Freezing basil

I grow about 3 basil plants each Summer and try to forage as many leaves as possible so we have a supply to last us all Fall, Winter, and early Spring. I plant our basil plants in pretty large ceramic pots- I like ceramic because it traps moisture much better than terra cotta and I'm wary of growing food in plastic pots (although I do that sometimes too).

The pots I use are anywhere from 5-12" across at the top. I mix potting soil with compost and plant as soon as I think we are well past our last frost.

As soon as the plants appear leggy or begin to have large leaves worth storing or using, I take out one of my favorite tools- the herb scissors. I often cut the tops off the plants to encourage bushy growth or if the plants are already bushy, I will harvest about 1 large leaf per set and take leaves from the top of the plant, not the bottom.

When I have a good amount of leaves gathered I rinse, pat dry and then use the herb scissors to shred the basil onto a paper towel. Mark a freezer bag with the name of the herb and the month I'm freezing it (you'd be surprised how quickly you forget and once things are shredded they look the same!). Then push as much air out as I can and pop in the freezer! I will repeat this process until I have enough frozen basil to last us through the colder months. I find it's easier to use if pre-shredded.