Basil

Advantages: versatile, tasty and easy to grow.
Disadvantages: None - unless you don't like it.

~:~:~ Introduction ~:~:~ Basil is one of mine and Tim’s favourite herbs. Tim is really fussy with food and basil allows me to add flavour to his otherwise quite bland diet. Basil is also incredibly versatile and although most people would associate it with Mediterranean cuisine Basil is also used in many Asian cultures such as Thai, Chinese and Indian in fact from reading the internet a bit for research it would seem that in the US and Australia ...
...too. ~:~:~ Types of Basil ~:~:~ The most common type of Basil used in the UK is Sweet Basil or Ocimum Basilicum to give it its full botanical name. This is just one of many types of Basil including: Lemon basil African blue basil Spice/Cinnamon Basil Licorice/Anise Basil and Thai Sacred Basil There are loads more but I don’t want to bore you by going on all day! ~:~:~ Nutritional Information ~:~:~ In 5g of fresh Basil there is only 1 calorie ... Read review

Advantages: so easy to grow indoors
Disadvantages: none

Basil is an aromatic annual that reaches about two feet tall, looks like its relatives, the mint family, only with more branches and which blossoms white or purple in summer. It will grow easily from seed in well drained and composted soil and should be planted after the frosts have been. Basil's big advantage especially to the new herbal gardener is that it will grow well in a pot on the kitchen window, given light and water and even the most absent ...
...uses. Most people know Basil as the main ingredient in Pesto, and its pungent aroma and vivid colour will be familiar to most kitchen friendly people, but Basil has a very interesting history as well. Its current popularity is surprising considering the reputation it has had through the years. Greeks and Romans regarded the herb as a symbol of hostility and insanity and they believed that to grow truly fragrant Basil plants one had to swear and ... Read review

Advantages: Taste, versatile, easy to grow
Disadvantages: Smell, TOO easy to grow

...has been taken over by basil plants. I don’t just mean a couple; this is a true infestation. They seem to grow indefinitely and, despite my completely un-green-fingered tendering, they refuse to die. This is war and in order to win the war, you must know your enemy. KNOW YOUR ENEMY Basil comes from a group of plants with a rather rude name (labiatae), which includes sage, rosemary, thyme, mint and lavender. It originates from India (so who brought ...
...The fragrance (aka stench) of basil is used in perfumery (not the ones I wear I hasten to add; I don’t want to smell like a pesto dish) and aromatherapy. It is supposed to be a calmant and to help with stress and insomnia (although it doesn’t seem to do the trick for me; basil infested kitchens are not relaxing). Now I can get into the ‘mind’ of my enemy and I must now investigate growing techniques. Maybe using reverse engineering I can defeat these ... Read review

Advantages: lots of uses in cookery
Disadvantages: you may not like the taste

Basil is widely grown in Britain and has many uses in cookery and in herbal remedies. This is a half hardy plant but in warmer countries it is a perennial. The seeds can be sown under glass in late March or early April. Then the little plants can be moved to the garden in early June. You can sow the seeds straight into your gareden in May if you prefer, but I always like to get plants off to a good start in the greenhouse. The plants have funny shaped ...
...lots of different varieties of basil you can grow. African Blue has the purplelish flowers and can be used in rice dishes or in stews. Sweet Basil is proberbly the most common one seen in gardens and has bright green leaves which are very aromatic,, this is very nice dried or chopped and used on pizza's or in stews. Lemon Basil, has light green leaves and smells of lemons, this is nice to put in salads. Or is very tasty with fish. Thai Basil has ... Read review

Advantages: Wonderful smell, taste and goes perfectly with tomatoes for a divine salad sensation!
Disadvantages: It's an annual that likes a but of sun. And I live in The Dark North!!!

...Tomatoes are even greater with basil than without. Take this evening for example. My pregnant taste buds wanted cheese. Very badly. So I bought three different types, and eventually settled on a fat, squat, buffalo mozzarella. Some organic cherry tomatoes from our veg box scheme bag of goodies, bit of fresh ground black pepper and some balsamic dressing. Hey presto, a lovely bit of salad for a friday evening. But I'm telling you it was made all the ...
...addition of 5 fat juicy basil leaves, ripped to tiny shreds and sprinkled over the top. Sensational! Basil is a wonderfully versatile herb, so very easy to grow on your windowsill, or even outside if you live in the sunny south. I have to admit to never acheiving success with basil outside, as it tends to either grow stunted and pale from lack of sun, or sprout away happily only to be devoured by hungry greenfly. So I keep mine on the kitchen windowsill, ... Read review