Storing/shelf life of self made pesto?

[OliverB]

I often make my own pesto, quick and easy and so much better than most - if not all - store bought I've tried.

But lately I've been wondering, how long can I safely store this in the fridge? I usually end up with enough for two pasta dishes and keep the rest in the fridge (also great on sandwiches etc) but it contains raw garlic, raw basil, raw (or toasted) pine nuts and cheese of course. Raw garlic in oil ==> botulism danger?

Ok to forget in the fridge and eat a week later?

[ElainaA]

I've kept homemade pesto in the fridge for up to a week with no ill effects - but I can not speak to the scientific issues. However I usually freeze pesto. (I grow lots of basil and make a year's worth through the summer.) I don't add the cheese when freezing it . I freeze it in ice cubes trays then pop the cubes into freezer bags - that way I can thaw however much I want, mix in the cheese and its ready to go. I do have a set of ice cube trays specifically for this as it is very difficult to get all traces of pesto out.

[Paul Bacino]

Here's an article!! From CSU

http://www.ext.colostate.edu/safefood/newsltr/v2n4s08.html

paul

[Darienne]

All I can say is that I'm not telling anyone how long I have kept homemade pesto in the fridge and then eaten it. No one got sick or died...

[OliverB]

good little article, thanks!

I used to put feta cheese, raw garlic, fresh rosemary, pepper and salt into oil as a kid, let it ripen in the fridge and ate it just fine, but I won't do that anymore.

Sometimes I get a lot of basil from my inlaws and then I also freeze it.

[jrshaul]

My mother freezes loads of it - no trouble. Maybe it could be pasteurized sous vide?

A tiny amount of ascorbic acid could also be used to retain color and flavor.

[Syzygies]

I usually freeze pesto. (I grow lots of basil and make a year's worth through the summer.) I don't add the cheese when freezing it . I freeze it in ice cubes trays then pop the cubes into freezer bags

We freeze just the basil, olive oil, and some salt. Soupe au Pistou is the primary off-season application, and beside, the Provencal don't add pine nuts.

This is a perfect application of chamber vacuum bags and a $40 impulse sealer. I'm quite sure I'd do it this way even if I had a chamber vacuum machine handy; the impulse sealer is faster. Burp the air past the sealing edge, and seal. In a deep freeze these pesto pouches are indestructible.

[janeer]

I freeze it if I know I am not going to use it up quickly. But you can keep it in the fridge for a long time; it will discolor, and lose some of its brightness stir it up before using. Keep in the coldest part of the fridge possible.

[gfweb]

You can blend in blanched spinach to maintain the green color a while longer.

[huiray]

Only the top layer goes brown; it will still be (brighter) green underneath the surface layer, unless it has been around for a really long time (fridge).

I freeze the larger part of bigger batches I make - with cheese already in - in glass Ball jars. No, they've never cracked in my experience. I use a hard (or metal) spoon to scrape out what I need from a jar for subsequent times I want some pesto. I don't even really "rewarm" the scrapings - usually I'll leave it for a short while in the intended serving bowl (e.g. while boiling pasta) and they thaw out enough. Sometimes, the HOT wet pasta is dumped onto the cold still-semi-frozen pesto and the heat/moisture & tossing does the trick sufficiently and is good enough for me.