Dehydrate Basil

Basil, oregano, thyme are among the Italian seasoning flavors my family loves. If you think about it, you can find it in spaghetti, pesto, pizza, rigatoni, and many more dishes with the Italian flare. My ultimate favorite Italian dish is lasagna. All that yummy gooey cheesy goodness. Wonderfully flavored tomato sauce with all those scrumptious herbs. In my house, it makes for a family get together on a Sunday Summer afternoon. Today I’m going to dehydrate basil.

A few Facts on Basil

Basil originated in tropical areas in Central Africa and SouthWest Asia. Used worldwide. Also known as Great Basil or St. Joseph’s Wort.

Basil is a member of the mint family. It has a strong pungent sweet smell. The leaves have a flavor resembling anise. The flowers are edible.

Tomatoes are a companion plant to basil. The herb is mostly green but there are some varieties that are purplish in color. Also known as Purple Delight. Basil is sensitive to the cold. It grows best in hot, dry climates. Unfortunately, once the herb flowers, the foliage stops growing.

Cooking:

Basil should be added during the last few minutes of cooking. Cooking it too long will ruin the flavor. Basil can be refrigerated or frozen after blanching. Basil is better if used fresh. After drying it starts to lose its flavor.

It is the main ingredient in pesto sauce. Your pesto turning brown is a known problem. Blanching the basil before using or drying keeps it from turning your pesto brown.

Time to Dehydrate Basil

I bought a small bunch of fresh basil at the store.

Remove the leaves from the stems. The smaller terminal bunch of leaves can remain.  Rinse in water and allow to drain excess water out.

I am not blanching my basil. Since I am dehydrating it, it is already going to be a greenish brown color when dry.

Lay the leaves out on the tray. Making sure to leave plenty of vents for the air to flow through.

I know! I know! The stems are showing in the picture above. It was my first time drying basil. A lot of dehydrating is trial and error. I learned the hard way that if you keep the stems that it takes longer to dry.

I dehydrate at 110 degrees for 16-18 hours.

My dehydrator is a NESCO FD-60 Snack Master Express Food Dehydrator.

The basil is dry when the leaves become brittle and can be easily crumbled in your hand.

Lastly, I store the bulk portion of the herb in a mason jar for long-term storage. I only fill my spice jars with what I think I will use in the short term.

I use a Seal a Meal vacuum sealer with the Food Saver vacuum lid regular and wide mouth accessory.

When was the last time you made pesto?