While fall is truly my favorite season (football begins, yeah!), it is always sad to see summer come to an end. The beginning of fall means enjoying the last tomatoes from the vine and relishing the harvest of fall veggies such as Swiss chard, beets, squash and a second crop of lettuce. It is also time to think about how to preserve a few of my favorite herbs – basil and garlic.
Just like “Vegetable Gardening in the Midwest” is my bible for vegetable gardening, “Cooks Illustrated” is my bible for cooking. I cut out a few things from the April magazine so that I would remember these tips when the time came.
You can freeze garlic. Garlic is a staple in cooking for me. My husband consumes it by the bulb – yes I said “bulb” not clove. To freeze garlic, simply peel the cloves, mince or press them through a garlic press, and then place the mince in a bowl. Add enough neutral-flavored oil (not extra-virgin olive oil in case the recipe you need it for calls for something else) to coat or about 1/2 teaspoon per clove. Spoon heaping teaspoons onto a baking sheet; place the baking sheet in the freezer until the garlic is firm, then transfer the frozen portions to a freezer-safe bag or container. The frozen garlic will keep for up to a month with no loss of flavor. I am going to try freezing the portion sizes with my vacuum sealer – my guess is with vacuum sealing it will last much longer without any flavor loss.
In that same issue, there was tip about keeping pesto that beautiful, bright green color. As you know, pesto will begin to darken as soon as you press the pulse button on your food processor. Blanching – submerging the leaves in boiling water for 20-30 seconds and then immediately immersing it in ice cold water – basil before you make pesto will keep the pesto looking and tasting great for up to a week in the refrigerator. It can also be frozen to use anytime you like over winter. You can bet I am going to blanch some basil and make pesto to freeze before that first frost this fall.
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Good, bsacuee I have a container with your name on it in the fridge. I might even pair it with a nice chunk of bread