Since the growing season of basil can be quite short, freezing the fresh basil is one of the easiest ways to preserve flavor and use it all year long.

I love to plant fresh herbs every year in my garden and basil plants are one of my favorite herbs in the Summer. However, with such a short season, I wanted to find an easy way to enjoy my basil in different ways once the end of summer comes around.  Following my three favorite methods, I’ll show you how to freeze basil in olive oil for use in the Fall and middle of Winter.

Why Freeze Fresh Basil In Olive Oil?

• Locks in flavor: The olive oil traps the oils of the basil, ensuring the herb tastes fresh and fragrant when thawed. 
• Convenient portions: When frozen in ice cube trays or smaller silicone molds, you get perfectly portioned ‘fresh herb bombs’ you can drop directly into hot pans or soups.
• Stops discoloration: Freezing basil on its own causes the basil to discolor. Covering it in oil protects it from the air, keeping your basil bright and beautiful!

Ingredients needed

Fresh basil leaves
Extra-virgin olive oil

How to prepare fresh basil for freezing

Remove the leaves from the stems, then wash the leaves thoroughly and dry them completely (moisture causes ice crystals). Using a salad spinner and paper towel is the most effective and simple way to do this.

Method 1: Freezing basil leaves in olive oil – ice cube trays

Chop & fill: Finely chop the basil leaves and pack into an ice cube tray.

Add oil: Pour olive oil over the chopped basil until the leaves are completely covered.

Freeze & store: Freeze until solid (ideally overnight). Once frozen, remove the frozen olive oil cubes and store in a heavy duty freezer bag or freezer-safe container.

Method 2: Blending basil with olive oil and freezing in portions

Blending basil with olive oil before freezing creates a stunning green paste— similar to a pesto base—that preserves its flavor and texture. 

1. Remove the leaves: Remove the leaves from the stems.
2. Wash and dry: Wash the leaves thoroughly, run them through a salad spinner, and pat them down with paper towels. 
3. The ideal ratio: Use 1 tablespoon of olive oil for every 1 cup of firmly packed fresh basil leaves.
4. Puree: Place the dry basil leaves into a food processor or blender. Drizzle the oil evenly over the top based on the ratio above – pulse until the basil is finely chopped and completely coated in oil. Stop pulsing before it turns into a completely liquid puree – a little bit of texture is best. 
5. Portion: Spoon the pureed basil paste into a clean plastic or silicone ice cube tray. Fill each well about 3/4 full to leave room for expansion.
6. Seal: Pour a small drizzle of olive oil over the top of each individual cube. This creates a seal that stops the top layer from turning brown.
7. Freeze & store: Freeze until solid (ideally overnight). Once frozen, remove the frozen cubes and store in a heavy duty freezer bag. 

Method 3: Layering basil leaves with olive oil and freezing

Layering whole basil leaves with olive oil before freezing is a wonderful way to keep the basil fresh-tasting and to preserve their shape and color throughout the winter months. 

Coat & toss: Put your washed and fully dry basil leaves into a large bowl, add a small amount of extra virgin olive oil to the bowl (roughly 1-2 tablespoon of oil for every 1 cup of basil). Then toss gently with your hands until all the basil is coated.  

Layer flat: Place the oil coated leaves into a heavy-duty freezer-safe bag. Layer them evenly so they lay flat and squeeze out any extra air. Press your hands firmly over the bag to push all the trapped air out toward the opening, then seal it tightly.

Freeze flat: Lay your bag flat on a freezer shelf or sheet pan until frozen solid. This not only helps save space but is the best method to break off a piece and use exactly what you need. 

Tips for storing and using frozen basil in olive oil

Double bag it: Basils fragrance isn’t only potent when fresh, it can seep out while frozen. I recommend using a heavy duty/freezer ziplock bag, or double bagging your basil to avoid your ice and other items tasting like basil. 

Label with dates: Use a permanent marker to write the date and oil type on the container. Use the oldest batches first.

Enjoy fresh basil flavor year round – how to use

The frozen basil in olive oil cubes are one of my ultimate kitchen shortcuts, allowing you to completely skip the thaw and drop frozen shards directly into hot pans where they will melt within 30 seconds.

Break off the pieces of frozen whole leaves in oil to add to hot dishes – serving as an instant flavor base for pasta sauces, tomato sauces, stews, soups, curries, and risottos.

For restaurant style trick, use a chunk of this basil oil or a couple of cubes to de-glaze your pan after searing chicken or steak; dropping it into the hot pan lets you scrape up all those wonderful caramelized browned bits to create an instant, flavor-bomb pan sauce. These flavor bombs can easily be used in my Marry Me Chicken and Minestrone Soup recipes – along with many more.

Finally, you can easily upgrade your next batch of garlic bread by melting a cube of basil oil, mixing it with a minced clove of fresh garlic, and brushing it over your bread before toasting it. 

How long does frozen basil in olive oil last?

Proper storage keeps your frozen basils flavor fresh for 6 to 9 months – getting you through those cooler months!

How do I know if my cubes of basil are still good?

Check for:

• Freezer burn: Large ice crystals formed inside the container.
• Rancid smell: Olive oil can oxidize over time. If it smells like play-dough, crayons, or stale cardboard instead of fresh basil, the oil has gone rancid.
• Complete browning: If the leaves have turned entirely black or dark brown, the flavor will likely taste bitter or metallic.

FAQs

Recipes to use frozen basil in

• One Pot Marry Me Butter Beans (30 minute recipe!)
• Creamy One Pot Ground Turkey Pasta with Veggies
• 30 Minute One Pan Flavorful Pesto Orzo Recipe With Tomatoes

The post How to Freeze Fresh Basil in Olive Oil (3 easy ways) appeared first on Cooking in my Genes.

Not only do we have lovely Summer fruits and vegetables to enjoy, some of the Fall season favourites are starting to arrive.

So, let’s chat September recipes and a final garden update for you!

Did you grow a herb or vegetable garden this year?

If you’ve been following along with my what’s in season posts you’ll know we had both of our small container garden’s growing along with some small herb pots. We had mixed results throughout the summer, I think due to the lack of heat in the beginning. However, it was still a pretty good harvest!

Here’s what the backyard garden grew

Beets: We grew golden and striped beets, both of which I am harvesting over the next few days. I like to remove the beet greens (which you can sauté and are delicious), clean them and store them in the fridge. Beets should be good for about a month or so.

Radishes: We planted and harvested radishes twice throughout the summer. I’ll definitely grow them again because they grow fairly quick!

Carrots: FINALLY the carrots are ready! They are absolutely delicious and took the summer to grow; I will 100% grow them again.

Mesclun Lettuce Mix: This lettuce mix was a ‘cut and come again’ type which meant we had salads for daysssss throughout the summer. I love this mix because you could literally cut what you needed about every 1.5 weeks and it just kept growing back again. Towards the last week of August it was definitely done though as the lettuce leaves turned quite bitter.

Jalapeno Peppers: After many successful summers growing jalapeno peppers this time was not meant to be. The peppers took FOREVER to grow and honestly I think we have one that’s worth using. I’m going to leave them longer through September because I think we’re in for more sunny, warm weather so might as well see what happens.

Baby Kale: Another leafy green I’d definitely grow again. Sort of like the lettuce I talked about above, I was able to harvest it many times. But next year I’ll definitely sow the seeds closer together for more kale.

Tuscan Kale: I planted this too late and in the shadow of the very large broccolini plants so it really didn’t have a chance. I plan to sow these seeds earlier next year.

Broccolini: Speaking of broccolini, this was a fun experiment. I think it would have worked better had I known how tall these plants would really get. I might try them in their own planter next year so they can take up as much space as they need to grow. We did grow a few broccolini stems though!

Herbs: Our more sturdy herbs like rosemary, thyme and oregano did really well. Unfortunately the more delicate ones like cilantro, dill and parsley didn’t yield much. So, I think for next year I’ll change up where they were planted.

If you want extra info on how-to store or use fresh herbs in recipes, check out all of my tips here.

And, one of my favourite ways to make those fresh herbs last longer once harvested is to freeze them! Fill an ice cube tray half-full with washed and diced fresh herbs; then fill the rest of the way with olive oil or melted butter and freeze. Store the herby ice cubes in the freezer for the cool season. Some of my favourite combinations are:

• Parsley & Oregano in olive oil: Use this as a base when starting to sauté onions to make a tomato sauce.
• Rosemary & Thyme in olive oil: Toss on a sheet pan and warm in the oven for a few minutes. Then toss potatoes in the herb and oil mixture before roasting.
• Rosemary, Oregano & Thyme in butter: Place in the roasting pan when roasting a chicken, then as it mixes with the juices use to baste the chicken.

So with all this talk of garden vegetables and harvesting, here are some September recipes to make:

Apples: Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal Muffins

Carrots: Honey Butter Roasted Carrots & Radishes

Pears: Spiced Oatmeal with Honey Pears

Peppers: Peanut Chicken Power Bowl

Tomatoes: Quick Green Salad

Zucchini: Zucchini & Prosciutto Pizza

I’m excited to start cooking many of these recipes as we transition seasons; I’m especially looking forward to cooking allll the apple recipes! How about you!?

And if you’re looking for an easy weeknight dinner as we head back into more of a routine, my Pesto Baked Chicken is where its at. Plus, these Turkey Meatballs from Ambitious Kitchen are absolutely delish too!

Until the next cooking adventure,
Jess

The post What’s In Season – Recipes to Make in September appeared first on Cooking in my Genes.

We have another summer month to look forward to copious amounts of fresh produce. It’s hard to know what to buy and what recipes to make!

The garden is in full bloom, our vegetables are being harvested and I have August recipe inspiration to share with you.I just returned from a cross-country roadtrip to visit my family in Ontario. It was pretty neat to see alot of this beautiful country we live in. Northern Ontario especially surprised me; there were so many lakes! I was literally in heaven.

Now that we’re back home and getting into the swing of things again I’m back to cooking allll the recipes.

We came back to a VERY full backyard vegetable garden which gives me endless inspiration. In serious full-bloom right now are lettuces and kale; golden and striped beets; more radishes; and, we finally have broccolini and hot peppers coming through!

So, this weekend I made us a full garden salad with our lettuce, sliced radishes, shredded golden beets plus pumpkin seeds, feta and a red wine vinaigrette. It was so fresh and delicious! I love being able to make simple recipes with the produce right from our garden.

If you’re harvesting a lot from your garden right now, here are a couple of tips for storing your produce:

Greens: Any lettuces and kale I wash as soon as I bring into the house. Dry the lettuces (towel or salad spinner) and then store in an airtight container in the fridge. Bonus tip: Add a paper towel to the top of the container to help collect any moisture so the greens last longer.

Beets: Remove the greens (which you can wash and sauté with a little butter for an easy dish) and store the beets in a perforated plastic bag for 1-2 months. Best stored in the crisper drawer.

Herbs: With herbs like basil and parsley you can make an easy pesto to freezer for later use. For heartier herbs like rosemary or thyme, they can be dried by placing in a paper bag with a couple of holes poked in it and stored in a cool, dry place for about a week. Remove rosemary or thyme from the stems and use as dried herbs. Or, you could also wash and fully dry the herbs; then, add a mixture of the chopped herbs to a ice cube container and top with melted butter or oil. Freeze into ice cubes and save for use with roasted vegetables or roasted chicken in the future.

Speaking of produce, right now we’re getting tons of fresh peaches and berries from BC. I’m especially jazzed about the peaches because there are so many ways to enjoy them! For dessert, in a cocktail and even a savoury appetizer.

So, what else is in season? Here are some more recipes to make in August:

Blueberries – Blueberry Bliss Smoothie

Fresh Herbs – Easy Basil Pesto

Peaches – Peach Basil Wine Spritzer

Plums – Easy Plum Jam

Saskatoon Berries – Saskatoon Berry Lemon Scones

Tomatoes – Chickpea Taco Bowls

There’s much to enjoy this month and I’d say it’s time to celebrate all of the locally-grown food we have. Happy cooking!

Until the next cooking adventure,
Jess

The post What’s In Season – Recipes to Make in August appeared first on Cooking in my Genes.

Garden centres are open which has allowed me to start planning our vegetable gardens.

We got our hands on some fresh herbs that we’ve already been cooking with AND they’ll eventually get planted once it warms up just a bit more. So with that in mind, let’s chat what’s in season and May recipe inspiration!

The first gardening I really did was planting herbs each summer. I love that I can go outside and grab some parsley for the finishing touch to a recipe when I need it. Or, any other herbs for that matter!

I started small by planting a round planter of herbs each summer just like my Mom did (& still does) to this day. I find it’s the easiest way to grow them when you don’t have a lot of space too.

How to Use Fresh Herbs in Recipes

Parsley:

We use parsley as a garnish a lot. However, it’s so great mixed into fresh summer pastas – think baby tomatoes, parsley, parmesan cheese, garlic and squeeze of lemon. YUM!

Thyme:

Fresh thyme is delicious in my Sweet Potato & Cheddar Drop Biscuits. These are great for Spring weekend breakfast or brunch.

Rosemary:

Chop fresh rosemary and mix with olive oil, salt & pepper for the perfect potato ‘marinade.’ Bake chopped potatoes with this mixture at 425F for about 40-50 minutes for a crispy & delicious side.

Basil:

One word – pesto. I basically harvest all of my basil, make a batch of pesto & freeze it. Then, wait for the basil to grow back to start this process all over again! Pesto is SO versatile; I love it on pasta or in pasta salads. Also, basil is a delicious herb to use in cocktails.

Dill:

I love making my own yogurt-dill dip using fresh dill, garlic and a squeeze of lemon. Plus don’t forget pinches of salt & pepper! Delicious with salmon or on sandwiches. You could also try adding some fresh dill to this yogurt dip that goes with my parsnips fries; just limit the garlic a bit so that the dill flavour comes through!

Cilantro:

If you’re on ‘team cilantro,’ it is so fantastic for tacos and asian-inspired dishes.

In general, whether you’re buying fresh herbs from the grocery store or market or pulling them from the garden, take a little extra time when you bring them home so they last longer in the fridge.

Tips for Storing Fresh Herbs

• Soft herbs like parsley, basil, cilantro and dill have ‘soft’ stems so store them like you would fresh flowers. For parsley, cilantro and dill, cut about 1 inch off the stems, place in a jar with water, cover with a plastic produce or ziploc bag and store in the fridge. Keep in the fridge and replace the water every couple of days. These can last about 2 weeks so when ready to use, take the amount you need, wash and they’re ready!
• Basil is a bit of a tricky one as it’s very delicate. If purchased from the grocery store, it’s like grown in a greenhouse and comes already packaged. I usually leave this at room temperature and use within a couple of days. If I’m cutting basil from the garden, I’m generally going to use it right away. However, you could follow the same instructions as the soft herbs BUT leave it in the water at room temperature.
• Hard herbs like rosemary, thyme and sage store well when wrapped in a slightly damp paper towel, then wrapped in plastic and put in the fridge. They will last 1-2 weeks. My best tip for these herbs is to
• Mint is technically a hard herb because of it’s stem, however, I’ve found I can store either way mentioned above and it still does well.
• And, the best way to clean any herbs that you’re using is get a bowl of cool water and dunk the herbs in a couple times so that any dirt sinks to the bottom. Refresh the bowl with clean water before moving on to another herb.

With all of this fresh herb talk, let’s get to the recipes to make in May! Many of which feature some favourite herbs like mint & basil:

Cucumbers – Minty Cucumber Gin Spritz

Fresh Herbs – Easy Basil Pesto

Radishes – Spring Toast with Radishes, Pea Shoots & Feta

Rhubarb – Rhubarb Cake

Strawberries – Easy Strawberry Jam

Tomatoes – Roasted Tomato, Arugula & Halloumi Salad with Pesto

I hope that the Spring season reaches you wherever you are if it hasn’t already! And, that these recipes inspire you in the kitchen this season.

Until the next cooking adventure,
Jess

The post What’s In Season – Recipes to Make in May appeared first on Cooking in my Genes.