how do you keep it if you can't use it all up? is freezing a possibility or does it turn black that way? someone said to add a vitamin C tablet in there when making so keep the color but that sounds weird to me.
i thought about lemons, but i have so many nicks and cuts on my hands that i was afraid. ouchie!
I will keep this batch in the frig until we finish it, I predict it will last maybe two weeks, maybe less. It does not turn black, although the top layer will turn a darker green, does not seem to be a problem, I scrape that layer off first when using the pesto. Yes, I freeze this pesto, right away when I make a batch for the freezer. I line a cookie sheet with waxed paper, dollop on about 1/2 cup blobs, and freeze. When frozen, I roll up pesto in the waxed paper and store the whole unit in freezer bags. I freeze between one and two gallons of pesto in a good season. Nope, I do not add vit c or anything else. But I do add the parmesan cheese when I make the pesto and freeze it with the cheese in it.
The color change is just oxidation - I mix it in the next time I use it. You can also pour a thin layer of olive oil over the top, to prevent air from getting to the basil and causing the color change.
I made sandwiches and pesto pasta for lunch yesterday from pesto I had frozen last fall. Delish! I thawed it on the counter, added evoo and some fresh Parm (had already added the cheese when I made it, just wanted some more), mixed it with rotini and topped it with chopped tomatoes. I used some of the pesto as a sandwich spread on a toasted baguette with sliced grilled chicken, roasted yellow peppers, pepper Jack cheese and romaine.
i thought about lemons, but i have so many nicks and cuts on my hands that i was afraid. ouchie!