Bonkers for Basil

Nothing like a big bowl of freshly picked basil, it positively defines "fragrant".

My basil is growing wonderfully this year. I could say it's growing like weeds but after six years of gardening, this particular saying has lost all its appeal for me. I selected a seed pack that had a variety of basil types; regular, Thai, Vietnamese and a few others. Some look like little bushes and have smaller leaves, some are purple, all are tasty and scented beautifully. The great thing about having rabbits is that the basil never gets a chance to flower; I'm always taking the tops off to add to the rabbit greens. The plants thrive and become sturdy and bushy. The basil with the smaller leaves are perfect for the rabbits because they love to eat the stems as well as the leaves.

`

A few youngsters and a Mama enjoying basil. Mama is insisting they share.

A couple of days I ago, I figured I better harvest some for the humans before the rabbits ate it all. I love using fresh basil and it's a simple task to preserve it. I do so much drying that drying space is at a premium around here. I could freeze it on cookie sheets then bag it for later use. But I have to freeze it whole and use it whole but usually I don't want whole leaves in my sauces and stews. Thawed out whole basil no appeal at all, it fact, it's downright yucky... and slightly slimy so chopping it is not anything I want to do. I could mince it all up, add a little water and freeze it in ice cube trays. That works fine but it tends to spit and spittle when added to a hot pan. Luckily I came across an idea in one of my herb books that takes this method one step further and the result is just perfect for me. I mince up the basil in the food processor and then drizzle in olive oil as the basil spins. I add enough oil to make a runny paste. Then I freeze it in ice cube trays for a couple of days then transfer the cubes (freed from the cold confines of the trays) to a freezer bag, label it and I'm done lke dinner. When I'm frying or making sauces, stews, etc., I throw in a frozen cube for instant flavour in the pan! Tasty and simple make such a nice pairing, especially over spaghetti!

Fragrant memories of summer in the making! An ice cube tray of basiled oil ready for the freezer.