Ideas for using Basil please.

Pink.

Hi Mardatha,

It can be quite a delicate plant and is best kept on an inside windowsill or in a greenhouse in our climate. It's fabulous in pesto, homemade tomato soup or just torn into salads.

These threads have lots more ideas:

Ideas for using Basil please.

Can I freeze basil?

Preserve fresh basil

Grow fresh basil for free

I'll add your thread to the first link later to keep the suggestions together.

Pink

mardatha

Brilliant ! I just got it because it looked a nice wee plant, and now have two big pots. I might try drying some too, has anybody done that? can you use dried Basil?

Softstuff

mardatha wrote: »

Brilliant ! I just got it because it looked a nice wee plant, and now have two big pots. I might try drying some too, has anybody done that? can you use dried Basil?

I never had any success with drying it, it seemed to go nasty before it got dry. You can chop it up, pop it in an ice cube tray with water and freeze it, then pop out the cubes and drop them in sauce as you need it.

Tiddlywinks

Just as a warning... if you decide to make pesto sauce with your basil, there have been some issues with pine nuts from China (some of them are leaving a bitter / bad taste which lasts weeks and affects your ability to taste anything).

I've avoided pine nuts / pesto for months because of this - just in case it stops me enjoying my chocolate .

Pink.

mardatha wrote: »

Brilliant ! I just got it because it looked a nice wee plant, and now have two big pots. I might try drying some too, has anybody done that? can you use dried Basil?

You can indeed, I have never dried it myself (I prefer to freeze it) but I do buy dried basil and use it in anything tomato based in winter when I don't have fresh. It won't taste as good as fresh but it's a good substitute. Use half as much dried herbs as you would fresh in a recipe.

Pink

mardatha

Ok many thanks ladies!

meritaten

Tiddlywinks wrote: »

Just as a warning... if you decide to make pesto sauce with your basil, there have been some issues with pine nuts from China (some of them are leaving a bitter / bad taste which lasts weeks and affects your ability to taste anything).

I've avoided pine nuts / pesto for months because of this - just in case it stops me enjoying my chocolate .

according to a guest cook on guys big bite (Food Network UK) unsalted cashews are a great alternative to pine nuts! Just thought I would share that if anyone was put off making pesto if they werent sure of the origin of the pine nuts.

oldtractor

re growing basil. if you let it grow to a few leaves tall then cut the tops off with 4 or 6 leaves,just underneath a pair of leaves,you can then remove that bottom pair of leaves [ use in a cheese sandwich]and place the basil stems [with remaining top leaves attached] into a glass of water.place on the window sill. in one to two weeks there will be lots of roots viseable. pot on into good growing compost. You need never buy basil again,just keep on propagating it this way.

Living_proof

My neighbour some five or six years ago gave me a packet of basil seeds which had come free with one of her children's comics. I have grown many plants each year from then onwards, still coming up this year so the seeds are excellent value and long lifers. If only parsley would be so accommodating!

Nargleblast

Mardatha, if you dry the basil it makes a nice calming tea. Ideal for those occasions when things get on top of you and you feel a bit emotional - I know, it really works. I remember having some upset once and a cup of basil tea really helped.