Re: [gardeners] Dehydrating Basil
George Shirley (gardeners@globalgarden.com)
Mon, 05 Oct 1998 15:51:13
At 12:32 PM 10/5/98 PDT, you wrote:
>Hi folks,
>
>Some time back I saw some posts about dehydrating stuff. It inspired
>me, so I bought a cheap Mr. Coffee dehydrator. Has anyone dehydrated
>basil before? How long do you think it should take. There are no
>specific directions for Basil or herbs for that matter. The directions
>are pretty vague though, it says something like 8 - 22 hours to
>dehydrate apples.
>
>TIA,
>Donna
>North Carolina - Zone 7
>
Donna: If I remember correctly the Mr. Coffee dehydrator doesn't have a fan
so it will take a long time to dry you basil. If you do a DejaNews search
for dehydrators and/or basil you will probably get more information than
you want. If you can't browse then I would suggest you wash the basil right
after harvesting, take the leaves off the stem, let the leaves air dry for
about 30 minutes, then put them in your dehydrator. Start it running,
rotate the trays every 30 minutes to one hour and keep an eye on them. You
want the leaves to be completely dry to avoid mold. Once dry put them in a
mason jar or other airtight container and keep them from the light, they
will last quite a while and still be good for cooking with. If you want
pesto make them into pesto and then freeze that, if you want fresh basil,
chop the leaves, freeze in ice trays, and use when needed.
George