It’s August in Central Texas and the herb that’s growing the biggest and best is Basil, Ocimum basilicum.  I adore the sweet, tangy flavor of Basil and its’ so many delicious uses.  My favorite summer sandwich is fresh tomatoes, fresh mozzarella cheese and fresh basil leaves, dribbled with a bit of olive oil on your favorite wheat bun.  YUM!!!

 

There are many varieties of Basil: Sweet Basil, Lemon Basil, Purple Basil, Holy Basil, Thai Basil, Globe Basil et al.  My favorite culinary Basil is Sweet Basil, or Common Basil, Ocimum basilicum.  Basil can be grown quite easily from seed (plant in late spring as the weather begins to warm up) or from transplants.  Do not plant Basil when spring planting fever first hits, as Basil loves the heat, and any early spring cold snap will damage it.  So practice the gardener’s eternal lesson of patience, and wait until the soil has warmed, and the weather is more predictable.  Fresh Basil leaves are incredibly aromatic and delicious.  Of course many of you already know how to make pesto from fresh basil leaves, Parmesan and Romano cheese, garlic (lots of it), olive oil and pine nuts (I’ve also used pecans and/or walnuts as the pine nuts tend to be somewhat expensive).  Another favorite way to use Basil is in tomato sauce, with eggs and in a Tomato/Basil torte, which is an excellent brunch dish (I’d be happy to share that recipe if you call me.) I also include freshly dried Basil in my EZ Herb Garden Nutritional Spice.  This is a fantastic blend of fresh herbs from my garden, dulse flakes, spirulina, nutritional yeast and toasted sesame seeds (good in just about anything).

 

Basil has also been known to help with digestive problems, headaches and coughs (James Duke, author of The Green Pharmacy likes to use it as an expectorant.)  It is also used as an insect repellent, a remedy for headaches and for high blood pressure. In Central America, Basil is traditionally used to promote delayed menstruation, ease pain of difficult menstruation and to facilitate childbirth.  I have helped new mothers use it after delivery, made as a steam and used as a vaginal steam bath. It definitely helps with any episiotomy incisions.  Holy Basil has been used over the centuries to help ease the journey to the afterlife.  So there are not only wonderfully culinary uses of Basil, but also good medicinal uses as well as spiritual and ceremonial ones.

 

Remember to plant your Basil seeds next spring and enjoy this delightful, easily grown herb that needs to be included in every summer garden.