- Author: Trisha E Rose
Published on: June 21, 2019
Basil reminds me of springtime. The freshness of the fragrant crushed leaves is so enticing. Fresh basil is such a welcome ingredient in so many recipes, adding a bright spiciness from pesto laced pasta to those intoxicating Thai soups and curries. At this time of each year, my husband will come home with a grocery store basil plant, a sweet Genovese basil that will thrive in my garden for months. What a joy. My local grocer is not my routine source of plants but this little ritual works.
In addition to sweet basil, this year I am going to try Thai basil in the garden. It has quite a pungent flavor so should do well in curries. Ocimum basilicum thyrsiflora, Thai basil is one of the many varieties of Ocimum basilicum, or sweet basil. Basil is a summer annual herb with leaves of various shades of green and purple. They prefer full sun and moist well draining soil. Pinch out the flowers to keep the plant growing. In past years my basil plants have lasted until Thanksgiving. I plant my basil within a tomato cage. The cage helps the plant grow upright with just enough support to allow the branches to separate for air circulation and it keeps my dogs from knocking it over.
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