Basil is one of the most popular and widely used culinary herbs. It has a warm, spicy smell and flavor varies by type. The most common variety is sweet basil. Other popular varieties include Italian, lemon, purple, Thai and dwarf basil.
This herb is traditional in Italian, Mediterranean and Thai cooking. The flavor of many summer garden vegetables is enhanced by adding fresh basil. It adds zest to summer squash, eggplant, potatoes, cabbage, cauliflower and tomatoes. Common uses of the herb are in recipes such as pesto and bruschetta.
Basil is easy to grow from seed. Start seeds indoors 4-6 weeks before the last frost. It can grow in a garden but is often grown indoors in containers. Basil plants require a lot of sunlight. After the plant is mature with several leaves on it, you can begin to harvest the leaves as you need them. Basil grows better and will produce more leaves if they are picked often.
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When the plant gets older and starts to grow flowers, be sure to pick the flower heads off as soon as you notice them. This will make the plant put more of its energy into producing leaves rather than flowers. If the plant flowers, the flavor of the leaves change.
Basil may be harvested anytime and used fresh. For plants with stems, trim the base of the stem, and place it upright in a glass of water in a cool location (about 50 to 65 degrees F). Make sure to change the water daily to maintain freshness. Basil can also be kept in an airtight plastic bag in the refrigerator for three to five days.
To freeze basil, first remove the stems and blanch the leaves in water for three seconds. Then dry the basil with a paper towel and separate leaves to put into a freezer-tight bag. Another way to freeze basil is to puree it and put it into an ice cube tray. Cover the tray and freeze.
To dry basil, cut the stalks 6 inches above the ground. Hang upside down in a well-ventilated space, out of the sun. To dry just the leaves, strip the leaves from the stalk and dry in a dehydrator or place on a screen and dry in a dark, well-ventilated room Store dried leaves in an air-tight container. Frozen or dried basil should be used within a year.
Tomato Basil Bruschetta
8 ripe Roma tomatoes, chopped
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup chopped onion
8 fresh basil leaves, chopped OR 1 teaspoon dried basil
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
1 loaf French-style bread, cut into 1/2 -inch thick slices
Wash hands with soap and water. Clean the tomatoes, garlic and fresh basil by gently rubbing under cold running water; scrub the onion with a clean vegetable brush under running water.
In a large bowl, combine the tomatoes, garlic, onion, basil, 1 Tablespoon olive oil and vinegar. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Stir gently and set aside.
Arrange bread on a baking sheet in a single layer. Pour 2 Tablespoons of olive oil in a small bowl. Brush bread slices with a small amount of olive oil. Set oven to broil. Broil the bread for 3-5 minutes. Watch closely, as the bread will toast quickly. Top each slice of bread with tomato mixture right before eating, as the bread will become soggy if left to sit very long.
Store leftover tomato mixture in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to four days.
Makes 12 servings.
Nutrition information per serving (1/12 of recipe): Calories 200, total fat 4g, saturated fat 0g, cholesterol 0mg, sodium 300mg, total carbohydrates 34g, fiber 2g, total sugars 2g, includes 1g added sugars, protein 5g.
Cami Wells is an Extension Educator for Nebraska Extension in Hall County. Contact Cami by phone at 308-385-5088, by email at cwells2@unl.edu or visit the Hall County website at www.hall.unl.edu