I love Thai basil, the spicy form of basil that makes curry, pad Thai, Thai basil sauce so yummy.
But fresh Thai basil is hard to find where I live. I managed to grow some for a while, but it eventually died. I could sometimes find it at an Asian market or my Saturday farmer’s market, but when COVID hit, it became impossible.
So my next approach was to order some fresh basil from Taste Pad Thai. I was nervous about ordering fresh herbs, but they arrived quickly and were absolutely healthy and gorgeous…
And there was enough to last me months. How do I make them last?
This tip on freezing and storing fresh herbs will help you preserve your favorite fresh herbs and prevent waste.
I wash the herbs and lay them out to dry on paper towels. Then I strip the leaves off the stems and stuff little bunches into ice cube trays. Each cube will hold about 2 tablespoons of fresh herbs, but this may vary depending on your ice cube trays.
Then I add water to the trays and carefully stacked them in the freezer.
Note: I have ice cube trays with covers to make stacking easier and safer.
Once frozen, I store them in a freezer bag (which I reuse; no single-use plastics!)
Besides Thai basil, I use this method with regular basil, cilantro, mint, sage, thyme, and rosemary.
When I want to use the herbs, I hold an ice cube under some running water for a few seconds to defrost, if I need to measure it out, or I toss it directly into my pot of curry, soup, or sauce.
The herbs will be wilted when defrosted but they will still pack all their flavor and nutrients.
