Beautiful, Bountiful Basil

Nothing says summer more than beautiful, bushy basil plants in varying shades of green and purple.  Lush and fragrant, it lives its life to the fullest, in the short time it lasts.  Not many things taste better than basil fresh from the garden, so it was another “no-brainer” for this must-haves list.  I apologize for the lack of photo here, but apparently I’ve never taken a picture of basil growing in my garden, and I didn’t want to steal one!  I will take a picture this summer and post it.  If you don’t know what basil looks like, I suggest you Google it and check out all the lovely varieties.

Growing

Basil (Ocimum basilicum) is wonderfully easy to grow.  It’s an annual, originally from India.  It’s pretty simple to start from seed, so you can grow lots of varieties this year, or try different types every year, without a lot of expense.  It needs full sun and well drained, weed free soil.  If you start it from seed, you can thin seedlings after they get their first set of real leaves.  It’s also a great candidate for containers.

If you live where it’s good and hot in the summer, basil can get “leggy” and go to seed rapidly.  It sends up a long, slender set of blossoms.  If you just keep pinching these off whenever they appear, your basil will continue to grow lush and leafy, and not get bitter (as it tend to do once it begins to blossom).  In the hottest parts of the summer, it needs to be watered every day (at least where I live), or it wilts.  Did you know that the best times to water your garden are before 10 am or after dusk?  You should NOT water during the heat of the day, or you may end up cooking your plants (although if you are somewhat erratic about watering, like I am, and your choice is water NOW or watch the plant die in the next hour, choose NOW)!

Basil also makes a great companion plant for tomato, improving flavor and helping to repel flies.  For more on companion planting read Carrots Love Tomatoes: Secrets of Companion Planting for Successful Gardening by Louise Riotte or go here.

Harvesting

Basil should be harvested sparingly until plants get  pretty well developed, but if you’re growing several plants, you can pinch several leaves off of each, and have plenty for dinner!  Once plants are larger and well established, you can cut entire stems.  In the late summer, early fall, you can cut plants back completely, since they won’t last the winter anyway. 

Many people dry basil, but I don’t bother.  It loses it’s true flavor in the drying process, and has but a shade of it’s summer glory.  If you really want to save some for use during the winter to remind you of those warmer garden days, I suggest freezing it.  An ice cube tray works great for this purpose.  Place a few leaves of basil in each space, and cover with cold water.  Freeze, then remove from the tray to another container.  These little cubes of basil are great for tossing into soups and stews, or can be thawed and put into many other dishes.  It’s not quite as pretty as fresh, but it’s still quite good!  (Many thanks to the folks of the Garden Thyme Herb Club for teaching me this trick and countless others.  You will always hold a special place in my heart!)

Medicinal

Basil is highly prized as a medicinal herb in many parts of the world.  It is very high in antioxidants and has a high levels of another compound that improves circulation and respiration.  According to an article by Juniper Russo,

One of the primary medicinal uses of basil comes from BCP, or (E)-beta-caryophyllene, a natural anti-inflammatory compound also found in oregano and medicinal cannabis. BCP found in basil may offer an alternative to medical marijuana, because it offers the same anti-inflammatory effects without the mental and neurological side-effects of illicit drugs. BCP in basil is believed to combat bowel inflammation and rheumatoid arthritis.

Read more at Suite101: Basil's Health Benefits and Medicinal Uses: The Amazing Healing Powers of a Common Culinary Herb http://herbal-properties.suite101.com/article.cfm/basils_health_benefits_and_medicinal_uses#ixzz0e2ZRIAx1

Basil tea is commonly used to help aid or ease digestion (it is a member of the mint family, after all).  It is also said to have antibacterial and antifungal properties.  The scent is also very rejuvenating (try a few drops of essential oil in the bath for a “wake-up” soak) and is supposed to be good for alleviating headaches.  Need a pick me up in the garden?  Plant basil along the edges, where you will be sure to brush up against them, which will release that awesome basil fragrance! 

Culinary

Basil is an extremely versatile herb in the kitchen.  Used for many dishes you immediately think of (spaghetti, pizza and pesto), it also goes just as easily with fresh veggies, meats, and fruits.  Here are a few recipes.

Classic Basil Pesto

(from the Herb Farm Cookbook, by Jerry Traunfeld)

2 cloves garlic, peeled

3 Tbs. raw pine nuts

1/4 tsp. salt

3 ounces stemmed sweet basil leaves (about 3 cups gently packed)

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

[In a food processor] Process the garlic, pine nuts, and salt until finely ground, about 15 seconds.  Add the basil leaves and process in spurts just until no whole leaves remain.  With the machine running, pour the oil through the feed tube in a steady stream.  Stop and scrape down the sides, then process for several more seconds.  The mixture should be ground to a pastelike consistency but a little of the leaves’ texture should remain.  If necessary, quickly pulse the mixture again.  Add the cheese and pulse until just incorporated.

Makes 1 cup, enough to sauce 1 pound dried pasta.

 

Cinnamon Basil Jelly 

from Cookin’ Thyme, the cookbook of the Garden Thyme Herb Club.

1 1/2 c. cinnamon basil leaves

2 1/4 c. cold water

3 T. Lemon juice

3 1/2 c. sugar

1 pkg. (3 oz.) liquid pectin

Finely chop the basil and place in a saucepan with the water.  Bring to a full boil, cover, remove from heat and allow to steep for 15 minutes.  Pour the mixture into a jelly bag or fine strainer and let it drip.  There should be about 1 3/4 cup of basil infusion.  Put the infusion into a large saucepan along with the lemon juice and sugar.  Cook over high heat, stirring constantly until it comes to a full rolling boil.  Boil for one minute, then remove from the heat.  Stir in the pectin and ladle into sterilized half-pint jars.  Wipe the rims and seal with proper lids.  Makes 4 half-pints.

 

Hope you include basil in your garden this summer.  If you do, send pictures of it growing, or of the things you make with it!  I’d love to see them, and hear your ideas.  And be sure to come back next week for the next installment of herbs you must have in your garden – Thyme, Glorious Thyme!

Happy gardening!

j

Rosemary

There’s Rosemary, that’s for remembrance.  Pray you,  love, remember.  

  - William Shakespeare, Hamlet, IV, 5

Rosemary has a long history of use as a culinary and medicinal herb.  It happens to be one of my favorites, because I love the smell and the way it looks in the garden, so when I was thinking of the herbs I would use in this series, there was no question that this herb would be on it!  This Mediterranean herb is one of the herbs/essential oils I use the most in my soaps and bath products.

Growing

Rosemary (Rosemary officinalis) is a perennial, although in many parts of the U.S. it would actually be more appropriate  to classify it as a tender perennial.  My larger bushes survive the winter pretty well here in northern Georgia, where we live, but they have been a bit “burned” around the edges by ice.  Smaller plants should come indoors, even here in zone 7.  For those of you in zones 9 and 10, you could keep rosemary in your garden as an evergreen!  Those of you in colder climates can move your rosemary in and out, or you can grow rosemary in a pot, provided you give it soil that drains really well.

Although, many herbs are quite easy to start from seed, Rosemary is one that I suggest you purchase as a plant.  I’ve never actually tried starting it from seed, but someone I know who is a better gardener than me, said it was difficult, so that was good enough for me!  Buy at least two plants, since you won’t want to harvest too much from either one until they get bigger.  There are many varieties of rosemary, from large, shrubby types to lower, creeping types.  Do some research and decide which one works best for you and your garden.

All rosemary varieties love full sun and well drained, slightly alkaline soil.  One of the dangers of growing rosemary here in the south is the moisture… plants do well without a lot of water, and are good for southern garden that way.  The problem comes, if they are planted too close together, or if leaves or mulch are allowed to stay too close to the plant.  If that happens, then during our wetter springs and winters, rosemary becomes more susceptible to fungus and powdery mildew.   If you live in an area that is very wet, try growing plants in a raised bed for better drainage.

Harvesting

Harvest sprigs of rosemary with clippers or a sharp knife.  Rosemary will keep in the fridge for a week or two, if you store it in a re-sealable bag or small, airtight container.  It’s also an excellent herb for drying, because it retains its scent and flavor.  There are several ways to dry it, but the easiest and best is to clip several sprigs, tie them together at the base and hang them upside down until they’re dry.  It also makes your kitchen smell great in the process!

Medicinal Uses

Rosemary contains powerful anti-oxidants, and has properties that according to many herbalists relieve pain, aid digestion, relax muscles, ease depression and more.  Rosemary should NOT be used medicinally by pregnant women.  It is good for use in the bath to soothe sores, and ease and rejuvenate tired muscles.

Tired Muscle Bath Salts

2 cups Epsom salts

1/2 cup dried rosemary

1/2 cup thyme

1/4 cup lavender

1/4 cup mugwort (for EXTERNAL USE ONLY)

Mix.  Add one cup to running bath water and soak!

Cosmetic Uses

Rosemary is used in a variety of cosmetic products, like soaps, bath salts and bath teas.  It is especially useful in hair products, like shampoos and hair rinses, as it conditions and tones hair and skin.  It can also be used as an astringent. 

Rosemary Hair Rinse

Pour 2 cups boiling water over 1/2 cup dried rosemary and let steep.  When it’s cool, strain and use as a hair rinse for darker hair. (Lighter haired folks can use the same recipe, substituting chamomile for the rosemary).

 

Cooking

According to Jerry Traunfeld in The Herbfarm Cookbook, rosemary has been historically used as a marinade for meats, “not only for its flavor but also because, like sage and thyme, it has antibacterial and antioxidant agents that prevent fat from turning rancid – it acts as a natural preservative.”  Great for meats and potatoes, it can also be used in smaller amounts in baked goods!  Rosemary goes well with other herbs, too like thyme, sage and oregano, is great with lemon or orange flavors on chicken, and pairs really well with garlic.

Rosemary Shortbread Cookies (from Cookin’ Thyme)

1 cup butter                          

1 cup granulated sugar

3 cups flour   

3-4 tsp. fresh rosemary, finely chopped

Preheat oven to 275 degrees.  Thoroughly combine the butter and sugar.  Add 2 1/2 cups of flour and mix.  Turn out on a board floured with the remaining 1/2 cup of flour.  Knead in the rosemary along with the flour until the dough cracks on the surface and doesn’t stick to the board.  Roll it 1/4” thick, then cut into desired shapes.  Bake on an ungreased cookies sheet 50 minutes, or until lightly browned.  Makes 72 1” cookies.

 

There are many, MANY more things I could say about rosemary, but since this post is already so long, I’ll stop here – except to say, grow this herb!

 

Jean

next week: Beautiful, Bountiful Basil