It is a good idea to plant some small basil plants in your garden now. The will be ready when the tomato crops are ready. You will have fresh basil for sauces, tomato salads, tomato/fresh mozzarella/basil appetizers. I am sure that you have noticed that Basil plants reduce production and size of leaves after about 8 weeks so if you planted around Memorial Day it is time to plant more. If you have any left over check out my post on freezing herbs.
How to freeze herbs:
The first step is to rinse and pat the herbs dry with a paper towel or allow them to air dry. I’ll list the instructions for each kind of herb below. You should use the herbs promptly after removing them from the freezer.
Thyme – I usually freeze them on the stem. When I need some thyme, I simply remove the leaves by pinching them slightly and running my fingers down each sprig. If needed, I chop the thyme slightly and use it promptly.
Basil – I pull the leaves off the plant and freeze them whole. It leaves me the option to keep the leave large or to chop them into smaller pieces.
Rosemary – I usually freeze them on the stem and remove the leaves by running my fingers down the sprig. Then I chop them up before using them.
Sage – You can either freeze them on the stem or off. I like to freeze the leaves whole so I have the option to use the whole leaf.
