Basil

My basil was getting ready to bloom, so I pinched off the buds that are at the tips of the stems. The main point, from the plants' point of view, is to produce seeds and then die. So, if you prevent it from blooming, you prevent it from going to seed and dying, and you can use it longer. This can be an on-going process, sort of a tug-of-war between what the plant wants to do and what you want it to do!

Basil has a tendency to grow tall, but pruning it back every 2-3 weeks will make it health, bushy and give you maximum production of leaves---which is what we want! Fertilize it sparingly or you will decrease the fragrant oils.

To preserve basil for future use, there are several methods, depending on how you want to use it. Drying is a common method and is easy to do--just hang it up to dry out of the sunlight. Basil can be frozen, with freezing in ice cubes producing the freshest taste possible, next to fresh-picked. Putting just-picked basil in vinegar preserves the basil and produces a flavored vinegar that can be used in many recipes. Basil packed in oil creates a flavored oil that can be used in cooking, and is especially tasty in salad dressings. Oftentimes, basil is grown to be made into pesto. Pesto can be eaten right away or it can be frozen up to 6 months if it is sealed with a layer of olive oil.

Besides basil's use in the kitchen, it is also useful in the garden. The scent of herbs, especially strong scented herbs like basil, mixed in and around vegetables can confuse bad bugs that are looking for certain plants. So, if the bugs are trying to find all of the bean plants, and the beans are all mixed up with basil and other herbs, the bugs won't be able to tell where the beans are---a win-win for us!