Basil Powder
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 Bunches Basil Leaves Washed and dried
- 1 Container For Gifting
Instructions
- Remove the basil leaves from the stems.2 Bunches Basil Leaves
- Place the basil leaves on the parchment-lined dehydrator trays. Do not overlap the basil leaves. If you'd like to dry the stems, place those on a separate tray as they may take longer to dry.
- Insert trays in the dehydrator and set it to 135° for 8 hours. It could take up to 12 hours, but you want to start checking at 8 hours for dryness.
- Once dried, allow to cool completely.
- Working in batches, place leaves (and stems, if using) in a grinder and process for 60-90 seconds. You should have a powder when finished.
- Sift powder through a fine-meshed strainer to remove any larger pieces. You may choose to dry the powder in the oven on the lowest setting for 1-2 hours. The choice is yours and will be based on how dry your powder is.
- Store powder in an airtight container with a desiccant.
The nutrition facts provided on this site are only an estimate and are provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. The accuracy of the nutrition facts for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed. It should not be used as a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Video
Angie’s Notes
- Basil powder pairs well with any tomato dish.
- If you prefer full leaves, simply don’t grind the leaves. If you’d rather have basil pieces, gently hand-press leaves to break them into smaller pieces.
Why I Love Basil Powder
To begin, my basil was like a forest and I knew I needed a way to preserve it – I decided to make basil powder. This was one of the best decisions I’ve made in a long time!
Basil powder packs a yummy punch and I find myself using it in many recipes I never would have thought about using it in! Secondly, basil powder allows for a longer-term storage solution so I can enjoy my garden year-round. Luckily the jars I store the powder in don’t take up too much space in my pantry.
In this week’s post, I will share uses for basil powder as well as how to gift it!
You Grew Basil, Yay, Now What?
As the garden season winds down, many gardeners are left with the question “what do I do with what’s left in my garden?” Be it tomatoes, garlic, basil, or other herbs. Most gardeners don’t want to just pull all their produce and toss it if it’s still good! That’s the situation I was in with my basil this year. I had what I call a “basil forest”, and it was time to clean out my garden.
Instead of tossing all the basil that remained in the garden (it was all totally fine), I decided to dry it out using my dehydrator. This is something I had done at the end of last season with my lettuce, nasturtium, as well as other herbs, so I was familiar with the process.
By drying and grinding my produce into powders, I found I am able to use the powders sparingly, and keep them in smaller containers as well!
Continue reading to learn how to use and gift basil powder.
Best Uses For Basil Powder And How To Gift
Anytime I have tomatoes in a dish, I now add basil powder. This powder pairs great with any tomato-based dishes, but can be used in soups, salads, etc. I think it would be awesome on a pizza, in mac & cheese, or maybe even pizza mac!
When it comes to gifting, the amount to gift will depend on how often you think the person will use the powder. Once you settle on that, you can find the correct size jar, vial, or bag to gift. For me, I was gifting a sample kit of spices I made so I kept the amounts small. I chose to gift it in small vials. When paired with a nice upcycled box, other spices, and Kahlua, this was a complete package! For those that didn’t drink, I swapped the Kahlua for hot cocoa bombs, slipper socks, or bath bombs.
How will you gift your basil powder? Let me know in the comments.
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