Let's not forget food/gardening/cooking blogs.
After several long paragraphs of the author's entire life story I'm practically screaming, "Get to the recipe!"

Well I would consider Aussie Sweetie Basil if I could find it. It is a really good basil. I love growing it too. Now as far as smaller
types I have tried Spicey Globe Basil but haven't had any luck. Might it grow in a partly shaded window box?? Looking for more dwarf
varieties of basil. I guess that Bush Basil is also dwarf. What about that for the window box??

I have lots of basil here now that I cut down all the tomato plants that used to shade them. So I will make pistou and pesto, I did buy some small packet of pine nuts from Sprouts recently, I better use them. No persillade here though.

I just finished my pesto and had it with my left over angel hair, it was pretty good. I used the recipe from Bon Appetit, but I kept the Parmesan out, I added it later. It's a good way to eat good olive oil and raw garlic.

I didn't know there was a Basil thread. An old one that seems to have come back to life!!




Here are 3 pots with Basil I am growing. Pots are on my driveway up near the garage.

I like reading through some of the older threads. I especially enjoy the ones Rita titles such as, "What's going on in your July garden?" And other months. Rita, do more!

Deeby said:I like reading through some of the older threads. I especially enjoy the ones Rita titles such as, "What's going on in your July garden?" And other months. Rita, do more!

Thanks.

Rita is busy now with veggie gardening and posting pictures.

My tomatoes are so slow this season. Here I get some small amount each day but I feel like I should have tons to give my neighbors and friends.

But to return to Basil that is in those pots on the driveway. That is my second planting months later from the original sowing in the early Spring. Seems to have turned out great.

I love the licorice fragrance of basil and I like to put bits of it on top of a pizza.

I picked more basil today, I'm definitely have enough to make pistou, not pesto. I already have a jar of pesto.

I am really pleased that I made that second planting of basil as it is doping really well.

Pistou is done, I read you can scoop it on top of steak or any meat. I might try that tomorrow.

Basil in pots on the driveway.

ROFLOL

I didn't realize at first that the above date was from 2020, and I wondered how I'd lost a couple of days!

I got some big stems of basil from a friend... stripped most of the leaves (yum) and have stems with a few leaves on top rooting in a glass of water. There's more than one way to start more basil!

Basil grows really well in a small planter in the greenhouse. I plant it thickly and clip the plants when they get 7-8 inches tall. A planter usually yields at least four harvests.


Pesto time! I like the garlic lightly roasted. I slice the root end off each head, roast it at about 275° for 25 minutes, then squeeze the cloves out— slick. Don't enjoy peeling garlic, clove by clove. Using the immersion blender saves the waste and mess of using our big Cuisinart food processor.


Started using pecans rather than pine nuts, which are often from China, mislabeled, and stale.


The immersion blender is also quicker than the food processor, and does just as good a job.


It freezes really well, if you pop it in before the oil separates.

Nice trick with the immersion blender for smaller batches!

I froze an ice cube tray of basil with olive oil and a little garlic (no nuts). Two food processor batches (stuffed pretty full with basil) yielded 1 tray's worth of heaping cubes. 3 have already found their way into a 2 quart container of bruschetta!