Drying basil in the microwave

Drying basil in the microwave is one way of saving some of that beautiful summer herb.

A new purple variety of basil.

We had a very large bush of Thai basil this year. After looking at a few methods of preserving, I decided to try comparing drying in the microwave with the traditional method of just hanging a bunch in the kitchen.

It took several weeks for the naturally drying method to be ready. I dried most of the rest of the basil in the microwave and ended up with two jars of about 2 to 3 cups each. Although the microwave method was a little more work, I am more satisfied with the results.

When I first took the air-dried bunch down and removed the leaves from the stems, there was a much stronger fragrance. At first glance I was disappointed that perhaps I had chosen the “wrong” method to process most of the basil.

However, imagine my delight when a day or two later I reopened the jars to do another smell test and the microwaved jars won out. I prefer both the look and smell of the “nuked” leaves. Time will tell if there is any difference when using it for cooking.

Notice the color of the “nuked” leaves on the right in the photo as compared to the air-dried leaves on the left.

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submitted by Gwen O’Neill

Gwen O’Neill has been a gardener for over 40 years and has always been a passionate cook. Her own health challenges led her to experiencing a variety of healing modalities. After finding that her health improved with eating more whole food and improving her nutrition using a real, whole food based supplement called Juice Plus, she committed to sharing this experience with others. The Tower Garden by Juice Plus makes it easy to grow produce right outside your kitchen door.