Does anyone know how to dry fresh basil leaves? and how to rehydrate them later on?

Question

i tried drying them in my food dehydrator but that didn't work...they just turned black.....thx

Answer 1

This article sums up my experiences too:

One of the most common questions to this site is "can you freeze basil?" The short answer is yes....no.  

First, the freezer

Most of the books on my shelf suggest blanching basil leaves before freezing.  This involves dipping the basil first into boiling  water for 15 seconds and then into ice water before drying on paper towels. The leaves then must be laid out flat for the freezer. Once frozen, you can transfer the basil to a container. Although it worked,I found this process tedious, time-consuming and it required too much space in the freezer initially.  The preserved basil was tasty but no substitute for fresh.

Just to see what would happen, I arranged a few nice big leaves on a plate and stuck them in the freezer. The basil emerged from the freezer with no change in shape or color but they thawed quickly, shrunk and became difficult to work with.



Cubes

My favorite way to preserve fresh basil has long been to chop it and then freeze into ice cubes. To thaw, you simply drop a few in a strainer and let the ice melt away or even just drop them frozen into a sauce or soups.  Wondering if I could improve on this in any way, I tried several ideas.

The food processor came out for the next trial. I packed leaves with some tender stems into a half-cup measure and whirled them with a quarter cup of extra-virgin olive oil. This created a nice paste that froze well and popped right out of the ice cube trays. When thawed the basil oil was excellent for whipping into a salad dressing or adding to cooked recipes.  

Submerged in oil

Another preservation method I have used in the past is basil oil. This is good for the short term but not really recommended since the risk of botulism is high.

The method is simple and I had good results during my recent experiments. Place 1/2 cup of olive oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Warm it just until you can hold your hand over the oil and feel heat. Add a 1/2 cup of torn basil leaves and remove from the heat. Allow it to return to room temperature and transfer to a squeaky clean glass jar. Store in the refrigerator for only a week or freeze it.

Packed in salt

As I combed through cookbooks and the Internet for other ideas about preserving basil, one in particular fascinated me. The Herb Society's website suggested layering basil leaves in sea salt.  I couldn't resist.

Starting in a 14-ounce plastic container with a tight fitting lid, I poured a layer of kosher salt to cover the bottom. I added a single layer of basil leaves-not overlapping-covered them with salt and continued the process until the container was full. Even months later the refrigerated leaves emerged well-preserved. They had a sort of papery texture but were hands down the closest I had come to keeping the integrity of the fresh basil. The salt doesn't take on any notable basil flavor so I have recycled it back into everyday use.  

Don't forget pesto

Pesto is one of the handiest ways to extend the basil harvest. Since you don't need much to flavor a dish, freezing it into ice cubes or tiny containers makes perfect sense.  You can keep fresh pesto in the refrigerator for a week or two. A thin layer of oil on top will keep it from discoloring. See Endless Pesto Possibilities for more on this savory subject.

Drying has a place, too

Although I didn't include drying basil in this round of testing, it is always an option. Basil will lose some of its flavor but your own freshly dried herbs are bound to be better than anything you can buy.

Harvest the leaves and arrange them on a screen, to provide air circulation, or bunch them together and hang your bouquet upside down in a dry, airy place. Make sure the basil is completely dry (otherwise the leaves will mold) before crumbling into a spice jar.  

Storage tips

  

The new trend in containers, those "reusable disposable" snap-top numbers, have become indispensable in my kitchen. The small two-ounce (1/4 cup) sized containers came in handy during all of these experiments. They perform well in the freezer, don't leak and you know exactly how much they hold.

If you choose to freeze your basil or pesto in ice cube trays, after they are frozen you can transfer the cubes into a freezer-grade storage bag.  If you freeze individual blanched leaves, you can also collect them into a storage bag once they have frozen.  

The bottom line

One thing became clear after trying all these methods for preserving basil. None really kept the leaves with a texture to use as a fresh garnish. However, they all worked for adding that wonderful taste to foods that you get when using fresh basil rather than dried. I think I will continue to depend on my reliable method of freezing chopped basil with water in the ice cubes trays. I can always add the oil later.  

Answer 2

My wife and I dry our basil by pulling whole plants and then hanging them upside down in a cool shady spot, actually in my garage. They WILL turn dark but won't blacken. They are very tender and fast drying will cause them to oxidize. That's what the blackening is. The same thing happens when you freeze them. You really can't rehydrate them,  

Answer 3

My parents dry them on a cookie sheet in the sun, but I don't know how to rehydrate them.

Answer 4

I hang mine up INDOORS OUT OF DIRECT SUN....I let them grow large enough before flowering that I cat stalks off and tie a string around them in bunches of 3 or 4 and hang upside down for a few weeks..I also keep a small fan blowing on them for circulation and to prevent mold and going black on you ..I keep it on low..just something to keep air flowing around them while they are dry..Heres pictures of mine..one with flash and the other with regular light..

http://www.flickr.com/photos/28022122@N0...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/28022122@N0...

To rehydrate stick in water..it won't be like fresh cut but this is the only way to rehydrate..use a small amount of water at a time...May I add I also take basil in a blender then chop up fine and put in ice trays that I have sprayed with a cooking non stick spray...I then take them once frozen and empty the ice cubes(basil cubes) into a gallon zip lock bag..no need for blanching and taking half the flavor away here..You can use a cube at a time here in soups, salads, pasta dishes or to make pesto...I do the same thing with my cayenne and jalepeno peppers too...