Time to harvest the basil

So this just happened. The weather man said to gather anything left of the garden because it’s forecast to freeze tonight and not get a whole lot warmer over the course of the next week or so. The tender perennials will not survive much longer. The only think left in my garden that needed to come in was the basil, and so it did.
I had to do a smidgeon of research to find out the best way to dry it and a bit more information about the particular type of basil - columnar. It’s a more potent basil, good for stews, soups and other culinary purposes but not pesto so much. Good think I didn’t plan to make basil. :-)
My dehydrator has been loaned out for a season and oven drying seems to burn the tender leaves. So air drying it is. Cut the stalks long enough to hang by a piece of twine. Rinse them well and shake off as much excess as possible. The directions said to allow them to dry on towels for a few hours before hanging them in bunches small enough not to allow the leaves to overlap. But I didn’t have time for that, who does? So I broke out the hair dryer and blew a little heat over them. I’ll hang them before bed.
This is the first year I have decided to harvest and store my herbs for use through the winter. It won’t be the last time, God willing!
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