Freezedry Harvest
Ingredient · Basil
Organic basil, freeze dried
and cut into chopped flakes.
FD Harvest supplies certified organic freeze-dried basil (Ocimum basilicum) as chopped flakes, grown on our own farms at Lake Naivasha and in the dryers the day it is picked. It is USDA and EU Organic, certified by Ecocert. Free samples ship with a spec sheet, and there is no minimum order.
01 — The herb
Sweet basil, grown and dried on one site.
Sweet basil, Ocimum basilicum, is the soft-leaved herb of Italian and Mediterranean cooking: pesto, tomato sauce, pizza and caprese. Its sweet, peppery, slightly clove-like aroma sits in volatile oils on the leaf, and those oils are what a basil ingredient has to keep.
We grow basil on our own farms at Lake Naivasha and harvest it all year. Each cut is graded, washed, frozen and freeze dried the same day, on one site. The crop is certified organic by Ecocert to the USDA and EU standards.
Chopped flakes are the standard cut: small, flat pieces that disperse evenly in a blend. A coarser cut, a powder or a basil blend is made to your specification.
02 — Where it goes
Where freeze-dried basil flakes are used.
A starting point for each format; your bench trial sets the final dose and timing.
| Product | When to add the basil | What the flakes do |
|---|---|---|
| Italian seasoning, pizza and pasta blends | With the other dry ingredients | Green flakes that keep their cut in the pack and release aroma in moisture or oil |
| Tomato sauces and soups | In the last minutes of cooking, or after | Rehydrate quickly; a late addition limits time at boiling |
| Instant pasta and cup meals | Dry, into the sachet or cup | Come back in the consumer's hot water, no cold chain |
| Herb breads, crackers and focaccia | With the flour at mixing | A dry ingredient that adds no water to the dough |
03 — What drying keeps
No hot air on the leaf, and an honest note on aroma.
Hot-air drying darkens basil as chlorophyll breaks down, and drives off volatile oils. Freeze drying removes the water from the frozen herb under vacuum, so the leaf stays cold and keeps more of its green color than heat-dried basil.
Published trials on basil aroma are mixed: in one group's lab trials, slow drying at room temperature lost fewer basil volatiles than freeze drying or 45 °C oven drying. Taste the flakes in your own product; that is why samples are free. The process is explained in our freeze-drying guide.
04 — Using it
How product developers work with basil flakes.
General guidance for a first trial.
- Dry blends: add the flakes as they are, and keep the blend dry.
- Wet products: the flakes rehydrate in minutes; add them late to keep the most aroma.
- Dose: dried basil is far more concentrated by weight than fresh leaf, which is mostly water. Start low and adjust at the bench.
- No-cook dips and dressings: drying is not a kill step, so agree the microbiological spec with us first. Lots are micro-tested in our own lab.
05 — Packing and samples
Packed in metalized pouches, traceable by lot.
Basil flakes go straight from the dryer into metalized pouches, each with a lot number traced to farm, plot, harvest date, dryer run and packing date. Shelf life is 3 years in sealed packaging; store cool, dry and dark, and reseal once opened.
Samples are free and shipped globally with a spec sheet. There is no minimum order.
Questions
Questions buyers ask about freeze-dried basil.
Is your freeze-dried basil organic?
Yes. FD Harvest freeze-dried basil is certified USDA and EU Organic by Ecocert; the certificate is available on request.
What cut does freeze-dried basil come in?
Chopped flakes as standard. Other cuts, basil powder and blends are made to your specification.
Does freeze-dried basil keep its aroma?
Freeze drying avoids the hot air that drives off volatile oils and keeps basil greener than heat drying. Lab trials on basil aroma are mixed, so judge a free sample in your own product.
When should I add freeze-dried basil to a sauce?
In the last minutes of cooking or after the cook. The flakes rehydrate quickly, and less time at high heat keeps more aroma.
How long does freeze-dried basil keep?
Our freeze-dried basil keeps 3 years in sealed packaging. Once opened, reseal the pouch and keep it dry.
Can I get a sample of freeze-dried basil?
Yes. Samples are free and shipped globally with a spec sheet, and there is no minimum order.
Contact us to discuss your product requirements.
Tell us what you are making and the cut you need, and we will send basil samples with a spec sheet.
Contact us