While watering my tomato plants. I daydream about food. My
mouth waters for that first BLT sandwich of the summer. What could be better than a home grown tomato
slices on top of hickory smoked bacon, iceberg lettuce and, of course, Dukes
mayonnaise. I always think it is
important to sprinkle the salt and pepper on top of the tomato slices and the
Dukes needs to be on both slices of the toasted bread.
But crispy bacon is not the only food that pairs well with
home grown tomatoes. I also look forward
to a little snack I call Italian toast.
I slice up fresh basil and mix it in olive oil in a shallow dish. Then I
slice up a baguette and dip the bread in the oil and basil. I top these with
fresh made mozzarella cheese and a slice of tomato. The bread is placed on a baking sheet. I pour the remaining oil mix over the
tomatoes. Pop this in a hot oven until
the cheese melts and serve. Good summer
eats.
Basil is a very versatile and easy to grow herb if done
right. I think the biggest mistake gardeners make is planting too early. Basil,
like its ornamental cousin the Coleus, hates the cold. Basil will suffer if the
soil is cold and wet. Planting in early spring can lead to root rot especially
if we get amply rain. Basil will
languish in the cool spring nights we all enjoy and thrive in the heat. Tomatoes, on the other hand, do better with
cool night temperatures and languish in the heat. I usually plant my tomatoes about a month
before the basil. This spring, I waited till May to plant the Basil because of
the unusually cool temperatures. It is
not too late to plant basil, because we have 3 to 4 months of hot weatherstill
ahead of us.
Basil was originally thought to come from India and spread east
and west. Southeast Asia is known for
several types of basil each with its unique favor. Siam Queen and Thai Basil
are popular varieties that can easily be found here. To the west, Italians developed Basil with a
slight licorice flavor. Basil can be
found in pizzas and pasta dishes and is the main ingredient for pesto. If you love Italian cuisine, then you should
grow Italian Large Leaf Basil or Genovese.
The most common Basil found in stores around here is Sweet Basil. It is good
all-purpose basil but the flavor is mild and the plants have a lower yield than
Italian Large Leaf Basil and Genovese.
All three basils make a good pesto. If you like milder flavors in your
pesto, try Lemon Basil. To keep your
basil productive, pinch off any flower heads.
Once basil starts to bloom it will stop growing.
There are ornamental basils that are worth trying too. Dark Opal, Purple Ruffles, Red Rubin and
African Blue are just a few. I like to
grow African Blue as a pollinator plant for bees and butterflies. It is a sterile hybrid that will bloom all
summer with spikes of lavender flowers. These plants have purple stems and
veins. The leaves have a camphor scent which I do not think would be a good
flavor in any dish.
Local Herbalist Vivian Whorley (Graham’s mom) sends her
pesto recipe which can be easily made in a food processor. Add each ingredient one at the time and pulse
the machine a few times between each ingredient. Serve on pasta hot or cold.
Vivian’s Southern Pesto
2 cups of Big Leaf Basil or Genovese.
½ cup pecans
½ freshly grated parmesan
2 cloves of garlic
2/3 cup olive oil
A little salt and pepper.
thanks for reading -Kathy
#Basil, #Tomatoes, #pesto
#Basil, #Tomatoes, #pesto
