Basil is a must-have for dishes like pizza and pasta. Harvesting this popular herb and drying it is very easy.
Plant owners should not only prepare their garden and balcony for winter in time, but also some plants in their apartment. Basil is particularly sensitive to cold, so it is worth harvesting the leaves and then drying them.
Drying basil after harvest: an accessory and air are decisive
Basil not only makes a visual difference, but also a taste difference in many dishes. If you want to do without the dried supermarket variant, you can dry the basil leaves after harvesting using an attachment.
Just as rosemary can be preserved, so can basil. To do this, simply use a string, a wire or a thin elastic band. Before drying the plant, home cooks should follow a few tips.
Drying Basil: Bundling the Leaves After Harvesting and Storing Them Properly
This includes not harvesting individual leaves from the basil, but cutting the corresponding amount from the stems using scissors. The Utopia portal recommends in this regard to only remove from the plant the quantity of stem necessary to hang it later.
It is when the basil is about to bear flowers that the taste of the homemade spice is most intense. Once the desired quantity of leaves has been removed from the plant at the stems, they must be tied together using wire, string or similar. But be careful: there must be enough free space between the rods in the bundle. Otherwise there is a risk of mold.
To avoid unintentional mold when drying the basil, the tied bouquets should then be hung upside down in a place where there is sufficient fresh air. The location offers ideal conditions if it is warm, dry and mostly dark.
Drying basil at home: a tip helps after harvest
It then takes about two weeks for the basil to be completely dry. A simple trick allows you to know if the drying of the leaves has been successful. Simply pick one of the leaves from the basil bouquet and rub it between your fingers. Once it crumbles easily, the process is complete. The basil can then be stored in a sealable jar.
