Basil

~:~:~ 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 ...

donnabroom 04.06.2007 · Read full review
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Review of Basil

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 ...

steerpyke 29.01.2005 · Read full review
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Review of Basil

...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 ...

Ophelia 18.02.2003 · Read full review
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Review of Basil

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 ...

Aquarian 19.03.2003 · Read full review
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Review of Basil

...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, ...

phoenixgreen 26.05.2007 (25.05.2007) · Read full review
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Review of Basil

...To grow that is. Basil is definately an essential for the herbologist's kitchen. When it decides it wants to grow, it can grow indoors in a pot like wildfire. A well-established basil plant will go from strength-to-strength and grow all year round indoors, provided you pull off a few leaves on a regular basis to stimulate growth. When basil chooses not to grow, it can turn from a springy fresh, fragrant leafy bush into a droopy withering weedy ...
...two basil plants in the house for over a year, one I grew from seed, the other nursed back to life from a bargain sale price almost dead plant from Tesco's, that just grew and grew, I really was surprised to discover just what a beggar basil can really be! The original plants died after an extended break away, when I entrusted their well-being to a neighbour without green fingers. 'No problem' I thought, as I intended to replace them. I bought another ...

witchwaysup 13.03.2001 (08.12.2004) · Read full review
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Review of Basil

I have found basil to be one of the most useful herbs in the kitchen and it pairs beautifully with garlic as a basis for many dishes, especially italian style sauces,salads etc. It is unfortunately an annual herb so you must grow it every year and it can only be harvested in the summer. It can be grown from seed in a sunny position in your kitchen quite easily or if you prefer many supermarkets stock plants already grown. Basil likes to be picked, ...
...using olive oil and then frozen and used when needed.To get the full flavour in your cooking add it at the last minute torn into pieces. Basil has many uses, not just in cooking.If you place pots on your windowsills in summer it deters flies (they mustn't like the smell). ...

tracym 09.03.2001 · Read full review
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Review of Basil

...break, and you have chopped basil without any mess. It keeps its taste and texture, and you can use it as you would a fresh herb. It's particularly good in pasta sauces. I did see an advert for frozen herbs some time ago, but haven't seen them in the shops. Perhaps there isn't a market for them - a much cheaper, and more organic way, is to grow your own. ...

mandyhaley 17.05.2001 · Read full review
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Review of Basil

Basil is a fantastic herb - but unfortunately it's expensive to buy fresh basil all the time if you want to use it liberally in cooking. This year I am attempting to grow some in pots from seed again - last year I had a go and was only vaguely successful. This is what I've learned: basil is easy to germinate (just in compost in little pots) but hard to grow into a big healthy bush. You need to plant lots, weed out the weediest seedlings and make ...
...probs, but if it is really hot don't let them get scorched. Last year I lived in a cool stone cottage with no direct sun, and the basil didn't grow very big. Now I've moved, so hopefully this summer it'll be home-grown tomatoes and basil for dinner every night. Yum. ...

Suse 03.04.2001 · Read full review
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Review of Basil

...every time I think of Basil I think of Fawlty Towers and Manuel's pet hamster. Anyway back to the herb basil... Basil can be bought in most major supermarkets either fresh or dried. I prefer the fresh version which can be found in small pots and cost around 50p at Asda. One drawback though is that it does not last very long but I tend to add it to everything when I have it around. The famous combination is basil and tomato which you can understand ...
...salt, pepper and plenty of basil for half an hour. This makes a lovely simple pasta sauce. There is also the rule that you should not chop the basil but rip it with your hands to keep the flavour. Not sure how this works but I do it anyway. I also like to add some basil leaves to my chicken ceasar salad. Another use for basil is in thai curries if you can not find any thai basil. Thai basil is a stronger version with far more flavour. You tend to ...

tiggy77 02.11.2001 · Read full review
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Review of Basil

Sweet basil is a great addition to egg , chicken and pasta dishes . To grow this plant well you must provide warmest shelterd spot in your garden .In relatively mild areas where winters are not severe the plant may survive and grow in effect as a perennial . But for the majority of people it is an annual herb . A variety I would recommend is a purple one called purpurascens . This variety looks great and has a slightly milder flavour too . To keep ...

Gardenex 21.12.2000 · Read full review
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Review of Basil