Diary 9/12/13

Back from a visit to my daughter. She has been making basil ice cubes for a few years, and got me to do so last year. Harvest the bulk of your basil stems when you know cold weather is coming or arrived, or you are just plain ready to do it! Take the leaves off the stems and puree with a little water to make a paste. Spoon into ice cube trays which you can be emptied within hours into a bag for use all winter. It is a nice amount for flavoring. We were also processing tomatoes and had a start to an Italian paste going. Not enough to can, but when added in a probably 4 parts tomato paste to 1 part basil puree, made another great cube of flavoring, or use several for a pizza.