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Freezing Basil
Good morning:
I also grow a lot of basil every year -- it is one of my favorite herbs. And I, too, find dried basil to be a disappointment.
For many years now I have been making a puree of basil and olive oil (the beginnings of pesto) and freezing this slurry in plastic ice cube trays. After a week or so, the cubes can be removed and individually wrapped in plastic wrap and stored in plastic food storage bags (freezer grade) for months on end.
Each cube is about 2 tablespoons of basil puree. If I am making soup or stew I add a cube or two as-is, right from the freezer. When I want pesto, I thaw a few cubes and run them through the food processor with fresh garlic and nuts (sometimes pine nuts but honestly, we like pecans and English walnuts just as well and they are a lot less expensive). I fold in cheese manually, at the end, and season with salt and a dash of cayenne (just a dash; it doesn't make the pesto hot, but it does "pick up" the flavor.
Other herbs can be frozen this way too. Rosemary comes to mind as one that does NOT fare well in the freezer; it develops a strong "off" flavor. And recently, I have begun freezing herbs like chives, tarragon, dillweed and marjoram (choose one) in unsalted butter. I just fold the minced fresh herb into softened butter and then freeze it in ice cube trays, too. The herb butter can be thawed to use in cooking or as a spread for bread.
For my money, freezing is preferable to drying in most cases.
Hope this is helpful; I do a lot of lurking/learning about wild foods as I have very little hands on experience with them, but I do by golly, know my culinary herbs!
Fondly,
SaraAnneC