Basil

Basil originates from India and is considered sacred. Nowadays it grows wild throughout the Mediterranean, and is widely used in Mediterranean cooking. It is also widely used in our house - my husband and I eat loads of Italian food so we use it quite a bit in our house! A packet of basil costs about 70p from the supermarket and only contains enough to use in one or two meals. One the other hand, it's really easy to grow at home and for about a pound for a packet of seeds you could be getting lovely fresh basil all year round. There are two ways of growing basil at home. The first is to grow it on a windowsill in a pot. Choose a pot about ...  Read the complete review

~:~:~ Introduction ~:~:~ Basil is one of mine and Tim’s favourite herbs. Tim is really fussy with food and basil allows me to add flavour to his otherwise quite bland diet. Basil is also incredibly versatile and although most people would associate it with Mediterranean cuisine Basil is also used in many Asian cultures such as Thai, Chinese and Indian in fact from reading the internet a bit for research it would seem that in the US and Australia more people would associate Basil with oriental and Asian food than Mediterranean; I guess it must be a proximity thing? So let me tell you what I know about Basil. ~:~:~ Meet the Lamiaceae Family ...  Read the complete review

Basil is an aromatic annual that reaches about two feet tall, looks like its relatives, the mint family, only with more branches and which blossoms white or purple in summer. It will grow easily from seed in well drained and composted soil and should be planted after the frosts have been. Basil's big advantage especially to the new herbal gardener is that it will grow well in a pot on the kitchen window, given light and water and even the most absent minded of us, and that includes me, will have a hard job killing this one. It is a very generous plant and once established, straight away if you buy one from the garden centre or supermarket, will allow you to pick leaves ...  Read the complete review

Did you know, ?Children of the Earth Mother? actually are forgotten words for all plants on earth, when each were seen worthy of respect and importance to humankind? Centuries ago the Greek philosopher, Thephrastus attempted classifying plants dividing the plant world into groups like trees, shrubs and herbs. Physically, spiritually and mentally herbs were of utmost importance to people?s every day life. Knowledge about herbs were spread verbally though as populations grew it became important to keep correct information about herbs in writing, today still used as guidelines. Do you want to return your lover?s wandering ...  Read the complete review

My kitchen has been taken over by basil plants. I don’t just mean a couple; this is a true infestation. They seem to grow indefinitely and, despite my completely un-green-fingered tendering, they refuse to die. This is war and in order to win the war, you must know your enemy. KNOW YOUR ENEMY Basil comes from a group of plants with a rather rude name (labiatae), which includes sage, rosemary, thyme, mint and lavender. It originates from India (so who brought it over here – they have a lot to answer for; I can’t even do washing up without the damned things getting in the way). For Hindus it is a sacred herb ...  Read the complete review