Bunches of basil

I have a bumper crop of basil this year. I started it from seed in late spring and a dozen little basil plants sprouted and grew. I gave some away and stuck the rest in all kinds of nooks and crannies in the yard.

It’s been a good summer for basil with hot temperatures and lots of rain so my basil plants are booming and I have plenty of leaves to make pesto. The kitchen smells incredibly green and wonderful as I pick and cut the pungent leaves.

Basil originally hails from India, Africa and Asia and has been prized for both its culinary and its medicinal value for many centuries. In India, holy basil is considered a sacred herb and is dedicated to the gods Vishnu and Krishna. The French call it herbe royale and, according to tradition, if a man gives a woman a sprig of basil, it’s a symbol of his undying love.

But before you start stripping leaves off the nearest basil bush to give to your beloved, consider this: A 17th century botanist wrote about a gentleman of Siena who used powdered basil as snuff. “In a short Time, he turn’d mad and died; and his Head being opened by Surgeons, there was found a Nest of Scorpions in his Brain.”

Unless you think that basil will cause scorpions to nest in your brain, try the fresh leaves as flavoring for sauces and for making pesto. I’ve included my favorite recipe below. Basil is a really easy plant to grow from seed and provides beautiful rich, green leaves all summer. It doesn’t like cold weather, though, so at the first hint of frost, it will be done for the season.

Perhaps I should have done a bit more basil research before planting it in every nook and cranny of my garden. According to an Italian custom, placing a pot of basil on your balcony is a sign that a woman is ready to receive suitors. No wonder Jack kept moving those pots to the back yard!

The following is a mild but beautifully flavored pesto. We use it on fish and pasta but our favorite is pizza with pesto, goat cheese and fresh figs. Yum!!!!

Pesto:

Ingredients:

• ½ cup pine nuts
• 3 oz. Parmesan, grated (about ¾ cup)
• 2 garlic cloves, finely grated (about 1 teaspoon)
• 3 cups basil leaves, packed
• ¾ cup extra-virgin olive oil
• salt to taste

Toast pine nuts at 350 degree for 5 – 7 minutes until slightly brown. Place in food processor to cool. Add garlic and cheese and blend for about 1 minute until it forms a paste. Add the basil and turn the processor on again, slowing pouring in all the oil. Blend for 1 minute. Add salt to taste.

Enjoy