California Farm Best Indoor Basil Drying
Hobby Horseman @HobbyHorseman
After making pesto, and tomato basil sauce, we dry one Genovese basil plant per year indoors for herbs in winter cooking.
This plant is grown in the windowsill in the kitchen. Picked with roots and all when the first leaves begin to drop after the first cool night in the kitchen, usually November.
California Farm Best Indoor Basil Drying
After making pesto, and tomato basil sauce, we dry one Genovese basil plant per year indoors for herbs in winter cooking.
This plant is grown in the windowsill in the kitchen. Picked with roots and all when the first leaves begin to drop after the first cool night in the kitchen, usually November.
Cooking Instructions
- 1
Pull whole basil plant out of the soil, squeeze dirt out of roots. Farmers in Italy told me to pick herbs before 10 am in the morning, after the dew is off the plant and before the sun evaporates the flavor in the leaves. Rinse roots well. Dry and tie stems together, hang upside down in kitchen for two weeks.
- 2
Put any fresh dropped leaves in airtight container on top of last years dried basil leaves. Test hanging basil weekly. When leaves become brittle, strip branches and put leaves in airtight container. Check for any mold, remove moldy leaves. Dried leaves impart more flavor in cooking than fresh ones, I only use half as much.
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I teach people at the farmers market to grow small scale fruits and vegetables. My grandparents and parents taught me growing, cooking and preserving home grown fruits and vegetables, eggs, meats and fish. I got certified by the University of California Master Gardener Program in 2005. I try to bring out the original flavor of ingredients, then add layers of spices, herbs and flavorings that enhance, not distort the taste. These are the global, organic and vegan family recipes we use.
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