# Basil Pesto, fridge life



## giggler (Apr 14, 2018)

How long does a store bought tub of pesto last in the fridge?

1 month? is mine still good?

I am craving Tomato Basil Cream soup. but the cool weather this year killed my Basil plant.

will Tomato soup plus small spoon of Pesto suffice?

Eric, Austin Tx.


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## GotGarlic (Apr 14, 2018)

Is there a use-by date on the container? A month seems like a long time to me. You can use it to make pesto pasta. We had that the other night for dinner. It's delicious


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## blissful (Apr 14, 2018)

If it turns green with mold, it is bad. (yeah, how would you know?)


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## Andy M. (Apr 14, 2018)

It may be safe as it's store bought, but oil and garlic can be a dangerous combination if kept for extended periods.


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## Kayelle (Apr 14, 2018)

I don't know about a refrigerated tub of pesto from the grocery. However, I keep a small jar of Trader Joe's Basil Pesto in the door of my fridge and expect it to keep as well as any other condiment.


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## caseydog (Apr 14, 2018)

I'm also thinking that air exposure matters. I buy pesto in a squeeze tube. Same with tomato paste and garlic paste. With a squeeze tube the exposure to air is minimal -- basically at the tip of the tube. 

A squeeze tube also minimizes the opportunity for bacteria to get into the contents. 

Like KL, I treat it like the rest of my condiments. 

CD


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## tenspeed (Apr 14, 2018)

Kayelle said:


> I don't know about a refrigerated tub of pesto from the grocery. However, I keep a small jar of Trader Joe's Basil Pesto in the door of my fridge and expect it to keep as well as any other condiment.


TJ's sells shelf stable pesto in a jar.  The stuff in the refrigerated tub is different.  I have an unopened tub in the fridge.  It has a use by date.


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## di reston (Apr 16, 2018)

Most people where we are in North West Italy make their own Pesto - it's a speciality in Liguria (Western coast line). The best basil I've ever had is from there. Having said that, there seem to have been several occasions on DC where people have questioned how long the keeping time is, and the same on It.Hobby. Cucina, the cookery newsgroup I subscribe to in Italy. There was a thread on one occasion when subscribers debated this topic, and I posted items of that debate on to you. The view taken was once the jar was open, use it, don't keep made or bought pesto for too long because of the risk of botulism, so prepare your basil and freeze it when it's in season, and when it comes to serving it, add the cheeses (Parmesan and pecorino romano) when you serve it. Otherwise, make it absolutely fresh the day you want to serve it.
It works every time. You may be able to find the thread, but I wouldn't, because I'm lousy on the computer!

di reston

Enough is never as good as a feast   Oscar Wilde


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