My (Potted) Herb Garden Runneth Over

I am not much of a gardener. Most of my house plants look aneimic, I have trouble keeping the perennials going in any of the beds outside. So why did I try to grow a vegetable garden out my front door this spring? I thought it would be fun to have closer contact with my food source? Hmmm. No, I thought it would be cheaper. I planted radishes, carrots, onions, lettuce, and beets. I had planned to add tomatoes and green beans once the weather warmed up, but the first round was such an abysmal failure that I decided to forgo the rest. (I got one side dish of beets and beet greens, several bowls of lettuce, a few scallions and not a single radish or carrot.)
     Several years ago when we first moved into our house I was optomistic enough to think I could plant our sandy hill with herbs. Herbs like well drained soil, right? Apparently not this well drained. I carved out an 8 foot square on the diagonal, put in stone crossed pathways through the middle and planted different types of herbs in each corner. Nice idea, but the herbs couldn't really be convinced to proliferate.
     This year I bought small to medium pots of herbs and transplanted them into larger clay pots for my patio. Bingo! I finally hit the gardening jackpot. Lavender, Sage, Oregano, Parsley, Mint, Dill, Rosemary and Basil. Especially Basil. I've never been able to grow enough basil to make more than one measly little batch of pesto. Until now.
     So what do you do with more herbs than you can use at one time? I have dried oregano in the oven before and I has worked pretty well, but I prefer to freeze my herbs. Frozen herbs are much more like fresh than dried herbs. Soft herbs such as parsley and cilantro can be washed, dried well ( a lettuce spinner works well here), chopped and frozen in a plastic container. When ready to use simply scrape off the desired amount with a spoon into your salsa, soup or chicken piccata and return the rest to the freezer. Hardier and woodier herbs such as sage, rosemary and oregano can be washed, dried and frozen in small baggies right on the stem. When ready to use simply use your fingers to slide the leaves off the stem; chop them and add to your recipe.
     For basil, I wash it, chop it, mix it with a little olive oil. Then I spread it about 1/4" thick on a piece of plastic cling wrap. Fold it up and freeze it flat. Once frozen you can slice off 1 tablespoon at a time for soup or sauce. If you are making pesto from frozen basil, it thaws quickly in this form, ready to be mixed with garlic, chopped nuts and Parmesan cheese.
     Easy to freeze herbs. Easy to use.