Pesto from frozen basil & parsely

ryseryse_2004

11 years ago

I decided to try it last summer when I had tons of fresh parsely and basil growing. I cut it regularly, removed the stems and froze it in zip-lock bags with all the air removed. I always seem to run out of my frozen pesto in the middle of winter and decided it was worth a try to make it from frozen herbs.

Well - it worked beautifully. It is a lovely green and tastes every bit as good as when I make it from fresh leaves! (BTW, I didn't blanch the herbs - never do)

Just wanted to share my little success!

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (8)

mustangs81
11 years ago
Thanks for sharing your success!! It is appreciated as I have a lot of basil, although being in Zone 10, I usually have fresh basil. That is until I kill it; I don't have a green thumb, it's pretty sad when I can't even grow basil.
Lars
11 years ago
I have basil in my back yard right now also, and it does very well in the winter by not trying to go to seed the way it does in the summer. However, I did buy a plastic container of basil at TJ's last week-end because I wanted to make a Caprese salad with the Kumato tomatoes that they have. I ended up making a Caprese pasta salad with bow-tie pasta, and I'll bet that frozen basil would be good for this also. I'm planning to make pesto with the leftover basil and possibly freeze it.

I haven't been watering my herbs lately until Tuesday because we've been getting enough rain, and I noticed that I have a very large cilantro plant that grew from a random seed that fell when I was harvesting coriander seeds.

It's nice to know you had success with frozen basil. Mine always turns brown when I freeze it in bags, but I might try again with foodsaver bags.

Lars
Related Discussions
Basil Pesto Recipies
Q
Comments (4)
OK, here ya go! Since I just did this yesterday, I know it by heart. i have to say first though, mine is NOT low fat/low calorie. I suspect one could cut back on the olive oil, but I have not tried. And yes it can be frozen. I put mine in freezer ziplocs and try to get as much air out as possible. Then I put several in a bigger ziploc so they are double bagged. I would like to vacuum pack them, as I suspect it will work better, but my BRAND NEW vacuum sealer DOES NOT WORK! (grrrr). 2 C loosely packed basil 1/2 C olive oil 2 T pine nuts 2 garlic cloves 1 t salt Put all in blender and blend till smooth. Freeze at this step. When ready to use, add 1/2 C parmesan cheese and 1 T butter and mix. Serves 1 lb pasta. Ann
...See More
It's Pesto time!
Q
Comments (7)
I also freeze basil and olive oil, I run it through the food processor and make it thick enough to just make "dollops" on a baking sheet. Put the baking sheet in the freezer and when they are frozen I stack the "dollops" in a plastic box with waxed paper between the layers. That way I can just take out a chunk when I want it for soup and I don't have to have extra ice trays sitting around for basil season. (grin) Annie
...See More
Freezing basil & garlic to make pesto later
Q
Comments (10)
peggy, I wish you could, too! I had some sadness with my first batch of seedlings and only got a few plants in very late in the season, so I had less than usual. I even worked out a trade with my sister --- Annie's salsa for frozen pesto swap when I went to visit her 3 hours away --- but then there were some complications in my travel home and the pesto got warmed up and spoiled. So now I'm out the salsa AND have a measly basil harvest. Sigh. (It always is all or nothing with stuff, isn't it?) But I froze about four meals' worth of pesto, and four times this winter is probably as often as we really need that much pasta (or pizza crust) and olive oil. I will say I heartily recommend freezing in a non-stick muffin pan, which I tried for the first time. It was a bit easier & faster to fill than an ice-cube tray, and made little pesto "pucks" of just about the right size for a pasta meal for two (somewhere btwn 1/3 and 1/2 a cup). Carol, can you not get some nice, safe British Columbian spinach where you are? The Canadian stuff has a clean bill of health; now, most grocery stores here stock a lot from the U.S. because it comes cheaply and easily, but after the first day or two they have mostly found Canadian sources (with big signs on the doors making clear that this is the case) so we have it available again. Zabby
...See More
Red bell pepper & garlic pesto - can I can this?
Q
Comments (18)
> I'm wondering if the red wine vinegar is a factor. I'm not sure it's consistent, but most of the RWV I've seen ranges around 7% acidity. Carol, Just from my fridge... Heinz RWV 5% & Reese RWV 5%. > Last year I cut entire plants at the base and hung them upside down in the basement. aka peggy, I've known several people that make a practice of doing just that & they swear by it. Another couple pod-heads dig up entire plant including a small amt of root ball and throw into 5 gal bucket with no intention of overwintering even though they water for awhile. jt
...See More
jimster
11 years ago
I've been told that pesto freezes well if you leave out the cheese and add that when you thaw the pesto.

This is a timely topic as I just bought big Italian seed packets of basil and parsley today, 8 and 15 grams respectively. The gardening urge is getting strong.

Jim
arebella
11 years ago
Great tips! I haven't frozen pesto yet, but I'll give it a try this year.
ryseryse_2004
Original Author
11 years ago
Pesto freezes great with the parmesan included. Actually, parmesan is a cheese that freezes well alone. I freeze my pesto in ice cube trays and freeze the cubes in zip locks. For my husband and I, I use 5 cubes for a dinner.
agmss15
11 years ago
Frozen pesto is great. I have done it with and without the cheese. I freeze it in small jars with a layer of olive oil covering the pesto. I also freeze other fresh herbs this way.

At some point in my early adulthood when I came to Maine for summer visits everyone was suddenly growing huge enormous patches of basil to make freezer pesto.
Cathy_in_PA
11 years ago
Ironic, RyseRyse. I just found my basil a couple of days ago all nice and flat-packed in a freezer bag.

I blanched my basil, (no parm) and it still turned dark in the freezer. Doesn't matter -- I've been missing that smell. Gosh, I can't wait for summer tomatoes and basil!

Jim, I just bought seeds too. Not only that, I was so desperate to grow SOMETHING that I'm rooting some ginger root.

Cathy in SWPA
ryseryse_2004
Original Author
11 years ago
Try freezing basil without blanching next time. Mine turned a little dark, but the finished product was a nice green. (I use lemon juice in my recipe)

Pesto from frozen basil & parsely

Comments (8)

mustangs81

Lars

Related Discussions

jimster

arebella

ryseryse_2004
Original Author

agmss15

Cathy_in_PA

ryseryse_2004
Original Author

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

Pesto from frozen basil & parsely

Comments (8)

mustangs81

Lars

Related Discussions

jimster

arebella

ryseryse_2004Original Author

agmss15

Cathy_in_PA

ryseryse_2004Original Author

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

ryseryse_2004
Original Author

ryseryse_2004
Original Author