Basil
About Me: Basil is an annual culinary herb. There are many varieties of basil and at Catena Farm some that we grow are genovese, amethyst, cardinal, and Thai basil. Genovese is the standard basil flavour and what people use to make pesto. Amethyst basil is a purple colour and is very similar to Genovese but a little bit more earthy in flavour. We recommend cooking it in a dish. Thai basil has a lovely anise flavour and is awesome in Thai soups. Cardinal basil is similar to Thai basil but with thicker, bigger leaves and gorgeous purple stems. Basil is most commonly used fresh in recipes often added at the last moment, as cooking quickly destroys the flavour.
To store: For short-term storage, stand upright in a container with an inch of water. Then cover the herbs loosely with a plastic bag and leave on the counter. Unlike other herbs, basil does best at room temperature. Use fresh within a few days.
To freeze: To freeze basil use a food processor to pulse the fresh basil leaves with olive oil. Use 1 tablespoon of olive oil per 1 cup of basil and add to ice cube trays to freeze. You can also easily make it into a pesto or dip and freeze it for later months.
Recipes: