Fresh Basil Plant

[james]

Summer is here and we're making pizza tonight -- hey, no school tomorrow.

Putting everything together, I thought about our basil plant. We get very little sun here, but out plant is doing well on the kitchen window sill. What do you do for fresh basil? Do you have a plant, or do you buy fresh?

I feel a poll coming on.

Here is a photo of tonight's dinner. Can't wait to eat.
James

[thebadger]

Re: Fresh Basil Plant

We have 5 basil plants going for pesto and the leaves... Our plan is to bring some in over the winter to have some fresh leaves available as well.

Very easy to grow. Just plant and water.

Dick

My 4/6 year olds love Pesto!

[mfiore]

Re: Fresh Basil Plant

Dick

Funny about the kids. My boys are obsessed with basil. My five year old loves eating it as a snack. While playing outside, he runs up and picks leaves to chew on, sometimes wrapped around a cherry tomato.

We make fresh pesto as a family. We use a mortar and pestle to grind the leaves with salt, pine nuts, garlic, emulsify with Ligurian Olive oil. That is summer for me!

[thebadger]

Re: Fresh Basil Plant

Mfiore,

That's hard core - we use a food processor. I cut back on the amount of evoo and we use walnuts vs. pine nuts due to the expense...

My kids are exposed to way more types of food than I remember growing up. I don't think I knew what pesto was until I was an adult.

Dick

[james]

Re: Fresh Basil Plant

Dick

We make fresh pesto as a family. We use a mortar and pestle to grind the leaves with salt, pine nuts, garlic, emulsify with Ligurian Olive oil. That is summer for me!

Very nice. What a great picture that evokes.
James

[Ageo308]

Re: Fresh Basil Plant

Well its winter now here but i had enough basil to sell lol. Basically i freeze them in sealable bags so they get me through winter (and suprisingly the flavour is almost the same) my nonna taught me that.

[SpringJim]

Re: Fresh Basil Plant

Well its winter now here but i had enough basil to sell lol. Basically i freeze them in sealable bags so they get me through winter (and suprisingly the flavour is almost the same) my nonna taught me that.

We make and freeze pesto....but fresh leaves? gonna have to try that one!
Thanks

[Frances]

Re: Fresh Basil Plant

You didn't list my version which is

"I plant a new Basil plant in a pot each year and the slugs climb up the sides and eat it, and then the plant starts dying off from the stems upwards, so I get a new one and repeat..."

I don't know about children, but slugs LOVE basil!

[dmun]

Re: Fresh Basil Plant

I don't know about children, but slugs LOVE basil!

Here's a use for that broken glass that new builders keep wanting to insulate their ovens with: mulch the plant liberally with a layer of broken glass.

[egalecki]

Re: Fresh Basil Plant

I've never frozen leaves, but I froze basil and olive oil puree last year- I made it in the food processor- added the oil to get a spreadable consistency, and spread it in a half sheet pan lined with plastic wrap. When it was frozen, I popped it out, cut it into cubes (about a tablespoon size) and put it back in the freezer in a resealable bag. Pop them into sauces frozen at the last minute of cooking, and it tastes like summer.

I also got really lucky with a planter of basil I sowed late last year- it came inside, was really happy, and I had fresh basil until March. My Italian parsley, though, not so good.

Right now I seem to have volunteer basil growing under the tomato plants I put in the pots in which I grew basil last year. Smells the same, just doesn't look quite the same. Pretty cool.

[mfiore]

Re: Fresh Basil Plant

My basil is awesome early in the summer. Toward mid to late summer, as the plants grow, they become more peppery and even bitter. I try to keep all the blossoms trimmed off as soon as they bud, but it doen't seem to help. The plants become quite large. Any tips on keeping the leaves tender, flavorful, aromatic? Should I keep pruning back the whole plant? Does this make it worse?

[RTflorida]

Re: Fresh Basil Plant

I follow the same course as Ageo.....grow more than I can use and freeze the rest. No texture with the frozen if you looking for "fresh", but there is zero effect on the taste, will last for months in the freezer - fine for sauces, pesto and pizza.

As for trimming, let me first say - I'm no horticulturist. I have found the key to not getting the bitterness is to keep them trimmed and never let the plant actually bloom. You have to really keep an eye on your plants, looking closely you can tell the difference between a bloom shoot and a leaf shoot...its subtle, but definitely detectable very early. When I know my plants may soon bloom I check them every day and nip off the bloom shoots literally as soon as they appear...pain in the butt, but I've kept plants going without bitterness for almost a year. The key is NEVER letting even one bloom develope......if you do, the plant is done.

Trimming - Don't lop off whole leaf clusters.....these may look good and all the stores may sell cut basil this way....its not the best way to get you plants to bush out. Instead, cut off the large leaves individually...this usually results in another bud sprouting (which gives you an entire leaf cluster) - not just a single leaf replacement. Keep in mind, once the plant reaches the bloom stage this gets tricky - trying to keep the blooms from forming and trimming for bushiness can be a fruitless endeavor.....you eventually just let the plant grow as it wants and keep the blooms trimmed off.

Hope this helps

RT

[Dutchoven]

Re: Fresh Basil Plant

I don't know about children, but slugs LOVE basil!

They like beer too...the slugs I mean...and it will eliminate the problem...just a small shallow dish of beer will do the trick!
Dutch

[asudavew]

Re: Fresh Basil Plant

They like beer too...the slugs I mean...and it will eliminate the problem...just a small shallow dish of beer will do the trick!
Dutch

Or a ring of salt around the plant or pot.

[Frances]

Re: Fresh Basil Plant

You want me to share my beer with the slugs??!!

I think I'd rather let them have the basil...