Three weeks ago, I harvested basil for drying and wrote about how I tied the basil up all fancy. Here are the pretty bundles.
I tied paper bags around those bunches to catch leaves as they fell and to keep the herbs dust-free. But I didn’t have time to tie it all up. So I just dumped it into a paper bag from Albertsons Market Street.
I checked it on after one week. All looking good. Three weeks later, it was ready.
Just pull the leaves off, which is easy to do when the branches are dry.
I package the loose leaves in a plastic bag with a few holes in it to keep air circulation going, in case there are pockets of moisture that could grow mold. I crunch them up right before cooking with them. They keep for a year. I think. We always use up all the harvest before the next year’s harvest. Round two of harvesting is set for this weekend. Basil doesn’t like cool temperatures, and with our overnights dipping into the 40s, it’s time to bring in the rest of the crop.
~Debbie