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 leaves and some of the different varieties have jagged edges to the ends of the leaves. The flowers are quite pretty and white, but you can also get purple tinged ones.
There are 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 a sort of peppery taste and can be used in spicy cooking. Greek Basil grows in a neat little bush with small leaves it also has a peppery taste and is nice with rice or in soups.
There are other varieties of Basil which can be used for cooking or herbal remedies and the best place to find them is your local garden centre, the plants will cost you anything from 60p upwards depending on size of the plant. I also find that nearer to spring you get, the more expensive plants are. A packet of seeds will cost you around 99p but you get lots of seeds, probably more than you need but the extra plants you grow can be sold at the bootsales.
Basil is also made into an essential oil, this has a very strong scent which when dropped into the hot bath warter will fill the bathroom with the smell of basil. It is said that the healing properties of basil are for mild nervous disorders and it can be used in the bath water or in an infusion and also as an ingredient in food recipies.
I hope this has been interesting to read.
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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!!!
phoenixgreen 26.05.2007 (25.05.2007)
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Review of Basil
Mar 19th, 2003
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