Besides the familiar Sweet Basil and its several varieties, try growing
some of the less well-known basil. Lemon Basil (O. Basilicum
citriodorum) makes a small bush whose smaller, bright green leaves
have a lemon fragrance and taste. This variety came to us from Thailand.
The transplant from India where it is considered a sacred plant, Holy
Basil (O. Sanctum), will not only lend its heavy scent to your
potpourris, but it will act as a
fixative as well. O. Kilimandscharicim, also known as Camphor
basil, grows into a woody tree form and comes from Africa. It has a heavy
camphor and menthol fragrance and makes an excellent moth repellant.
There is also a basil with a wonderful cinnamon aroma (O. B.
‘Cinnamon’) and I’ve use its dried leaves to flavor a
delightful-tasting sugar cookie. Very popular is Dark Opal Basil (O. Basilicum
‘Purprascens’) with its large glossy, ruffled purple leaves that make
such a statement in the garden design; they also produce a lovely
pink-colored basil vinegar. A variety much used in Oriental cuisine is
O. Crispum called familiarly lettuce leaf basil which comes from Japan. Check
your
seed catalogues and local nurseries for the wide assortment of basil
varieties available. This year I discovered a
variety, name not known, that has variegated green-and-white leaves and is
sterile so it does not form flowers or set seed.
Basil does reasonably well as a house plant if it is not allowed to bloom
or set seed. Take Madalene Hill’s advise and take cuttings at the end of
the season to root in water. Pot them up and grow in a sunny south window
over the winter. Your plants will thrive on feedings of liquid fertilizer
in soil that is heavy with humus and well draining. Smaller-leafed
varieties are more inclined to succeed. Or, you may scatter a few seed in
a six-inch pot in July or August. If you find yourself with a window-sill
of basil plants, continue the tradition of Renaissance England and give
them as house gifts to keep the flies away.
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GROWING TIPS
Basil is an annual
that needs a rich, moist, well-drained soil of pH 6.0 and full sun.
The seeds should be planted 1/8 inch deep. When grown from
seed, start indoors and wait until all danger of frost is past
before transplanting into garden. Will grow well if some
well-rotted manure or manure compost is mixed in beforehand.
To encourage a bushy plant, keep cutting back branches every two or
three weeks, leaving at least one node with two young shoots.
Cut sprigs when flower buds form and before they have opened.
Basil can be harvested until the first frost. |
Basil can be harvested throughout the growing season. Just remember
to leave at least two leaves or a circle of leaves toward the base of each
branch to assist regrowth. Those tender tips are your first harvest.
Toss them in the green salad or chop and add to the potato salad you’re
planning for supper. If you are particularly ruthless, cut the
plants when they are ten to twelve inches tall just above the bottom set
of leaves. This will result in a burst of new growth. Just
remember to cut down the plants early enough in the growing season so they
will have time left to come back with vigor. This will give you a
double harvest of dried leaves for winter’s use and still provide ripe
seeds to save for next-year’s planting.
As a
companion plant in the vegetable garden, basil planted near tomatoes will
help repel the white fly which attacks this tasty vegetable. But don’t
place it near your rue plants in the herb garden as they are incompatible
and will inhibit each other’s growth. The formation of flower-heads
signals the end of the plant’s life span. You can prolong the harvest by
pinching out these buds as they form at the end of the branches.
Although
it has been given different attributes according to geography, in France
it is still called "l’herbe royale" for its contribution to French
cuisine. Basil is also popular in the cuisines of Southeast Asia,
especially Thai and Vietnamese. Besides adding its particular dash of
flavor to tossed and potato salads, basil is an absolute must in all
Italian cuisine such as lasagna, spaghetti, and pizza. Anything
tomato-flavored is enhanced by adding basil. Try it in stewed tomatoes or
a casserole of zucchini squash. Basil also complements other sun-loving
vegetables besides tomatoes such as corn, eggplant, squash, and green
beans.
If
you find yourself with more fresh basil that you can conveniently use, try
your hand at making pesto. A basic recipe consists of two cups of washed
fresh basil, 3 cloves of garlic, 4 teaspoons of nuts (walnut, pine nuts or
pecans, whatever is available), ½ cup olive oil and ½ cup grated Parmesan
cheese. Pulverize everything in the blender, except the cheese which you
add after your mixture becomes pasty. Then blend again. You’ll find
dozens of ways to use this to enhance meals.
Fresh basil will keep well if the stems are immersed in water and stored
out of direct sunlight. Don’t rinse the leaves before storing them as
water tends to darken them. Sweet Basil, like other large-leaved herbs,
is a problem to air-dry because they darken so easily. I pull of each
leaf from the stem and spread them out on cookie sheets. Then place in an
oven with temperature set on lowest setting, leaving the door slightly
ajar. Basil will be crisp after an overnight stay and if the temperature
is low enough, will remain in good condition. Even if the leaves darken,
this does not affect the flavor. Smaller-leaved basil can be hung in
bunches upside-down in a dark, airy place until dry.
Basil is the least satisfactory herb to freeze as it is inclined to
discolor and become bitter. Layering whole leaves between salt or olive
oil will turn the leaves dark, but they can be used if
recipes insists on fresh basil. Basil is best stored in oil, vinegar or
frozen paste. Basil preserved
in oil can be stored in the refrigerator for up to a year. If you are
freezing pesto, omit the garlic until you’re ready to use the sauce
because the garlic may become bitter after several months
storage.
Do
allow your plants to go to seed; taste and see how flavorful the seeds
are. They are sometimes used as a substitute for leaves. Basil seeds are
extremely viable, remaining grow-able for years. Eventually cold winter
temperatures will end basil’s outdoor growing season but before we mourn
the loss, we’ve had a summer’s worth of enjoyment from the special touch
fresh basil made in our meals. Do allow this prima-donna of herbs to
reign in your garden next year.
