Basil Plant

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YW Deelady... just having a good year! I would give you one of mine if you were closer sweetie!
 
OH... one more thing. My three were grown from seed that I harvested last year. Towards the end of the growing season, let that sucker bud and seed. Then cut of the budded/seeded part and set out to dry for a few weeks. Stick those in a plastic container or bag. Then tap the container or beat the bag on a hard surface and all the seeds will fall out of their casings.

Next spring... load up a pot with some good soil. Sprinkle a few pinches of the seed on top of the soil. Then take another handful of soil and sprinkle on top of the seeds. Water and you will have a whole new crop to keep you basil happy for next year!
 
sattie you win, you are THE basil queen!!
I haven't tried from my own seed yet.... just Burpee.
But you better bet I will this year! thanks!
 
Yea suzi... it is easy. No need to buy the plants when you have all that you need at your fingertips! And I suck at growing plants!!!
 
Our plants have done really well this year ... nice amount of heat and not too much water have produced lots of leaves!

We freeze ours in quart bags ... I just wash the leaves, let them air dry on a towel for about 2 hours, pack them in bags and suck the air out. They are not a pretty green when I want to use them in the middle of January but their flavor is amazing! I tried the oil / basil mash but found that it limited me on how I wanted to use the leaves. Now I just grab a bag, thaw and use in what ever we want. We've even used it on pizza (just put it under the other stuff to hide the color). Surprisingly, though, the pesto always turns out a bright green even though the leaves are black.

Thank you for the seed harvesting process Sattie. I've always just bought plants in the spring but would prefer to do the seed thing ...
 
In my experience, most herbs don't really like a rich soil. I grow basil in a container, for some reason it doesn't like the part of the garden that every other herb LOVES. I grow some from seed, some from plants since we have a relatively short growing season.

I've also taken to making an Asian "pesto" -- basil, garlic, ginger, a tad of lime juice, peanuts and peanut oil. It has been a huge hit (if you have loved ones who can't do peanuts, use vegetable oil). You can take a spoonfull of it and add it to a can of chicken broth and one of coconut milk, and you have great soup!
 
Pot for my Basil

I agree. I raise my basil in a large pot. I get small plants from the Farmer's market. I do not have the time or patience it takes to grow from seed.
 
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