Drying Basil

By Skeeter

The Herb Bed in my Georgia Garden would have been a flop this year if not for the Basil. The Basil has been growing like a weed all summer long. I can only use so much in a week so decided to dry some for future use in sauces, soups, etc. The first step after I clip some, is to wash it well in the sink.
I then take twist ties and twist around the stems then hang it in the Pantry where it is secured from the cats paws! It stays dark and cool in the pantry so a good place for me to dry my herbs.

Here you see some Basil that has been in the pantry for about a week drying. The Basil is growing so quickly that I am hanging a new batch each week. In this picture, you see the Fresh above the Dried Basil.
Now we are ready for the next step in preserving the herbs for later use.
We now move to the kitchen counter top with our completely dried Basil.
I remove the twist ties and reuse them on the next batch of herbs. I remove all the stems with only leaves remaining.
The last step is to crunch the Basil into small pieces and then place them into an old Basil container or jar. If you prefer, you can let the leaves remain as are and crunch up as needed to keep the flavor a bit stronger.

I have a dehydrator and use that method at times but I enjoy the scent of DRYING BASIL, in my Pantry which came from, In the Garden...