I just nip off the blossoms and toss them so the plant will branch and produce more leaves. I do freeze basil and parsley come fall and I swear the frozen leaves provide a more intense flavor than the fresh. Go figure.

You can cook with them. Some restaurants do though the flavor isn't as intense.

Not two minutes ago i was looking at my basil and wondering the same. My whole plant has devloped woody stems, too. I‘ve never had that happen before. I cut mine and stuck them in a vase for now.

I wrote a response, did not save it. went to post and houzz stalled then said it would be right back. dog ate my homework.

Lars, good idea, but I need my basil so I will do an Annie D suggests. That is what youjre supposed to do with mints so that they don’t get woody. You have to do this earlier than you might think however. Once the pkant starts getting woody, it doesn make large leaves.

I often get caught.

I let my anise agastiche flower and go to seed. The hummingbird and bees like it and it self sows so I always have more the next year.

I guess I will dry the flower spikes then use for ”dried basil” seasoning. DH made some pesto last night and it came out well. He christened the new KA mini food chopper. Much faster than the old chopper — better design, more space in the work bowl and zippy fast chop then puree. We freeze the extra pesto.

PS Lars, I like that photo of the finch on the basil.

I can never keep up and have resorted to just clipping off those stalks too. I do use the tender tips of the flower stalks when cooking, discarding the tougher lower portion. When I cut basil to use, I cut an entire branch, not just leaves. I often stick the branches in water on my windowsill, and if they sprout roots, I plant them.

Woody basil stems are fine by me - those plants can last more than a year here, since it never gets too cold for them.

You can save the seeds to grow new plants - unless it's some fancy hybrid. IMPE, the lower flower stalks and spent flowers/seedheads get extremely tough - not worth saving.

your plant has bolted

But you can cut it back, and it will continue to grow.

The parakeet loves them! They make a great chew toy for him.

I used them as garnish. Strip from the stock and separate. If you have good eyes and tiny scissors most of the types I have the flowers are on a tiny stalk. You can cut the stalk which makes it easier. I have used them in salads, soups, in butter to spread or melt on things. I do cut the stalk then leave overnight before removing the individual flowers.

I did not plant spices of any sort this year. Basil/sage/cilantro are my usual. I attempted to save the inevitable excess. I would cut the leaves then lay them out on paper to dry on the ping pong table. Made the basement smell fabulous. I found their intensity in food to be minimal. My question is if you dry in a dehydrator does it seal in the flavor better? Anyone else experience what Annie said about freezing? I have heard people do this but hadn't tried it.

I grow basil on the balcony, and I use it fresh during the summer. Periodically, I make pesto and freeze it in small containers so that we can have a taste of summer during the winter months. Also, I take off leaves and freeze them to use when I make pizza or tomato sauces for pasta. I've only used the frozen leaves in cooking. My Italian grandmother grew basil on her fire escape in the Bronx, and this is my homage to her.

I usually just pinch off and toss in the garden path. Sometimes I'll put a few in a small bud vase with other flowers from the yard.

They tend to harbor tiny little bugs, so they can be problematic for using in cooking although not impossible. Stems and other less intense basil parts I tend to throw on a paper towel or tie up and dry, and then scatter in the pantry or under the sink, etc. to deter insects and give a fresh smell. Basil seeds are dead easy to harvest for next year too.

Judy, great ide that gave me an idea. The bees were all over them, so I will place the bolted fllowe stems in a vase and leave lut for the bees.

pin, when there re insects on, say, a flower, I just blow softly on the bloom. Most insects are programmed to get that CO2 means some predator, so they scram.

Like Annie, I also put my basil leaves in the freezer instead of doing pesto. I find it does nicely like that.

I've had basil plants last through the winter also, but only ones that are started later in the summer. After they get to a certain age, however, the flavor of the leaves is compromised.

I tend to buy basil plants in medium sized pots at Trader Joe's for cheap, and sometimes I repot them into somewhat larger pots, but I don't grow them in huge pots like I used to. I can buy new plants (with roots) all year, and I like to replace them, as I find the younger plants to have better flavor. I repot basil plants that I buy in the other grocery stores also and keep them outdoors, as they seem to produce more leaves in the sun.

FWIW, the basil I've been growing for a few years now came from sprigs that sprouted roots in a cup of water on my windowsill - I think it was organic from Trader Joe's. I stuck them in the water to refresh them, and didn't get to using them for a few days.

I've saved seeds and also rooted cuttings. It has nice big meaty leaves and is very vigorous.

Thanks for that reminder, Lars. I did that one September and had lots of basil all winter. Don’t ask what my electric bill was for the grow light 😉 I’m in New Em]ngland, so no outdoor growing in the winter.

As Bragu said, it bolted in the heat and I should have kept it trimmed. The summer here was HOT. I turn into a melting sack of protoplasm.

Our grocdery store now sells big bunches of fresh basil. That’s probably better than my spending the electricty to geown my own. The stuff is so perishable. I have yet to try freezing it. But, that would give me mushy leaves on the pizza, no?