Does anyone know how to keep basil from turning black?
I have tried to freeze basil, store it in oil, store it in vinegar, but it always turns black. Is there no way to keep it green?
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4 comments a “Does anyone know how to keep basil from turning black?”
put it in water and keep it in the refrigerator
To take care of fresh herbs, keep them in the coldest part of your refrigerator UNLESS it’s basil. Keep basil on the counter in a glassful of fresh water.
Basil is a favorite herb, and one of the tricks to keep it from turning black when you cut it is to take the individual leaves and stack them on top of each other, then cut them after they are rolled.
You will end up with some beautiful julienne strips that are not going to turn black and will look great on your tomato or mozzarella dishes.
I think I’ll make a fresh basil, tomato, mazzarella salad for dinner. Yum!
Don’t cut your basil with a knife… tear it instead. Don’t leave it in water because it will continue to soak up the water in it’s cells and become water logged. When you buy or pick your basil…. rinse it and dry it quickly (don’t rub it) then wrap it into a paper towel and place in a plastic baggie but don’t close it or it will cause mold. Your fresh herbs can all be kept htis way and they should last at least a week. If you want to freeze it… freeze it in a small amount of water.
All loose herbs or lettuce products are eventually going to break down…one of the least expensive and foolproof methods I’ve found is preparing them right when you get home from the grocery store. (I’m assuming you’re buying fresh herbs here.) Depending on how the basil is packaged, unroll out 3-5 sheets of paper towels. Using a spray bottle that’s clean (never had chemicals in it), mist the paper towels until moist to the touch. Sprinkle the leaves across the length of the paper towels. Then lightly roll up the towels. Do not compress them!! You don’t want to bruise the leaves, just to keep them in a highly moist environment.
What you are doing is effectively creating a “mist bed” or “propagating bed” for your herbs. This can be done with any soft-stem herb, or even lettuce. It will keep much longer.
What is happening is that the leaves have been separated from their “veins”, which is the reason they dry up and decay. By keeping them in a slightly moist environment, the leaves are able to absorb water directly through their surfaces.
Take care not to completely soak the paper towels!! You don’t want them to turn to mush now, do you?
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