From blocking a shawl to freezing basil

This morning as I watered the plants on the back deck, I noticed the pot of basil was getting a bit out of hand.

I love basil. Love, love, love it. Can't get enough of its fragrance.

I didn't want this healthy batch of fresh basil to go to waste, since we can't consume all of it daily, even if we added it to everything from breakfast cereal to end-of-evening popcorn.

So I decided to cut it back and freeze some for winter use.

I pulled all the leaves off the stems and threw the stems into the compost bucket.

Next I washed and spun the leaves in the salad spinner.

Out came my food processor, which I seem to use about twice a year, tops.

After assembling it (and for once I remembered how to do it correctly at the first attempt), I put in the basil leaves, added a little olive oil, and let 'er spin for just a couple of seconds.

The most challenging step came next: Finding the ice cube trays. We replaced our fridge last December, and the new one has its own ice cube maker. I knew I'd saved the trays from the old fridge, but where had I put them?????

Ken got into the act at this point and helped me search.

Ah-ha! In the pantry, just where they should be.

I put the processed basil, not too thoroughly chopped, into the...uh...five little ice cube compartments.

Yes, that's all I got for my efforts: five measly cubes of basil. But I'll freeze them in the ice cube tray, then pop them out into a freezer bag, and use them in various recipes this winter.

(My hands smell like fresh basil. Wonderful fragrance!)