. I'm glad I have my stash.

 

[Arne]

Hey John,
Just an idea, I have not tried it, but could you make an extract out of them?? Lots of your herbs, let em sit in vodka or everclear? Arne.

 

[JohnT]

Hey John,
Just an idea, I have not tried it, but could you make an extract out of them?? Lots of your herbs, let em sit in vodka or everclear? Arne.

HMMMM. Interesting!
Need to give that a try!