I haven't read this group since last summer. I remember that there were
warnings about the dangers of infusing olive oil with garlic and keeping
it more than a day or two due to botulism. I've also read that you can
make pesto, put it in ice cube trays, freeze and keep cubes of pesto on
hand for quick use.

Since pesto is just ingredients including garlic in olive oil, I want to
understand if there is any danger.

I have a surplus of basil right now and am looking to make & keep a lot
of pesto.

Any information would be appreciated.

Robert Love wrote:
> I haven't read this group since last summer. I remember that there were
> warnings about the dangers of infusing olive oil with garlic and keeping
> it more than a day or two due to botulism. I've also read that you can
> make pesto, put it in ice cube trays, freeze and keep cubes of pesto on
> hand for quick use.
>
> Since pesto is just ingredients including garlic in olive oil, I want to
> understand if there is any danger.
>
> I have a surplus of basil right now and am looking to make & keep a lot
> of pesto.
>
> Any information would be appreciated.


Pesto freezes extremely well. No botulism risk at all if it is kept
frozen (for years at a time), or properly refrigerated for... I dunno;
up to a week.

I have a quart of basil paste in the chest freezer (just ground up basil
with maybe a little water for processing) that's been in there about 2
years; I really ought to thaw it out and make some pesto.

Best regards,
Bob

"zxcvbob" > wrote in message
...
> Robert Love wrote:
> > I haven't read this group since last summer. I remember that there were
> > warnings about the dangers of infusing olive oil with garlic and keeping
> > it more than a day or two due to botulism. I've also read that you can
> > make pesto, put it in ice cube trays, freeze and keep cubes of pesto on
> > hand for quick use.
> >
> > Since pesto is just ingredients including garlic in olive oil, I want to
> > understand if there is any danger.
> >
> > I have a surplus of basil right now and am looking to make & keep a lot
> > of pesto.
> >
> > Any information would be appreciated.
>
>
> Pesto freezes extremely well. No botulism risk at all if it is kept
> frozen (for years at a time), or properly refrigerated for... I dunno;
> up to a week.
>
> I have a quart of basil paste in the chest freezer (just ground up basil
> with maybe a little water for processing) that's been in there about 2
> years; I really ought to thaw it out and make some pesto.
>
> Best regards,
> Bob

yep, I did this for the first time myself just a month or so ago. I read
all the threads about pesto so I thought I'd try it with all the basil I
have. Worked great in ice cube trays. Transferred the cubes to a freezer
bag. And it's pretty tasty!

Kathi

Robert Love wrote:

> I haven't read this group since last summer. I remember that there were
> warnings about the dangers of infusing olive oil with garlic and keeping
> it more than a day or two due to botulism. I've also read that you can
> make pesto, put it in ice cube trays, freeze and keep cubes of pesto on
> hand for quick use.
>
> Since pesto is just ingredients including garlic in olive oil, I want to
> understand if there is any danger.

Pretty much any oil infusion using fresh ingredients carries a risk
of botulism, not just garlic infusions. Basil oil, chive oil, what
have you. They're safe for at least a week refrigerated though. Oil
infusions with dried ingredients don't carry a risk of botulism.

Pesto can be frozen and held indefinitely. The limiting factor is
quality, not safety. I don't use the ice cube tray method. I use
small, airtight bags because I find it keeps better, but the ice
tray method works fine.

--
Reg email: RegForte (at) (that free MS email service) (dot) com

Robert Love wrote:
> I haven't read this group since last summer. I remember that there were
> warnings about the dangers of infusing olive oil with garlic and keeping
> it more than a day or two due to botulism. I've also read that you can
> make pesto, put it in ice cube trays, freeze and keep cubes of pesto on
> hand for quick use.
>
> Since pesto is just ingredients including garlic in olive oil, I want to
> understand if there is any danger.
>
> I have a surplus of basil right now and am looking to make & keep a lot
> of pesto.
>
> Any information would be appreciated.
freezing is usually safe, though perhaps not always the quality you
want, because C. botulinum spores to do grow at freezer temperatures.
Ellen

ellen wickberg wrote:
> Robert Love wrote:
>
>> I haven't read this group since last summer. I remember that there
>> were warnings about the dangers of infusing olive oil with garlic and
>> keeping it more than a day or two due to botulism. I've also read
>> that you can make pesto, put it in ice cube trays, freeze and keep
>> cubes of pesto on hand for quick use.
>>
>> Since pesto is just ingredients including garlic in olive oil, I want
>> to understand if there is any danger.
>>
>> I have a surplus of basil right now and am looking to make & keep a
>> lot of pesto.
>>
>> Any information would be appreciated.
>
> freezing is usually safe, though perhaps not always the quality you
> want, because C. botulinum spores to do grow at freezer temperatures.
> Ellen



Doncha mean "do not grow at freezer temperatures"? ;-)

-Bob

ellen wickberg wrote:
> Robert Love wrote:
>
>> I haven't read this group since last summer. I remember that there
>> were warnings about the dangers of infusing olive oil with garlic and
>> keeping it more than a day or two due to botulism. I've also read
>> that you can make pesto, put it in ice cube trays, freeze and keep
>> cubes of pesto on hand for quick use.
>>
>> Since pesto is just ingredients including garlic in olive oil, I want
>> to understand if there is any danger.
>>
>> I have a surplus of basil right now and am looking to make & keep a
>> lot of pesto.
>>
>> Any information would be appreciated.
>
> freezing is usually safe, though perhaps not always the quality you
> want, because C. botulinum spores to do grow at freezer temperatures.
> Ellen

I've been freezing pesto for years without any loss of quality or other
problems. I freeze it in vacuum sealed bags and have eaten it when it
was three years old without problems.

George

zxcvbob wrote:
> ellen wickberg wrote:
>
>> Robert Love wrote:
>>
>>> I haven't read this group since last summer. I remember that there
>>> were warnings about the dangers of infusing olive oil with garlic and
>>> keeping it more than a day or two due to botulism. I've also read
>>> that you can make pesto, put it in ice cube trays, freeze and keep
>>> cubes of pesto on hand for quick use.
>>>
>>> Since pesto is just ingredients including garlic in olive oil, I want
>>> to understand if there is any danger.
>>>
>>> I have a surplus of basil right now and am looking to make & keep a
>>> lot of pesto.
>>>
>>> Any information would be appreciated.
>>
>>
>> freezing is usually safe, though perhaps not always the quality you
>> want, because C. botulinum spores to do grow at freezer temperatures.
>> Ellen
>
>
>
>
> Doncha mean "do not grow at freezer temperatures"? ;-)
>
> -Bob
I certainly do, thanks
Ellen

In > Kathi Jones wrote:
>
> "zxcvbob" > wrote in message
> ...
>> Robert Love wrote:
>> > I haven't read this group since last summer. I remember that there
>> > were warnings about the dangers of infusing olive oil with garlic
>> > and keeping it more than a day or two due to botulism. I've also
>> > read that you can make pesto, put it in ice cube trays, freeze and
>> > keep cubes of pesto on hand for quick use.
>> >
>> > Since pesto is just ingredients including garlic in olive oil, I
>> > want to understand if there is any danger.
>> >
>> > I have a surplus of basil right now and am looking to make & keep a
>> > lot of pesto.
>> >
>> > Any information would be appreciated.
>>
>>
>> Pesto freezes extremely well. No botulism risk at all if it is kept
>> frozen (for years at a time), or properly refrigerated for... I dunno;
>> up to a week.
>>

OK, I've read all the advice and want to thank folks. The first batch
is made and in the freezer...and I've still got plenty of basil. This
year the bugs didn't get it.