Coming from an Italian background, I absolutely love basil. The sight and aroma of fragrant herb makes our kitchen feel warm and homey. When I am preparing meals, it is so nice to be able to just pluck a few fresh leaves whenever I need them.
One of my favorite things to have for lunch is some lightly toasted Italian bread, drizzled with olive oil, topped with fresh mozzarella and whole basil leaves. It is so yummy and easy to make. In the middle of the day, while preparing peanut butter and jelly or chicken fingers for the kids, I can still feel like an adult.
There are so many uses for basil besides the traditional pasta sauce. What about making your own pesto sauce and putting it in a gift basket?
Growing basil is so easy to do. for a long time, I had my basil plant just by maintaining one I bought at the grocery store! In the produce section, you can find a whole basil plant, wrapped like a flower bouquet. Bring it home and keep it in water. It will stay happy and healthy if you take care of it, with no need to plant it in soil. Because it is a commercial plant, it is pretty hardy.
You can also buy a basil plant in a nursery, but that is actually more expensive.
The best way to grow a basil plant, though is by seed. There are many varieties of basil. You can start with a very basic American type of basil and then get exotic later, and try different varieties to learn the best type or types for you.
Basil is a fast growing plant. You can certainly plant it outside, but I prefer planting it in a pretty container indoors, so it is always on hand. The key to growing basil is to water it off with room temperature water and keep the soil warm, no less than 60 degrees. If the soil gets too cold, you may have mold start to grow. Basil likes full sun or its leaves will yellow.
Thin the plants out when they are 6 to 10 inches apart. To encourage a bushier growth (fat instead of tall) pinch off the top when the plants are small.
Remove flowers when the buds start to appear to encourage leaf growth.
Pluck leaves whenever you need them. The more you pluck, the more that will grow!
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