Save the flavor... herbs and tomatoes

Basil, A great herb and a great dog.

Basil on my windowsill

Summer Basil

Flavorful and delicious, basil is the ultimate herb. I like basil so much I had a dog named Basil. My husband used to always say the girl dog with the herb name. All summer long I have used it in soup, salads, entrees and even in cocktails (more on that in this post). I grow it from seed starting in February and transplant it to pots or to my garden. Once picked the...

Best Way To Save Basil

Put in in a jar of water on your windowsill. It doesn't get bruised or soggy this way and it makes you kitchen smell good.


You simply cannot grow too much basil. Every September I know that the lifespan of my basil will soon be over. At the first serious dip in the temperature, basil goes from green glory to withered mess. One of my gardening pals said to...

Freeze Basil in Cube of Olive Oil

After washing and thoroughly air drying my freshest leaves of basil, I sliced the leaves thinly, mixed with olive oil and spooned into an ice cube tray. After freezing, I ran the bottom of the tray under hot water (very important or they will not come out) and then popped out the cubes of basil olive oil and put them in a plastic bag. I bet this will be delicious with pasta or in salads this winter.





















My most creative foodie niece Rachael showed another great way to preserve herb flavor

Herby Cocktail Syrup

Make simple syrup using 1 cup of sugar and 1 cup of water. After you boil the mix and the sugar melts, take it off the stove and add herbs of your choice. here are some of my favorites.

• Just Rosemary, thyme or basil
• Mint and lemon or lime zest
• Ginger (knobs of ginger not the powdered stuff)

What do you do with the syrup? Use you imagination and make cocktails with it. A little rosemary syrup is great in my favorite vodka grapefruit juice drink. Any of the syrups can be mixed with soda, a squeeze of citrus and topped with a sprig of the herb.

Years ago before I grew my own tomatoes my husband would buy home grown tomatoes and preserve them in jars with fresh basil. In the winter I would open the jars and smell summer. I grew lots of tomatoes this year and one variety in particular, the Juliette, was particularly prolific. Here is how I preserved the dearth of tomatoes.

Kind of Dried Tomatoes.

I  sliced the Juliette (plumb shaped) tomatoes into quarters and spread them out on a parchment paper lined pan. I then roasted them in a convection oven at 225 degrees for about 2 hours. They were kind of dry. When cool I put some directly into a freezer bag and some in a container with olive oil. Both are frozen so I can get my home grown tomato fix this winter.
This idea came from a salad served a a local restaurant. It was a Mediterranean inspired dish with partially dried tomatoes. The flavor is intensified and the texture divine, much better than all the way dried tomatoes.

Keeping fresh flavors is a very worthwhile effort particularly when you can do it this easily!