How To Grow And Use Basil

Basil is one of the most popular and well known herbs. It is native to India, the Middle East and some Pacific Islands and only came to Western Europe in the 16th century. In Elizabethan times it was used to treat colds and headaches.

There are many varieties of basil, the one most commonly used for cooking with is sweet basil (Ocimum basilicum). Other varieties include cinnamon, bush, greek, lettuce-leaved, purple, holy, lemon, purple or green ruffles.

They can all be grown from seed. Sow straight into pots or plug trays from early spring. They need heat to germinate so keep containers indoors if you live in a cool climate.

Basil has a long tap root so seed trays are not suitable. It also hates having wet roots so water it in the mornings or midday; this will also help to prevent 'damping off' and root rot.

Basil can be planted outside once the risk of frost has passed. It prefers a rich but well drained soil in a warm and sheltered area.

It makes a good companion plant to tomatoes because it repels flying insects. Basil and tomatoes like similar growing conditions i.e. warm and sunny. You can also harvest the basil with the tomatoes as they taste so good together as well!

he leaves can be harvested once the plants are approximately 10 to 20 cm in height. Make sure you pinch any flower buds off to maintain bushy growth and stop the leaves losing their flavour.

It is best to use basil fresh when the leaves are young; pick from the top to encourage further new growth.

Basil is actually quite a strong flavour so use with caution to start with if you haven't tried it before because it can dominate other flavours. Make sure you add it towards the end of cooking otherwise the flavour will be reduced.

- it is delicious sprinkled on top of any tomato or tomato flavoured dish

- add leaves to salads, soups (towards the end of the cooking time), chicken, pasta or cheese dishes.

- put a few leaves on a slice of ham, roll up and enjoy the mix of flavours

- try cream cheese mixed with basil added to baked potatoes

- Basil combines well with garlic, chives, coriander, oregano and marjoram, mint, parsley and thyme.

- It can be used to flavour salad dressings.

- Surprisingly it can taste good with soft fruits such as raspberries and strawberries.

- A few leaves added to a smoothie make a more interesting drink!

For those of you you like to see how to use herbs there is a video of how to cook spaghetti with tomatoes and basil below on this page.

How to make herb butter (about 4 minutes long) can be seen here.

How to make basil flavoured olive oil video is show above on this page; it's easier than you think!

You can even make Basil Ice-cream! There is a recipe here.

Some people say that basil should be torn with the hands and not cut. I've never seen it cut in the way shown in this video.

How do you do it?

Basil repels flies so is a good pot to have on your table when eating outside or to have in the kitchen.

I hope that's given you some ideas about growing and using basil.

If you would like to receive a free ebook '7 Everyday Herbs Made Simple' plus a fortnightly ezine you can find out more at my website or visit the blog for more herb tips.

If you would like to learn more about cooking with rosemary you could check out my hubpage here.