JULY - Storing Basil

Just returned from a month of limited internet access and found this still not posted. The photos speak for themselves.  Summer is here. Time for Beet Salad, Pesto, and Fried Zucchini :-)  

August 21 addition: If you are buying, not picking your own basil, and not making pesto, you may find this advice from today's Wall Street Journal useful: "Basil is happiest when it's treated like a delicate hothouse flower. As soon as you get your bunch home, trim about ½ inch off the stems, put the basil in a glass of cold water and put a plastic bag over the setup. Leaving plenty of air around the basil leaves, tie the bag closed around the glass with twine or a rubber band and refrigerate; change the water daily. 

Encased in its greenhouse, really fresh basil will keep for five days or more. Alternatively, you can wrap the trimmed stems in a wet paper towel and store the basil in a sealed plastic bag in the refrigerator. Last time we went to the boat I trimmed the stems of the basil, put the leafy portion in a plastic bag and put the stems in container of water(didn't bother with twine or rubber band).  I left the basil in the galley while we were aboard (two days) then put the remaining basil, still in plastic and water, in the ice box while we were gone for a day. The basil was in perfect shape when we returned and for a couple more days out of the ice box until we finished eating it.

Reviewed 6/19/2017