We pulled the basil plants out of the garden this weekend and I pulled off all the leaves, blanched them, pureed them with oil, and put them in the freezer. Most of the steps went very quickly, but taking the leaves off all the tough, overgrown stems was very time-consuming, just because there were so many. The sink was completely full of basil - in the picture they are covered in water but not floating: it's solid packed basil leaves all the way through. They pureed way (way) down so there isn't a crazy amount to store.
I'm excited that we'll have this base for pesto or seasonings in the chillier months to come!
You seem happy that they cooked down so much- I'm always sad that I did so much work for such a small amount of pesto...
ReplyDeleteI guess I started getting worried that I had way more than was reasonable for one family, but it turned out to be a very reasonable amount!
ReplyDeleteI'll have to remember this idea when the farmer's market comes back!
ReplyDeleteBethany - it pureed down sooo much, so get lots! :) I am happy to see it greening up the freezer!
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