What to do with excess basil?
Can I freeze it?
Can I freeze it as a pesto?

yes but dodgy to freezing just basil.It's okay but a very weird okay. However a firm yes to Pesto. I think when I did mine (via my best mate Ms Google) I was advised not to add the Parmesan cheese before freezing

I've successfully frozen basil by chopping it up and adding just enough water to freeze it in ice cube trays. It tasted OK to me.

Ok thanks for the tips about the addition of water and omitting parmesan.

Ill get it sorted today as Ive notices bugs eating the big leaves the last couple of days.

Vanessa

I've frozen Salsa Verde recently and it defrosted really well, kept a lovely bright colour and the texture was still perfect. I just froze the leftover amount I had about 3/4 cup in a plastic container, then defrost slowly and give it a stir before using. If you have other herbs like oregano and parsley or mint you could use a mixture with your basil and make this for a change. Then just slowly defrost on the day you want it and serve over fish or chicken or whatever.

Salsa Verde is a great idea to have frozen, so many uses and I do find making larger batches a time saver.
Vanessa

I freeze chopped basil in oil and then just add to soups, stews etc...
I have made and frozen pesto in ice cube trays before. It tastes fine but does look a bit curdled.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/23/2018 11:30PM by helen.

It's been mentioned here before but the 'experts' (internet sources) say to leave the cheese out of pesto you plan to freeze, primarily because the cheese loses a lot of it's flavour and more needs to be added once it's thawed to compensate for the loss. I've always frozen it without cheese and don't recall mention of curdling in the advice but if you're adding it prior to freezing, Helen, perhaps this is another reason to exclude it.
Lynne2

That is interesting re Parmesan cheese losing its flavour in the freezer. I have frozen chunks of it before in situations when I have had too much for some reason. It hadn't occurred to me that the flavour might dissipate.