Basil is not a one size fits all herb. It comes in various colors, sizes and aromas. So make sure you use
the right kind. Italian basil, sweet basil and Greek basil will all lend themselves as perfect varieties for
many Mediterranean dishes. Some are stronger than others, so experiment with them to discover
which ones you prefer the most. Here are 3 easy Italian recipes for using your fresh basil:

1. Mozzarella Basil Salad
Normally, we think of lettuce when we hear the term salad. But this recipe is very simple and
can be put together as a wonderful snack or appetizer in no time at all. All you need is:

A ball of fresh mozzarella. You can buy these typically in the deli section of your grocery store.
Because they are fresh, they are often in the form of a ball. Keep any leftover cheese in a
container full of water. Change out the water daily and the cheese will be good for a few days.

A handful of fresh basil. You can leave whole or slice them lengthwise. If you choose to slice
them, do so just before you serve the salad, because they will begin to turn brown on the edges
if left too long.

Extra Virgin Olive Oil. It is best to use extra virgin because it holds less acidity than regular olive
oil – which is why it is often used in salads such as this one.

Start by slicing the mozzarella into ¼ inch slices. Place on a plate. Overlap them just a little if
you are short on space. Sprinkle the sliced (or whole) basil leaves evenly over the cheese. Then
drizzle the olive oil over the cheese slices 3 times around the plate. Keep refrigerated until
needed, but it is best to serve immediately.

2. Tomato & Mozzarella Salad
This recipe is similar to the mozzarella salad in that it is very simple to make. What you need :

Two fresh tomatoes. Try to use ones that are meaty tomatoes, such as Roma or Italian varieties.
A handful of fresh basil. Never use dried basil. Fresh is the best for this. I recommend chopping
or slicing the basil.
A ball of fresh mozzarella cheese, chopped in ½ inch cubes. Fresh mozzarella cheese is key for
this dish. You can get the cheese at nearly any deli.
4 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Remember, the extra virgin has lower acidity content
therefore, making it practical for such purposes.
2 Tablespoons Balsamic Vinegar.Do not use flavored vinaigrettes because the flavor of the basil
is all you will need. Adding in such flavors as rosemary or oregano will completely change the
dish.

Chop the tomatoes and place in a medium bowl. Add in the sliced basil and cheese. Drizzle the
olive oil around the bowl about 4 times, and do the same with the balsamic vinegar, but only
two times – approximately 2 Tablespoons. Mix well with a spoon, cover and let sit for a little
while before serving to allow the juices to absorb all the flavors. If you do not like balsamic
vinegar, you can omit it and the salad will taste just as good.

3. Pasta Sauce with Fresh Basil
Although I am a fan of homemade sauce, there are some fairly decent commercial brands out
there. When I have had to resort to buying premade sauce, I always look for a basic plain
tomato sauce which I can doctor up. One of the herbs I use is basil. This applies even with
homemade sauce. When heating up your pasta sauce, add some fresh basil leaves and let cook
for about 10 to 15 minutes over low –medium heat allowing the leaves to cook down. Serve
over a bed of fresh pasta in a pasta bowl and top with some grated Parmesan or Romano
cheese.

This article was contributed by Elizabeth Krause from www.simpleitaliancooking.com a website which specializes in Italian recipes. For weekly recipes and tips, join her newsletter. She first discovered Italiancooking while traveling in Italy. Here she saw the simple lifestyles of the Italians, however noticed they did not sacrifice quality. Every household still had espresso daily, but did so by using stovetop espresso makers rather than always going to a local shop.

Light

Herbs will grow best in a sunny south-facing window. For optimal growth, herbs require 6 hours of sunlight each day or you can use fluorescent lights, keeping them on 14 hours a day, 3″ above the plants.

Containers/Soil

Start with 4″ or 6″ containers (depending on your windowsill or shelf width) that have drainage holes in the bottom. Fill them with a high quality potting soil that has good drainage. An optional idea is to fill the top 1″ of the container with seed starting soil which is less likely to contain fungus or disease pathogens. Thoroughly moisten the soil by sprinkling on water or preferably by setting the containers in a tray of water, so they can absorb it from the bottom.

Sowing

Once you have the soil thoroughly moist, sow the seeds according to directions on each packet then cover the containers with clear plastic to retain consistent moisture. After the seedlings have emerged, remove the plastic.

Watering

Once plants are established, err on the side of letting the pots get a little dry between waterings.

Feeding

If you used a potting soil that contained fertilizer, your herbs may be just fine without any additional fertilizer for months. Herbs have the best flavor when grown ‘mean and lean’, so they don’t need a lot of pampering. If they do start to get a bit pale, you can add a light dilution of fertilizer every 2 weeks or so.

Growth and Care

The growth of indoor herbs may be a little slower indoors than outdoors, which you may enjoy if you just like a little snip here and there for some fresh flavor in the kitchen. You can also trim the plants from time to time to maintain a compact shape. Snip off any flowers that appear — when herbs put energy into producing flowers, they may become less flavorful or bitter. If the herb stems become woody (i.e. basil, sage, thyme), it’s time to transition them outdoors (if weather is warm enough) into a larger container or the ground or toss them in the compost pile and start fresh plants from seed.

Some herbs for a long-lasting indoor herb garden include:
Basil, chives, cress, garlic chives, lavender, lemon balm, marjoram, mint, oregano, rosemary, sage, shiso, thyme, watercress. You can grow these varieties indoors for months and harvest leaves as needed, letting the plants re-grow in between.

Herbs that would be happier outdoors (due to long taproot or desired maximum growth for flower production) include: Borage, chamomile, clary sage, cilantro, chervil, fennel, feverfew, lovage, and parsley.

 

 

 

Here’s a crowd pleasing recipe- just in time for football season!

Talk about a simple recipe. Savory adds a nice twist to classic potato skins. Enjoy!

Cut baked potatoes into quarters lengthwise and scoop out the potato flesh. sprinkle the skins with grated cheddar cheese and minced fresh savory. bake at 475 degrees until cheese has melted.

In Greek and Roman times, oregano was used primarily for medicinal purposes rather than culinary, the tea was used for coughs and asthma.

Bald men would mix oregano and olive oil and rub in into their scalps, praying for a miracle.

Wild oregano came over with the colonists but the culinary attributes of oregano weren’t realized in this country until WWII when the soldiers came back from Italy and southern Europe.

Recipe Idea:

Place a sprig of oregano in a small bottle of olive oil. Add a clove of garlic and let sit for 1 week. Spread on french sourdough bread. Delicious!

      Fresh garden tomatoes sliced and sprinkled with chopped basil and vinegar and oil are delicious. Basil mixes well with various egg and cheese dishes as well as fruit jams. In general, add fresh basil at the last moment, as cooking destroys the flavor quickly. When adding dried basil to a recipe that calls for fresh, substitute 1/3 the amount called for in the recipe.

      My first thought of a basil recipe is pesto. I love pesto – mounded on angel-hair pasta and surrounded with fresh sliced tomatoes, or spread on broiled fish or grilled chicken, or a baked potato, or a sauce for string beans or pizza, or…you get the idea. It’s great and easy and quick to make.

Pesto (1 cup)

   3 cups fresh basil leaves, tightly packed

    2 large cloves of garlic

    1 teaspoon salt

    2 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted

    ½ cup olive oil

    ½ cup fresh Parmesan cheese, finely grated

Add all ingredients except the cheese to a blender or food processor. Blend until well processed. Beat in cheese just before serving.

 

Fresh Lime-Basil Sorbet

   1 cup fresh squeezed lime juice (8 to 10 limes)

    1 cup water

    1 cup simple sugar syrup (1 cup sugar plus 1 cup water, boiled  then cooled)

    12 whole basil leaves

    1 egg white (optional)

 Combine all ingredients, except egg white, into a freezer friendly container and freeze 6 to 8 hours or overnight.

 Remove from freezer and allow to soften a little. Put chunks of frozen mixture into a food processor and process until all crystals have disappeared and mixture is smooth. Re-pack into container and keep frozen until needed. This will keep for up to 2 months. If you prefer a lighter, less icy sorbet, add 1 egg white during processing.  Yields 4 servings.

                      (Recipe from Herbal Gardens’ website)

 

Don’t forget the flowers. Basil flowers are edible and are a nice complement in salads or used to decorate the dessert or dinner plate. Our Thai Siam Queen is especially nice for this use.

 

Which Basil ? . . .

 There are more than 40 varieties of basil and we offer eleven of the most popular. The distinctive characteristics for each variety are listed here and are also printed on the front and back of every packet, but your own taste buds will most likely be the determining factor.

  Custom Blend

·         7 unique varieties giving a blend of color, textures, flavors, uses and fragrances.

·         Includes:  Lemon, Anise, Cinnamon, Purple Ruffles, Dark Opal, Thai and Genovese basils.

 Genovese Italian

·         A pesto-making favorite.

·         Large leaf.

·         Strong flavor and aroma.

 Greek Mini Yevani, Organic

·         Organic selection of Greek Spicy Globe.

 Italian Large Leaf

·         Very good used fresh and for pesto.

·         Large leaf.

 Lemon Mrs. Burns

·         Strong lemon/citrus fragrance and flavor.

·         Excellent for vinegars, salad dressings, fish dishes, and sprinkled in salads.

·         Good container variety.

 Lime

·         Combined flavor of basil and lime, very tasty.

·         Great in vinegars, with fish, salad dressings, sauces, oils and sprinkled on salad.

·         Good with standard basil dishes as well as pesto.

·         Good container variety.

 Napoletano

·         Large, crinkled leaves.

·         A top choice for eating fresh.

·         Tender leaves, mild, sweet mellow flavor.

·         Good for pesto.

 Red Rubin

·         Dark purple. All-America Selections Winner, 1992.

·         Clove-like spicy flavor.

·         Too strong for pesto.

·         Great for vinegars, in pasta dishes.

·         Good garden ornamental, containers.

 Thai Siam Queen

·         Superior Thai basil. All- America Selections Winner, 1997.

·         Sweet, spicy flavor.

·         Very aromatic leaves (licorice aroma).

·         Large leaves, compact plants

·         Beautiful pink and purple flowers.

·         Good container variety.

 Purple Petra

·         Dark purple.

·         Sweeter than Red Rubin.

·         Great for pesto and salad color.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To many gardeners, basil is truly an incredible herb. There are dozens of known varieties of basil of which Ocimum basilicum or Sweet Basil is the most commonly grown. It is enjoyed for its rich and spicy flavor with a trace of mint, clove and even licorice.

      Along with basil’s wonderful fragrances and flavors, some varieties are also used as attractive ornamentals in the summer landscape and others add interest to cut flower arrangements.

      Basil is native to India, Africa and Asia, but has a long history of legend and use worldwide. In Tudor England, little pots of basil were often given as graceful compliments by farmers’ wives to visitors. In present-day Italy, basil is a symbol of love, but represented hatred in ancient Greece.

      The ancient Greeks painted poverty as a ragged woman with a basil at her side. Both the early Greeks and Romans thought the plant would only grow if the gardener shouted and cursed while sowing the seeds. Some of you may already be proficient at that technique with other plantings.

      Historically basil has been recommended for digestive complaints and mild headaches and anxiety. Perhaps that was not the basis for hiding the head of John the Baptist in a pot of basil or why Keats wrote of Boccacio’s Isabella burying the head of her murdered lover in a pot of basil and watering it with her tears. It may have been the scent that was of interest or basils’ anti-bacterial and anti-fungal qualities.

 

To the gardener, however, basil is enjoyed steeped in a cup of tea, mixed into potpourri, added to Italian, Mediterranean and Thai food or French turtle soup.              

 

How do you use basil?