Drowning in Basil

[hotsnacks]

I'm off to make tons of pesto, as my basil started to flower last week or so. Next year I need to try and plant my tomatoes earlier so they overlap! Tomatoes are only starting to come now.

Considering I can't have basil outside in the winter, should I leave a plant or two to fully flower so I can collect (seeds?) and possibly plant again in mid-August with the idea of bringing the new plants inside for the winter?

I've read people say they plant cuttings/stems and whatnot but that's still rocket science to me and I'd end up chopping the plant and burying it!

[Peter1142]

Lucky you, I'm jealous. My first year I grew a meadow of basil but I can't seem to repeat that success.

There is no need to chop down your basil because it is flowering. IMHO it doesn't really change much. Just keep pinching those flowers if you want, and it will keep growing a while longer.

[pepperhead212]

Back before I started growing basil year-round, I grew a huge amount in the summer, of regular and Thai basil, then I ground it up with just enough oil that it would form a paste, but not with the other ingredients of pesto, since this way, I could use it in any recipe calling for basil. And the best way I found for storing it was to make popsicles! I would get those little popsicle molds in a dollar store, and put 1/4 c paste in each, which was slightly more than 1 loosely packed cup of basil. This was the perfect amount for a Thai curry, and for a tomato sauce, or something calling for a tb or two of minced basil, I would swish the frozen "popsicle" through the food until I had just enough basil, then I'd put it back in the mold, and back in the freezer. Works great!

[applestar]

Hey I have Popsicle molds! I'm writing this down

[Peter1142]

I did the above just using ice cube trays. Freeze and put in a bag and ready to to.

[pepperhead212]

I knew I'd taken a photo of it for somebody way back!

[nltaff]

Pepperhead and Peter are right on the mark. I grow my basil in pots on the south-facing, very hot deck, in dappled sun or bright shade. The fact that they are in pots (lots of them) allows me to move them around, based on their light needs.

I begin to cut them back as soon as they reach about 8-9" tall.

I'm in zone 5 as well, and I can keep these plants producing pretty much until the end of August, which then leaves (ha!) me with some giant, dark green, tender leaves to pick for that fresh-sliced tomato-basil combo. Meanwhile, I've chopped up and frozen my weekly harvest for use during the winter. This is last year's remains-imagine how much was in the freezer if this much is left over in July!

I've found that it is better not to let the plants get even close to flowering as once they start, it is very hard to get them to stop. But, they are on their own timeline and they will do what they must.

[nltaff]

Pepperhead, How do you grow basil year-round? I started some last fall in my greenhouse, kept at a consistent 70 degrees, under a high-pressure sodium light. All I ended up with was 5" tall, leggy, light green plants that were all stem with a few leaves the size of a nickel. Please, share your secrets!

[imafan26]

You can save some of the seeds for another time as well. Basil gets bitter once it blooms and will get woodier over time so eventually it will need to be replaced. Basil can be dried, salted, frozen,or stored in oil or vinegar. Since it is a good pot plant, you can grow some year round as others have mentioned. You are lucky. I miss basil, I have a hard time growing it now because of basil downy mildew. I tried Eleonora and it lasted longer but it still got downy mildew, it has been a wet summer so that is not helping.

[pepperhead212]

Pepperhead, How do you grow basil year-round? I started some last fall in my greenhouse, kept at a consistent 70 degrees, under a high-pressure sodium light. All I ended up with was 5" tall, leggy, light green plants that were all stem with a few leaves the size of a nickel. Please, share your secrets!

I grow the basil and Thai basil, as well as many other herbs in hydroponics, and the things grow like WILDFIRE! Here is a photo of two of each plant. You can click the photo and it will take you to photobucket, and you can see the album of 69 photos I have of the hydroponics setup.


I grow Serrata basil, because it is a short, bushy basil, with a flavor almost like Genovese. You can see in that photo that those plants are large, yet have not started flowering! This doesn't even happen outside, though Serrata is easier to control there, too. I only grow one plant of each now in the hydroponics, starting with three, and keeping the best one of each. Even one is more than I ever use, since I can harvest a couple of cups from one, and a few days later, it looks the same again!

I keep them under two 32w T8 + one 55w T5 bulb and have it on a timer for 14 hrs/day. I can actually grow cilantro indoors much better than out, with it bolting much slower. The only problem - incredibly rapid growth, and I have to trim it constantly, and throw some out! I hate to, but I really don't know anyone closeby to share it with. I just trimmed a huge amount of peppermint and red epazote. I actually have to take the system down, clean it out, and set it up again, so that I'll have it ready by late Sept. - this is when I take cuttings of the basils, root them, and put them in the hydroponics, for the off season.

[nltaff]

Thanks, Pepperhead, those pictures are great. I'm thinking that the unrestricting root medium of the nutrient water also helps to keep the basil from wanting to go to seed. I might look into a couple of small hydro containers for my small (8x15') greenhouse this winter.

[pepperhead212]

Glad you liked them, nitaff. Here are a couple tips: I set up those deepwater systems with an aquarium powerhead with a sponge filter attached. This helps keep it clean, plus helps with aeration, for which I also have a small airstone in each of them. I have used several brands of vegetative growth nutrients, and all have worked well. And one thing that really seems to work well is Hygrozyme. This is an organic liquid, which helps the dead root cells decompose, and return to the nutrients. If you look at some of the early photos that I took of the roots, they are dark, which is a lot of dead roots, while the later ones, after I started using HZ, are bright white. And something that I add, which I got for my aquariums originally, is a culture of bacteria, which helps the filter decompose the dead material

[hotsnacks]

Thanks for all that guys! Some impressive stuff especially the hydroponics! My goal is still growing some basil over the winter, or even some over the fall too.

My basil needed a massive flower-trim (I had no idea), but I'm guessing these weren't advanced enough to bear seeds? I left a couple on some of my plants in case it was too early. Can these dry out on their own or need to dry out fully brown on the plant?

Or, can I just do the "cutting in water" thing and then plant it in a small pot indoors for winter? Whatever is easier. I'm better in the kitchen than I am in the garden for now.

I'm guessing I plucked these too early for seeds?

I also made the pesto with 2015 Harvest EVOO from Tuscany, 30 month aged Parmigiano Reggiano, walnuts and toasted garlic. I ran ice thru my food processor too to get it cold so as not to burn the basil!

Made the pesto!!

[pepperhead212]

Hotsnacks, Basil roots well, and that is how I start my basils in the spring, and again for the fall. I cut the plants way back, about 3 weeks before I take the cuttings. This way, they will put out some shoots w/o flowers. I take the cuttings, and score the stem on the lower inch or so, just barely cutting through the skin every 1/16" or so on opposite sides, and dip them in a rooting gel. Then I root them in a cloner, though I used to roof them in water in a glass, changing it every 1 or 2 days. The roots come out those scored lines on the stems! Here is another album, showing cuttings being rooted, most of them basil:
https://s24.photobucket.com/user/pepperh ... ngs?sort=3

[rainbowgardener]

I am also drowning in basil! Last night I made five (more!) jars of green basil jelly, and made and froze two (more!) batches of pesto.

I actually had two gallon baggies of basil leaves that I put in the fridge with a damp paper towel to keep for a few days and didn't get back to in time and ended up composting the whole thing. Feels wasteful, but I've got way more basil than I need!

[rainbowgardener]

Last night we had fresh basil pesto for dinner and then I canned four jars of purple basil jelly. And I still have more basil than I know what to do with!

[nltaff]

Hi RG, are those jelly recipes recorded somewhere in the using/preserving forum? Sounding really good right now!

[rainbowgardener]

This -- https://www.helpfulgardener.com/forum/vi ... 45&t=57694

is a page where I talked about jelly and jam and ice cream making with flowers and herbs and gave a jelly and a jam recipe.

That page is more talking about florals but the process is exactly the same with herbs. Make an infusion / steep the herbs or flowers to get the flavor into the water. Then strain the herbs or flowers out and use the flavored water to make jelly with sugar and pectin.

Here's the basil jelly recipe I have been using:

4C water
2C firmly packed fresh basil leaves, chopped
1 pkg pectin
3 drops green food coloring, optional but makes the green basil jelly prettier (no added color needed for purple basil jelly, which comes out a beautiful deep rose pink)
4C sugar.

Bring the water and basil to a boil. Remove from heat; cover and let stand at least ten minutes. Strain out and compost basil. Return the flavored water to the pan. Stir in pectin and food color. Return to a rolling boil over high heat. Stir in the sugar. Boil for one minute (or until the jelly starts to coat the spoon) stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Skim off foam. Carefully ladle hot mixture into sterilized, hot half pint jars leaving a little air space at the top.

If you want it to keep longer, it should be processed in a hot water canner, per directions. However, depending on the pectin you are using, for me sometimes the canning process tends to un-jell it, so it is runnier than I like. If you are canning it, you should add a little bit of lemon juice to the infusion.

[rainbowgardener]

I was looking around for what else to do with basil (I already have a freezer full of pesto! and way too much basil jelly!) and found this:


Strawberry Basil Margaritas

Makes 1 pitcher, or about 8 servings
1 can (12 ounces) frozen limeade concentrate
10 strawberries (or 12 if you're using smaller ones from the farmer's market or your backyard.)
8 basil leaves
2 to 2 1/2 cups tequila (gold or silver)

Empty the limeade concentrate into a pitcher. Add 2 1/2 cans of water and 1 1/2 (18 ounces, or 2 1/4 cups) cans of tequila (or a bit less, if you don't want your drinks to be quite as strong).

Hull the strawberries, slice lengthwise, and add to the pitcher. Crumple the basil a little in your hands (this will help the basil flavor release into the drink) and add it to the pitcher, too. Place the pitcher, covered, in the fridge overnight, or for at least four hours.

When you remove the pitcher from the fridge, your margaritas will be a lovely pale pink color. Now all you have to do is serve them and wait for the compliments to pour in.
https://www.thekitchn.com/10-recipes-tha ... chn-192741

Personally, I would probably use more strawberries and more basil!

Basil oil is reputed to have lots of medicinal qualities, so I will try making some of that, too.

[nltaff]

Thanks, RG, I just cleared my blueberry bushes of berries and made 6 jars of jam yesterday. Not too taxing (haven't done jam or canning for over 10 years now and I seem to remember it being messier than my experience yesterday). I bought a jar of pectin, so for others reading here, 1 and a half TBS per 1 and a half cups of pre-sugar liquid. I might try the green like a jam, leaving the finely chopped leaves in the mix. I'm thinking that if I add the lemon juice to the chopping process, perhaps it will come out green, not black. I actually love to just pick basil leaves and munch on them, or add them whole to the salad mix. I find this puzzling because I really don't like anise or licorice flavors! I was thinking of what combinations might be good for the jelly/jam. Maybe French bread slices with roasted pepper and sharp provolone (like the cheddar/fruit combo). Or, cheese bisquits made with Locatelli or Asiago instead of cheddar.

[rainbowgardener]

well..... let us know how it works for you. I personally don't think I would like chewing on basil leaves in my jelly and I don't think they have enough substance to make it very "jammy." If you do the infusing, then the leaves themselves don't have much flavor left in them, so you might as well remove them.

[rainbowgardener]

RE: I really don't like anise or licorice flavors!


Although some basils, especially the purple ones, lean a little bit towards anise-y flavors, basil really is NOT anise flavored. It is its own unique flavor, quite different.

[rainbowgardener]

Note to self for next year: I probably don't really need eleven basil plants!

We had a pitcher of the strawberry basil margaritas (yum, yum!), we had company over so I made a double recipe of pesto, I did some basil oil... I still have gallon bags of it that I don't know what to do with!

[imafan26]

Let some of the basil in the garden flower. The bees love it and the forage gets scarcer as the summer ends. You will also be able to collect seeds for next year. My mom can grow basil at her house without getting downy mildew. I just have to plan my meals so I can pick the basil on the same day I make Thai food. A little more inconvenient since I used to be able to go out in the yard and pick fresh herbs whenever I needed it.

[Jrockbk]

Question from a newbie, I planted 3 basil cuttings to clone and one looks like it's dying, can it be saved?

[applestar]

Try snipping off the large leaves to conserve waterloss from the leaves.

[imafan26]

That is an interesting setup. I think the small one is a goner. Cuttings root usually in two week in water or perlite. I plant them in potting mix (MG). They don't particularly like wet feet. Your dish is more like a static hydro system. If the stems are staying in the pool of water, it may be why the basil is turning yellow. The stems at the bottom may be turning black. Basil can be grown hydroponically. We grew them in cinder in an ebb and flow system. The roots need air.