Basil, Basil Everywhere...Except When You Need It.

Few of us always have fresh basil on hand unless we cook every single day and go through our little supermarket basil plant or clamshell before the dreaded gray starts spreading on the leaves.

But even those of us who cook often run into the basil supply flow chart: need basil --> run out and acquire basil --> use a bit of the basil --> throw out what used to be lovely basil because it wasn't used up in time --> need basil again.




Dried basil? Sorry, I've never found it adds ANY flavor.

And not everyone has room to grow his or her own basil. I certainly have tried many times but aphids are always devouring my plants. And no "safe" pest control worked for me (Neem oil, soap and water, etc.) Those were some pretty determined bugs!

Fret not, my friends. The Diva is here to make sure you never get caught with no basil on hand for your grandma's secret spaghetti sauce or your signature pesto.

The next time you find yourself with a leftover supermarket basil plant or a great, beautiful, organic, and perfectly priced clamshell from Trader Joe, do what I do and make friends with your freezer.

After you have used what you needed and don't foresee yourself needing more in the next day or two, trim the leaves of the basil plant.

Lay the leaves on a clean paper towel. Fold paper towel gently so the leaves are enclosed.

Place in a freezer Ziploc bag and label.

Voilà. The next time you need basil, reach for the bag in the freezer. CAUTION: The leaves will still be a nice green but you need to work QUICKLY. Only pull the frozen basil out of the freezer at the last second before adding it to your dish, otherwise it will wilt. Sometimes you won't even need to chop it with a super sharp knife. It will just crumble for you.

(Psst: this works REALLY well with cilantro too!. Just chop the cilantro leaves first before you proceed and you'll never have to run out to the market the next time you make your salsa...)

Yay for freezers! And YAY for mothers like mine, who gave me this tip and who is the real kitchen Diva.