The Pleasures Of Growing Basil At Home

Basil is one of the most popular culinary herbs to be found in many kitchens. If it is a particular favorite herb of yours, you will benefit greatly from growing basil in your garden or on your kitchen window sill. A couple of plants will be sufficient to supply you with enough leaves to add delicious flavoring to sauces and savory dishes.

The warm, aromatic, spicy flavor of basil, and the deep green color, complements many dishes, but particularly, tomatoes extremely well. It can be served fresh in salads or added to a rich tomato sauce for pasta and sausages.

If you like Italian food, for example, you definitely know the savory pesto sauce which is often served with pasta. Pesto is made by grinding the following ingredients together: basil, pine kernels, parmesan cheese, olive oil and garlic to make the well-known thick, flavorsome, green sauce.

When cooking with basil it is important to remember that, even though basil has such a distinctive taste, long cooking periods weakens it. To prevent this from happening be sure to add the basil only towards the end of the cooking process. Stronger flavored herbs may overpower the taste of basil, but rosemary and oregano complement it.

Growing basil is easy in a warm climate and a sunny, sheltered spot. Ideally you want it close to your kitchen so growing basil in a pot close by or on your patio or terrace would enable you to pick some leaves whenever needed. The basil plant needs to be watered often and its soil needs to dry out between watering.

The basil plant grows well in a container in well-drained and fertilized soil. As it is an annual plant, you may move it indoors to a warm, sunny spot when the first signs of autumn and the cold comes and prolong its life somewhat. Afterwards, you may make new sowings from seeds, or seedlings, in pots indoors for a permanent supply of this useful herb.

Basil needs to be pruned regularly, but if you harvest it constantly by picking the top, new leaves you will encourage a more vigorous, sideways growth. If it isn’t pruned, the basil plant will grow into a tall, thin plant with few leaves. A healthy basil plant can grow up to two feet or more.

Sweet basil, or the Genovese type, is the most widely grown variety for its distinctive, authentic flavor. Purple basil is not commonly known but makes a flavorful vinegar and is used in Asian cooking. In summer the plant bears fragrant white or lavender flowers that has a smell of cinnamon, lemon or anise depending on the variety of basil. In India, where it is made into a tea, the medicinal properties of basil tulsi is highly regarded to the extent that it is termed ‘holy’ basil.

Even though basil is not high on the list of medicinal herbs, it is said to aid conditions such as: digestion, flatulence, headaches, anxiety, vomiting and cramps, memory improvement, helps to fight colds, reduces cholesterol and has antiseptic qualities.

Preserving basil can be less than satisfactory as the fresh form is considered the best. If you have an abundance of fresh leaves and you would like to dry them, you would be advised to dry them the old-fashioned way by pressing the leaves between layers of paper towels inside heavy books for a couple of weeks. This method is preferred over slow drying the leaves in a cool oven.

Another good method of storing basil is to puree the leaves and freezing the puree in ice cubes. The frozen basil cubes can then be dropped straight into your cooking pot. And the last method of storing basil simply involves harvesting the whole stem of the plant with the leaves on, placing the stems in a glass of water, covering them with a plastic bag and then refrigerating them. This way you can use the leaves for quite a while.

I hope the above information has given you some ideas and incentives for growing basil for your own use and enjoyment.