Herbs in Your Urban Garden: Basil
By Cindy Naas
Basil is pretty much the entire point of summer as far as I’m concerned.
If I could grow only two things in my garden, I would choose basil and tomatoes.
I can make a meal out of only those two things.
Growing Basil
Basil is one of the herbs which needs a lot of water to thrive. Mine grows next to the tomatoes in my garden. However, my in-ground garden is small, but I love basil so much that I also grow it in to oblong planter boxes, keeping it well watered. It likes a more fertile soil than some of the other herbs such as oregano and thyme, and needs a lot of sun.
Harvesting and Storing
Basil leaves should be picked often. During the height of the season, pick your basil leaves every day. You can harvest all of the largest leaves on your plant, leaving only the very small ones to mature. Make sure to pinch out any flower heads which might form, otherwise your basil will soon stop producing new leaves but will try to set seed instead.
Fresh basil can be kept in the fridge for 3 or 4 days, or two days on the counter in a vase of water if you’ve picked stems. You can sun dry your own basil on screens outside, and this produces a far more flavorful dried basil than you will find in stores. I also like to chop fresh basil and then freeze it in small ice cube trays. After it is frozen, just remove the cubes from the tray and store in a zippered freezer bag. These cubes can be used in soups and stews.
My favorite way to store fresh basil is to make pesto, which may very well be the perfect food. At least my children seem to think so. You will need to make a double or even triple batch of pesto, and then freeze some in zippered freezer bags. Of course, at my house I need to separate and freeze the basil before my children know I’ve made it, otherwise even the largest batch will be eaten before it makes it into the freezer!
Recipes
Here are a couple of my favorite basil recipes:
Pesto
2 cups of fresh basil leaves
1 cup of fresh parsley (optional)
¼ cup pignoli (pine nuts)
4-6 cloves fresh garlic
½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
¼ tsp. Salt
freshly ground pepper
4 tablespoons cold-pressed olive oil
Combine basil, garlic and parsley in a food processor or blender and pulse till pureed. Add in cheese, olive oil and seasonings. Puree until all ingredients are blended. Toss with hot pasta, serve over grilled fish, use as a pizza topping, serve with crackers with an antipasto tray.
Tomato Basil Salad
2 large ripe tomatoes fresh from your garden
a handful of basil leaves, cut into long strips
4 thin slices of mozzarella cheese
olive oil
salt and freshly ground pepper
Slices tomatoes into thick slices and salt lightly. Lay cheese slices on top, then drape basil over the tomatoes. Drizzle with olive oil, and add freshly ground pepper. Serve at room temperature.
