Basil - the King of Herbs

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 more people would associate Basil with oriental and Asian food than Mediterranean; I guess it must be a proximity thing? So let me tell you what I know about Basil. ~:~:~ Meet the Lamiaceae Family ~:~:~ The Lamiaceae family is also commonly known as the ?Mint? family and contains so many culinary plants such as basil, mint, rosemary, sage, marjoram, oregano and thyme. In total there...

donnabroom 04.06.2007 · Read review
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Review of Basil

Basil in the garden

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 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...

Aquarian 19.03.2003 · Read review
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Review of Basil

Basil's a Beggar...

Advantages: Taste
Disadvantages: Hard to grow

......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 mess in a couple of days. After having 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...

witchwaysup 13.03.2001 (08.12.2004) · Read review
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Review of Basil

Sweet Basil

Advantages: loads of uses
Disadvantages: avoid if pregnant

...Basil or Ocimum Basilicum is an annual or short lived perennial with clove scented leaves, growing to 60 cm.they are short stalked, oval entire or toothed, 3-5 cm long often with a rather puckered surface.The flowers small and white , grown in clusters. The flowering season is June to September. Origins. Basil was used in baths and body massage by ancient Greek nobles for it's fragrant perfume.The Egyptians used the aromatic fragrance in their offerings to the gods and also mixed it with essences of Myrrh and Incense to embalm bodies.In India it is believed to offer protection to the soul and is sacred to the Hindu gods Krishna and Vishnu. Description. Basil is native of Africa and the Seychelles.It is also grown in Europe as a popular culinary herb and California!! It can grow up to three feet (90 cm)The essence is...

galls 23.04.2001 · Read review
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Review of Basil

basil

Advantages: very useful in cooking and smells lovely
Disadvantages: only lasts as long as the summer

...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, and to lengthen the harvesting period it helps if you nip the very pretty flower buds off as soon as they appear. I find that if you nip off the small leaves at the tops then the resulting growth is thicker and has more leaves. As the plant tastes quite different when dried it can be picked and painted on both sides using olive oil and then frozen and used when needed.To get the full...

tracym 09.03.2001 · Read review
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Review of Basil

Use BASIL OIL not BASIL OIL

Advantages: great skin tonic
Disadvantages: can cause reaction on sensitive skin so test first

...Before I start I just need to clear up a common misunderstanding about Basil Oil. The term Basil Oil is often used to refer to virgin olive oil which is infused with basil leaves to make it aromatic. This is used in cooking. The basil oil used in aromatherpy is obtained from entire above ground part of the plant (ocimum basilicum) by steam distillation and is a different thing. The aroma of this essential oil is spicey and fresh. It has a slightly balsamic tang to it and is grown commercialy in many different countries including Bulgaria. It is used in perfumes, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, soap, medicine and fruit and will keep for up to three years from the manufacturing date, if its kept in a cool, dark place. Uses +++++ Basil is a good tonic for the nerves. It also seems to lift depression. Can help headaches...

janharper 23.09.2001 · Read review
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Review of Basil

Basil can Phill his boots, it's only light.

Advantages: A tasty alternative
Disadvantages: None for me

... KRAFT PHILADELPHIA LIGHT BASIL Introduction. I was never a lover of Philadelphia Cheese in any form. My daughter loved it on toasted bagels but personaly I found the taste very bland and stayed clear. Then in 2006 I started doing (what was then called) the No Count plan with Weight Watchers. (This plan then became Core and is now lurking somewhere under the muddy waters of the Discover plan as Simply Filling.) Anyway, I digress, on the No Count you basically ate three meals a day of as much as you wanted from the food list - the only cheese allowed on this list was this extra light cheese and cottage cheese - this was CERTAINLY the best of the two options - I detest cottage cheese!! From then on this cheese ( lovingly known by WW members as ELF - extra low fat) has become a regular product in my...

oldchem 10.11.2009 · Read review
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Review of Kraft Philadelphia Light with Basil

Avoid Blackwells

Advantages: quick to process orders
Disadvantages: poor service

...After spending an afternoon on price comparison sites, Blackwells seemed to have the best value, delivery time and most importantly the book I needed was in stock. The site itself is very easy to use and the transactions are dealt with very quickly. However I waited 3 weeks to receive the wrong book. I was very disappointed as I needed it for a 4week TEFL course which was starting the following week. I returned the book and sent an email explaining the situation and asked if they could they send me the correct book asap. I didn't hear anything for 3 weeks. After another 3 email were sent £2 suddenly appeared in my bank account as a refund for the £16.25 book I purchased. Do they even sell £2 books? I have now been waiting 6 weeks from the date I originally ordered the book and my course is coming to an end (I managed to purchase it from...

melanderson80 30.04.2008 · Read review
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Review of Blackwell.co.uk

basil, good for respiratory infections

Advantages: its not overly expensive
Disadvantages: to be avoided when pregnant

...BASIL OIL. Basil is generally used in Mediterranean cooking, though it also has a number of therapeutic properties. It can be used to refresh your senses. Soothe your digestive and respiratory tracts, and invigorate your mind. It?s great for treating anxiety and depression and is particularly effective due to its high concentration of alcohols that make up to 60% of basil oil. The main active compound being linalool, which is what gives basil that distinctive, floral, spicy, citrus scent. And monoterpene alcohols that are considered to be uplifting, warming and balancing. Its also antibacterial and antiviral, which helps to stimulate your defensive system to fight infections. You can use basil oil for inhalation, in the bath, and as a massage. And its best for treating respiratory infections, indigestion, and fevers...

stezatois1 12.07.2007 · Read review
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Review of Basil

Great tasting basil

Advantages: cheaper than bought
Disadvantages: can be tricky to grow

...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 sure your best ones have plenty of room. Ideally, don't transfer them from pot to pot much - they are sensitive to having their roots disturbed. They hate the cold, like moisture but not too much, but their main requirement is plenty of sunshine. On a warm sunny windowsill you should have no probs, but if it is really hot don't let them get scorched. Last year I lived in a cool stone cottage...

Suse 03.04.2001 · Read review
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Review of Basil