Which is your best method to dry fresh sweet basil for the winter?

From:


http://www.theepicentre.com/Spices/herbs...





"To dry basil, simply take young stems and tie them loosely in bundles before hanging them in a cool, dark and dry place. The leaves may then be stripped off and stored, either in jars or (as my neighbour did, with fragrant results) in brown paper bags in a kitchen drawer. In either case, use them quickly - no dried herb is ever at its best, and the longer they are left, the poorer they will be."

Which is your best method to dry fresh sweet basil for the winter?
Rinse, pat dry and freeze in resealable plastic bags. The basil will retain more flavor this way. Also, harvest in the morning before the sun "bakes" it...oils are at their max this time of time--catch the leaves before plants go into full bloom though. This will really deplete the flavor and color.
Reply:I use a dehydrator on a very low setting for 3-5 days depending on the humidity. If it is not too humid you could just tie up small bunches and let them dry in a dark place with good air flow.
Reply:chop it up and freeze it in ice cubes. keep those in a plastic bag, and add them to recipes as needed. dried basil is pretty worthless.
Reply:I've found that hanging basil to dry (as I do the rest of my herbs) doesn't work very well. The basil just sort of wilts and falls apart. A food dehydrator works VERY well, and only takes about 24 hours or so. If you don't have a food dehydrator, get some inexpensive furnace filters and lay them flat. Spread your basil leaves out on the filters, stacking them if you need to. Bungee cord them together, then bungee cord a simple box fan to the filters. Turn the fan on for 24 hours or so, and viola - basil you can use all year long!
Reply:Unless you are using it purely for fragrance, there's little point in drying basil. Try freezing it instead.
Reply:I haven't had luck drying it. I make pesto and freeze it in plastic bags. I have also heard of freezing some in an ice cube tray with olive oil. Then when frozen, dump the cubes into a plastic bag. I have not tried this but still have quite a bit of basil so maybe I will.