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Basil
Ocimum basilicum
This herb, pride of many cooks, hails from Africa and Asia, where it is
believed to contain divine essence. Some cultures’ folklore holds that when
basil is carried in the pocket, it attracts money and a wayward lover. It
loves a warm, sunny, and fertile site. You’d think, looking at it, that it
wants lots of water, but it prefers to grow just a tad on the dry side.
Never water at night, when the leaves could stay damp too long. In fact, if
you start basil from seed - an easy way to propagate basil - it tends to
“damping off”. (If that happens, just brew a cup of chamomile tea, strain,
put in a mister bottle, and water the seedlings by misting the seedlings
with the tea instead of regular water.)
It likes a little protection from wind and scorching sun, and won’t stand a
frost. Basil, a tender annual, is much better used fresh from the garden. If
you don’t have a sunny window in which to grow it in the winter, there are
Many food markets which offer cut and packaged basil. If you need to hold
over basil for future use, you can freeze them, but first paint the leaves
with olive oil. My personal preference is to make my garden’s abundance of
basil (and parsley) into Pesto, which freezes well. Find out the BEST Pesto
recipe, and taste it, by attending one of Joanie’s Herbal Cooking classes
during the summer months. You could store the leaves in olive oil to which
salt has been added (if you don’t, you run the risk of a bacterial
invasion), or make an herbal vinegar with it. I understand that the leaves
can be dried, but I will have to try it to find out if there is any flavor
retention at all, when preserved that way.
Now, what to use it for . . . .
CULINARY
Since Basil is a culinary delight, you can use in many recipe, with
wonderful results.
Try sweet breads, on salads (even potato or macaroni), in vinegars,
marinades,
marinara sauce, jellies. Its flavor compliments garlic nicely. If you make
Pesto with
it, you can use that to make savory muffins, or put some in soups and stews.
Please contact Joanie for some more unusual culinary ideas.
COSMETIC
Make a tea, strain, and add to the bath for a refreshing experience.
MEDICINAL
The infusion aids digestion. The essential oil is an uplifting, energizing
antidepressant.
When inhaled, it improves the circulation and helps alleviate high blood
pressure.
You can mix basil essential oil with cypress and sweet marjoram to deal with
muscle
cramps. Basil, eucalyptus, lavender and peppermint (e.o.s) combined are a
good inhalation
for sinusitis. For a head cold, try a mixture of basil, eucalyptus and
ginger. Basil essential
oil is also used to treat anxiety, headaches and respiratory, help
concentration and digestion.
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