Growing Basil

One of the gifts Nupur of One hot stove brought for me when she visited was seeds of Genovese basil and Habanero chillies. The later did not sprout but the Genovese basil was a success. I have been enjoying a good harvest of basil since I planted which means I have to share the story with you.

I always try to have a lower carbon footprint and consciously up-cycle packing material. This time I used the Styrofoam box in which came my cup and saucer set. It is perfect for sowing seeds with the pockets. I filled up the boxes with earth about 3 inch deep. Then sprinkled the seeds evenly. Later sprinkled water on the seeds.

In 3-4 days the seeds sprouted showing false triangular leaves. Within a week I had lush green basil growing in my Window grill box outside the Kitchen.

Tip: 

Water lightly. Sprinkle water on the leaves to keep them lush.

Harvest : 

Use scissors to harvest the Basil or hand snip just the leaves.The leaves will keep growing and you will have a steady harvest.

Cleaning for Use:

Rinse in water to remove any earth. Handle delicately to maintain the freshness of the green leaves.

Some uses:

Basil is used in Italian cooking a lot and many continental dishes too. It is hand torn and used as garnish and also in sauces and pestos. 

Since this was my first experience of growing basil at home I went all ballistic with it in this pasta!

I made an unusual dip using the rest of the basil.