Sweet basil (Ocimum basilicum) is a versatile herb with a wealth of culinary uses. Basil grows well in a pot and can be placed in a sunny corner by the kitchen window or on the patio. Plant out in clay pots or window boxes outdoors in a sunny corner. Its sweet-smelling leaves are delicious in stews, soups, salads and pizzas; it is also an essential ingredient for Italian sauces for pasta and for pesto.
At first basil grows slowly, so pinch the top so it bushes out. This encourages good leaf growth, and after all, it is for its leaves that you want basil, although it has white to purple, scented flowers. There are several varieties including lemon basil, which grows approximately 12 inches in height and is lemon scented, as its name suggests.
You can always preserve extra leaves which you don’t need by freezing them in containers. How about blending the leaves and pouring them into an ice tray, so you can have frozen cube Basil? This is so easy to store in a container as well and you now only have to take out one cube at a time when needed.
Here in the Caribbean we have a variety commonly called married man pork, which has a very strong fragrance and taste and is used to make green seasoning and in black pudding. Can you imagine black pudding without married man pork? It also makes an excellent seasoning for seafoods.
Basil can be grown from seeds or cuttings.
of the basil plant
Until next week, Happy Gardening!
