September 7th, 2008 by john 
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Last summer my wife planted Basil in our garden for the first time. We sort of thought it would peter-out and be taken over by weeds. Boy were we wrong! Basil tree anyone?
That giant Basil bush produced all summer long and into the fall. We had Basil leaves coming out of our ears! We used it in everything. Stir fried veggies. Dips. Potatoes. Pasta sauces. Every combination you can think of. And yet, our Jack in the Bean Stalk Basil tree looked as if we hadn’t touched it! It was time to regroup and come up with a plan. What are we going to do with all this Basil?
Basil Balls
One of my wife’s friends suggested making Basil balls. I’m sure there are many ways of doing this, but here are the two we liked the best. And yes, we planted basil again this summer and like magic we have a giant tree again. More Basil balls on the way.
** We used a full size food processor to mix and puree the following ingredients.
** Fill the processor with Basil leaves.
INGREDIENTS
- Fresh Basil
- 2-3 Garlic cloves
- Med Onion
- Olive oil
- pepper to taste
DIRECTIONS
- Place the basil, garlic, onion and some pepper into the food processor.
- Slowly add oil while starting to puree.
- Puree on high until it reaches a pasty consistency. You may need to add more olive oil.
- Scoop out spoonfuls and place in ice trays.
- Freeze overnight.
- Place in quart size zip lock baggies.
These balls can be used all winter long to flavor meat or veggie dishes, soups and stews or just about anything you can think of.
VARIATION
We also make a batch similar to above, however, we lightly saute everything before the puree process. I personally feel this makes a much more tasty ball!
So, if you have a giant basil bush and are wondering what to do with it, wonder no further! Make Basil balls! Have another Basil idea, please share!
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{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
This is a great idea! I buy Basil leaves and usually have a lot of left-over which just wilts in the fridge and tossed out. This will save me $. Thanks for sharing.
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John reply on September 8th, 2008 10:44 pm:
Hi Babette, thanks and you’re welcome! I’m glad you found it useful.
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I am inspired! I am going to plant basil next year and try this. What chefs you two are!
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John reply on September 11th, 2008 9:23 pm:
You ought to give it a try! We were so impressed with our Basil last year that we went herb crazy this year. We planted two varieties of basil, oregano, mint, rosemary and cilantro.
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A friend had the same “problem”, and so her family ate pesto pasta almost every day that summer!
Actually, basil is a purifying and cleansing herb and is great added to fresh juices (fruit and vegetable)! Most people don’t think of basil as something that would go in juice, but give it a try. I think you’ll be surprised. Ginger basil tea is also very good in the winter.
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John reply on September 16th, 2008 7:54 am:
Thanks for bringing some of the health benefits and uses to our attention.
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Thanks for good recipe, I always buy basil, I didn’t even think of growing it, so next year I am going to plant it. Thanks for this wonderful idea.
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