This is the latest post in my summer garden series that will focus on growing, harvesting, and drying basil, and on various uses for the herb.
Basil is one of my favorite herbs and has been easy for me to grow on my balcony garden for the past two seasons. Fresh basil is an incredibly useful ingredient in many foods, as well as in household items like homemade soaps.
There are many different types of basil, and I currently have three types growing right now (Lto R):
Greek Columnar, Thai, and Sweet
I use the Greek Columnar and Sweet basil in salads, Italian dishes, drinks, and infusing simple syrups. I use the Thai basil in curries, as the flavor is a little less sweet and compliments the coconut and spicy flavors nicely.
Growing Basil:
- If growing from seed, you can plant directly into the garden bed, or they can be started in small pots indoors before being moved outside
- I grew from seedling and it’s very easy: plant seedling in a pot (mine are planted alongside some lettuce), place pot in a spot that gets a lot of fun (4+ hours per day) and water frequently.
- Basil can also be grown from clippings – so you can grow even more basil from just one plant!
- To grow from clippings, cut a stalk about 4-6 inches long
- Remove all the but two top layers of leaves and place into a long-necked bottle filled with water
- Keep water levels fresh and high, and within a couple of weeks there will be roots on the clipping
- This is a great way to transition some of your basil for indoor growing at the end of the season (Basil does not over-winter like thyme, rosemary, and oregano)
Harvesting Basil:
- If your basil plant begins to flower, it means it’s not going to produce new leaves
- You can stimulate new growth by harvesting the leaves
- Look for the top layer of leaves, then find the second layer of leaves – cut below that
- This will encourage the plant to grow without over-harvesting
- Basil can be hung upside-down to dry out
- Basil can be placed in the refrigerator to dry out, which retains a bit more of the color
- Place basil in brown paper bag and clip the top closed. The basil will be dried out in a few days.
Uses for Basil:
- As an ingredient in Italian dishes like pasta, meat sauces, and entrees
- In salads – pasta salad, green salad, etc.
- In Caprese Salad – one of my favorite ways to use basil (I make this with tomatoes and also with fresh peaches – so delicious. See recipe below.)
- As a garnish on soups, particularly cold soups like gazpacho
- In homemade pesto
- As an herb to scent homemade soaps, candles, bath salts, etc.
- To flavor water
- As a garnish or ingredient in beverages and cocktails (recipe coming soon for my Basil-Lemonade Cocktail)
- Infuse basil in simple syrups for a flavored sweetener for all types of drinks
The ingredients for Caprese salad: tomatoes, basil, and fresh mozzarella
One of my favorite dishes in the summer!
Caprese Salad
2013-06-12 11:14:40
Serves 4
Prep Time
20 min
Total Time
20 min
Ingredients
- 5-6 tomatoes (I used roma)
- 6 ounces fresh mozzarella
- 8-12 fresh basil leaves
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Seed and chop tomatoes
- Slice mozzarella, then cut into 1-inch pieces
- Chop basil
- Add all ingredients into a mixing or serving bowl
- Drizzle with olive oil and balsamic vinegar (can leave the balsamic out, if you prefer)
- Add salt and pepper to taste
- Serve immediately
Notes
- This salad is great on its own for lunch, or as a side dish with grilled meats and vegetables. You can also add a chopped avocado to this dish to make it a bit heartier without adding meat.
- You can substitute fresh peaches for tomatoes - it really changes the flavor profile, and makes a great dessert or snack!
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