Beginning gardening gives you the opportunity to grow all thoses lovely herbs that makes our food so tasty and healthy.
Growing Basil
If you do any Italian cooking at all, you’ll want to include basil in the herb patch. Basil can’t be planted until after the last frost date, but in the heat of summer it will produce abundantly.
Basil Types
There are many types of basil to choose from; the one offered by most garden supply stores and in mail order catalogs is bush or sweet basil, a compact plant growing to 18 inches or so during the season. There are a growing number of varieties of purple basil available. Their richly hued leaves add color and interest to an herb bed or even a flower garden. Use it like common basil, though expect it to be less sweet. When steeped in white vinegar, the leaves produce a lovely tint. Recently rediscovered by many cooks, lemon basil brings a citrus fragrance to both the garden and the kitchen. Thai basil adds a licorice flavor to typical basil leaves and tastes great in Asian cooking. You’ll also find cinnamon-flavored varieties, tiny-leaved, clump-forming types, and "lettuce leaf" basil, among others.
Getting Started
Start seeds indoors 6 weeks before the last frost date, and keep the temperatures around 70F for good germination. You can also sow seed directly in the garden (about 1/4 inch deep) after the last frost date when soil is warm. Set transplants or thin seedlings to stand at least 10 to 12 inches apart; more room (16 to 24 inches apart) will encourage low, bushy plants to develop.
Basil Care
Plant in full sun. Pinch the tip from the center shoot of basil after it has grown for 6 weeks to force side growth and prevent early flowering. If flower stalks do develop, cut them off. Mulch is recommended in hot areas since basil likes a steady moisture supply. Basil is generally pest-free. Frost-tender basil is easily nipped by early fall frost, so be sure to harvest if temperatures threaten to dip into the 30s.
Picking Basil
Basil is at its most flavorful when fresh. The best time to harvest is just as the plant starts to set flower buds, well before flowers bloom. Snip leaves or branches at this time and pinch off flower stalks to keep plants productive. You can also cut entire plants about 6 to 8 inches above ground, leaving at least one node with two young shoots intact. The plant should produce a second, but smaller harvest several weeks later.
Preserving the Harvest
Since the leaves lose some of their flavor when dried, freezing is the best method for winter storage. To quick-freeze basil, dry whole sprigs and pack them in plastic bags with the air pressed out. To dry basil, pinch off the leaves at the stem and dry them in a shady, well-ventilated area. Check in 3 or 4 days, and if they are not totally dry, finish drying in a the oven; otherwise the leaves may turn brown or black. Use the lowest heat possible with the door slightly open, turn leaves for even drying, and check them frequently.
By: National Gardening editors
Posted under Miscellaneous Content
This post was written by admin on March 30, 2009
