Drying Fresh Basil
If you've grown your own fragrant basil then you need to know how to dry it. You can use fresh home-grown (or store-bought) basil in spaghetti sauces, potpourri, and other home-fragrance and cooking projects. However, if you've grown or bought more basil than you can use within a day or two, you'll want to dry the basil for future use.
One thing to know about fresh basil is that it actually keeps longer outside the refrigerator. So if you don't have time to dry your basil right away, simply store it in a plastic bag away from sunlight and moisture. When you're ready to dry your basil, you have a number of options.
An easy method you may want to try first is drying the herbs on low heat in an oven or toaster oven. To do this, cover a cookie sheet or other oven-safe container with tinfoil. Place the basil on the foil, making sure to separate the leaves and space them so that they aren't touching. Preheat the oven to its lowest setting--150 degrees is ideal--and put the sheet in the oven or toaster oven. Keep an eye on the leaves, and when they are completely dry--usually in between 4 and 8 minutes, depending on the temperature of your oven--remove the basil from heat. When the leaves have cooled, store them in an airtight container in a cool, dark, dry place--a closet is ideal.
Alternately, you can hang your basil to dry. Collect the basil leaves in bundles of about five leaves with the base of the leaves pointing up. Tie a piece of twine or string around each bundle at the base. Tie the other end of the string to a nail or clothesline indoors in a dark, dry room. This method takes longer, but the basil will dry naturally and will retain more of its fragrance and taste.
