We bought this tiny little sweet basil plant this spring for a few dollars. It has doubled and even tripled in size, and we’ve picked so many leaves off of it. It is delicious in pesto sauce, marinara and spaghetti sauce, soups, or other Italian dishes.
It also freezes very well, so I picked some and froze several bags.
And it just keeps reproducing! I just found this delicious pesto recipe on Julia’s blog, which would also be great for preserving basil. I’d like to try it soon.
I also have quite a bit of chicken stock in the freezer. It will be great to have on hand for cold and flu season.
And we also bought 1/4 of a grass-fed cow from a local farmer and friend.
I really love to can things, but our central air conditioner is broken (struck by lightning last week), and it would make our kitchen too hot. I was hoping to be able to can some tomatoes, as my parents have a lot of them right now, but without air conditioning I don’t think it would be bearable. It’s almost 100 degrees in my kitchen right now (seriously). I can see now why some older farmhouses had a “summer kitchen,” which would keep the main part of the house from getting so hot.
So, that’s a little bit of food preservation over the last few weeks. So much more to do!
Thanks for visiting, Coley!
From what I've read, basil is one of the best herbs for freezing. It's so easy, too!
No idea you could freeze basil. Genius!
Coley @
http://www.whatyoumakeit-coley.blogspot.com
Hi Kelly,
Thanks for suggesting the camp stove. We don't have one, but if we ever get one it would be fun to do some outside canning!
I just use regular quart-size Mason jars for freezing broth. I've found lots of them at garage sales, but you can also get them at Walmart and even the grocery store, usually. The plastic lids I get from Walmart or order from Amazon. You can also use plastic freezer containers, but I usually use glass. If you look for jars, the wide-mouth jars are recommended over the regular (narrow) mouth jars, as they aren't as likely to break in the freezer. Also, be sure to leave enough head space at the top. As the liquid expands in the freezer, it can cause the glass to shatter if there isn't enough room for expansion.
Hope that's helpful!
I was also going to suggest a camp stove for canning, my girldfriend used on this past weekend and she thought it worked out well. Question, where do you get your containers for freezing your chicken broth, are they glass or plasic? Enjoy your blog!
Sarah, how sweet you are!
I enjoyed this post, Joy! You are an inspiration. 🙂
Hi Kim~
Thanks for all the freezing ideas! I did freeze strawberry jam, strawberry puree, and whole strawberries this spring. I've also frozen grated zucchini before. But freezing diced tomatoes is something I had never thought of. Thanks again for all the ideas! 🙂
I dice tomatoes and freeze them in bags (2 cups each). I also make all of our tomato sauce that I use for pizza sauce or cooking and freeze it in old freezer containers 2 or 4cups each. I also do applesauce, pearsauce, pearjelly, pearbutter, strawberry jam, sliced zuch (zuch parm instead of chicken), along with shredded veggies that I can add to winter dishes like chilli or meatloaf to increase veggie content. I need to try canning, but have found that you can do a lot with just a freezer.
Dear Gen~
Thank you so much for visiting and for your kind words! I'm thankful if you found something useful or encouraging here. To God be the glory. 🙂 I hope you have a great weekend!
April~
Thanks!
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April
Dropped by your site via Mrs. Rabe. Love this blog and will be back often. Even though I am retired, I will certainly pass along your site to those homeschooling moms I know. You have so much useful information. I really want to a better job with organic gardening in the Sonoran Desert, Arizona which has been a challenge for me. I will be spending more time here at your site. Love the quilts on your site. Have a blessed weekend.
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Hi Karen Lynn~
Thanks so much for taking the time to comment! I'll have to try freezing the pesto…it sounds great!
Deanna~
That's a great idea! I know Sarah (From As Lilies) has canned some things outside before. We talked to a repairman who was waiting for a part to come in before he can fix our air conditioner (it's an underground heat pump). He's hopeful the part will arrive Monday and he can fix it that afternoon (I sure hope so!). Hope you are staying safe and have a nice weekend!
Joy,
Would you be able to use a camping stove or something outside to can your tomatoes? Kind of make your own Summer Kitchen….
Deanna
I have made tons of pesto this summer! Definitely worth making….and so good on pasta in the middle of winter! Love seeing your freezer processes!
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Ramona
http://create-with-joy.com
Frugal in WV~
Thanks for visiting and following!
Mona~
Thank you so much for the suggestion to freeze tomatoes. That is very helpful to know, as I've never done that before!
You can freeze tomatoes too. I cut of the top and then put the whole tomato in a freezer bag. You just pull out the tomatoes as you need them for sauces and such.
I really wish I had bought a basil plant.
I made a bunch of chicken stock which I pressure canned last week 🙂 Homemade stock is the best. Your basil looks great! New follower from the friday hop, have a great weekend! You can find me at
http://wvfrugal-wvsaver.blogspot.com/