This is probably as boring and obvious a tip as the old "stick your knife in the avocado pit and just twist it right out" chestnut, but it's new to me, and it has revolutionized my care of basil.
I love basil, and bought two big bunches at the farmer's market last weekend. The problem is, I always let the basil go too long, and end up with either A) a plastic bag full of slimy, brown sludge or B) a desiccated, sad-looking bunch forlornly laying on the refrigerator rack. It pains me to see this.
So last night, after plucking the basil leaves and washing them for bruschetta, i just laid the remainder of the still-damp leaves on a paper towel and folded them up into it, and stuck the whole lot into a plastic bag. Tonight, when I went to get basil for a perfunctory cold-cut sandwich dinner, I was delighted to find the leaves, hale and hearty, clean, plump, and ready to go. It seems the damp paper towel keeps them from getting dry, but wicks away enough moisture to keep them from getting disgusting.
Yay! I now live without the constant nagging fear that I am carelessly murdering basil!
I bought the boiled egg molds from Barletta's earlier bento box posting. Get ready to weep with excitement after the jump.
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