For the Love of Basil

The end of summer is Basil tTime around my house. After growing all summer in my garden, it is full and bushy, although I harvest it regularly. Lover of heat and sun, this summer has been both, and the Basil I love it this year! The hydroponic produce you buy at the supermarket doesn’t compare to fresh-cut produce warmed by the sun. Basil from the garden.

One of the most important things to remember basil If you like heat, the more the better. Any sign of a chill in the air, basil It will wither and turn black. I start mine from seed in a warm greenhouse in early March as it takes a while to germinate and get going. Transplants are buried once the weather calms down here in Maryland in early May, but wait until the nights are warm, no lower than 50 degrees Fahrenheit, or you will have a lot of deadheading. basil.

It takes a few weeks in the ground and then it gets going. for sweet basilI cut off the flower buds that appear by cutting them with my fingers, as the flavor could be affected. You can use these flower tips as a garnish for a salad. For others basils, like African Blue, Thai or Cinnamon, I like it to bloom and use the flower stems to make flower arrangements or as a salad garnish.

Basil It has become a little more difficult to grow in the mid-Atlantic region. Normally it is very easy to grow, Basil It has been plagued with fatal downy mildew, making it unsightly and unusable.

Downy mildew, which appeared in recent years, is sweeping the country like wildfire. It starts with yellowing of the leaves, which looks like a nutritional deficiency, and then spots appear that can make the entire plant inedible. Under the right weather conditions (hot and humid weather), bresult Downy mildew can spread quickly and cause complete loss of all your Basil floors. Although Peronospora belbahriithe pathogen that causes Basil Downy mildew cannot survive our mid-Atlantic winters; It can be reintroduced in infected seeds or transplants or through wind-blown spores. So, it’s here to stay.

Disfiguring my Basil plants in late spring or early summer, I despaired of ever growing this stalwart of my kitchen for pesto again. But since this summer had a long period of drought and heat, it has escaped this scourge. Something good came out of our drought!

I was delighted to find a new cultivar of Basil called Amazel, an innovative plant that is resistant to downy mildew. Amazel is a very vigorous plant and now I always grow this variety. amazel Basil of proven winners.

Amazel has excellent resistance to downy mildew, which will keep plants growing and producing for home gardeners all season long. Unlike the typical bresult, Amazel has sterile seeds and therefore continues to produce leaves and buds even after it starts flowering, unlike others. bresult varieties that concentrate most or all of their energy on seed production. The foliage is larger than other basils and more succulent.

So many varieties to try and not enough space to grow them! There are at least between 50 and 150 varieties of basil and since they are good at cross-pollination, new ones always appear. Here is a very abbreviated list of varieties:

• Lettuce Leaf Basil
• Dark Opal Basil
• Lemon Basil
• Basil Licorice
• cinnamon and basil
• French basil
• American basil
• Egyptian basil
• Shrub basil
• Thai basil
• red basil
• Genoese basil
• The magical Michael Basil
• Saint Basil
• Basil’s intention
• Basil Ruffles Purple
• Red blonde basil
• Queen Basil of Siam
• Spicy globe basil
• Sweet Dani Basil
• Amethyst Enhanced Basil
• Mrs. Burns’ Lemon Basil
• Basil Track
• basil lime
• Neapolitan basil
• basil night
• Blue Spiced Basil
• Osmin purple basil
• Up green basil
• Marseille basil
• Minette Basil
• Queen of Sheba Basil
• Greek basil
• African blue basil

Basil It is an excellent source of vitamin K and manganese, copper, vitamin A (in the form of carotenoids such as beta-carotene) and vitamin C; and a good source of calcium, iron, folate, magnesium and omega-3 fatty acids. I had no idea this tasty herb was so good for you! I started using it in all the summer dishes I made, whether in the form of pesto or chopped fresh leaves.

So that the simple Pesto consumes all that extra basil:

Place in your food processor or blender, 1/4 cup of olive oil, 1/4 cup of pine nuts or toasted walnuts, 1 clove of garlic, roughly chopped, 2 tablespoons of lemon juice, 2 cups of basil leaves and 1 cup parsley, coarsely chopped. Pack all of this into the food processor, filling it up.

Blend well, adding large chunks to the mixture and blending again as needed. Transfer mixture to a bowl and add 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese. Add a pinch of grated black pepper.

And sit back and enjoy this mix with your pasta or my favorite grilled salmon! Really, any food would benefit from a little pesto, especially pasta. You can store it in the refrigerator with a layer of olive oil on top for a couple of weeks or freeze it. I freeze it in ice cube containers or bags for easy removal during the winter.

Here is the prescription:

Basil pesto

Using tons of basil of any variety and parsley, this is easy to blend in a food processor. Freeze small portions in baggies or small plastic containers to take out later. Store the rest in the refrigerator with a drizzle of olive oil on top. Remove from the refrigerator half an hour before use.

• 1/2
  do
  Pine nuts or toasted walnuts
  Pine nuts are expensive, so I substitute walnuts.
• 2
  t
  Lemon juice
• 1
  nail
  Garlic
  chopped into large pieces
• 1/4
  t
  sea ​​salt
• 1/4
  t
  Black pepper
• 2
  do
  Basil leaves
  Washed, dried and removed from the woody stem.
• 1
  do
  Parsley
  Washed, dried and removed from the woody stem.
• 1/4 to 1/2
  do
  Olive oil
  Add more for a thinner consistency.
• 1/4
  do
  parmesan cheese
  freshly grated

1. Combine walnuts, lemon juice, garlic, pepper, salt, parsley and basil leaves in a food processor and pulse until finely chopped.

2. With the food processor running, drizzle in olive oil and pulse until you get the right consistency.

3. Add the parmesan cheese.