Basil - King of the herbs

"A chaplet, me, of herbs I'll make,

Than which, though yours be braver,

Yet this of mine, I'll undertake,

Shall not be short in favour.

With Basil then I will begin,

Whose scent is wondrous pleasing".

Drayton



*%^#%*)(%&^!...what am I doing?  Why, planting Basil, of course.  Since the ancient Greeks and Romans, it has been a tradition to curse the ground when planting Basil!  And they say we are strange today.

Cursing aside, basil and humans have a long, long history together.  At least 5,000 years.  Basil is native to India where it is not so much used as a culinary herb, but as a sacred plant in the Hindu religion.  Ocimum tenuiflorum or formerly known as O. sanctum, commonly called Holy Basil, has been revered for thousands of years.  Dedicated to the gods Vishnu and Krishna, basil is known as Tulsi and is planted around religious temples and also houses.  Used in burials as a passport to paradise, the leaves are laid on the breast of the departed.  So revered is holy basil, that it has been used to lay one's hand to swear on in the courts of India, much like we use the Bible.  A chaplet, also known as prayer beads, called a Japa Mala in India, is made out of the wood of the holy basil plant, which is a perennial shrub in India.

On to it's next journey, basil is believed to have traveled next to Egypt where it was used in embalming and religious ceremonies.  Onward to Greece and Rome where the lore of basil gets colorful.  Basil and rue really dislike growing next to each other and since rue was thought to be beneficial and used as a cure for poisoning and basil wouldn't grow next to it, it was downhill for basil from there.  Some thought basil was associated with the Basilisk, known as the "king of serpents" and which could cause death with a single glance.  A few other fears were, if you placed basil under a stone it would breed a scorpion...if snuffed in a powdered form it would cause madness because a nest of scorpions would be found in the brain!  Oh, those old civilizations had such vivid imaginations!  Pliny the Elder, who wrote the Naturalis Historia, saved basil's reputation by refuting the stories and expounding on the virtues of the plant.  He believed basil could be used to relieve fatigue, inflammation, headaches, cure stings and a host of other ailments.

Establishing a new reputation, Basil became a sign of mourning in ancient Greece and a sign of love in ancient Rome.  A sprig of basil given to a woman meant she would fall in love with the giver and never leave.  It is still a symbol of love in Italy today.  Basil was used as a strewing herb to freshen and also to mask odors in the house.  Basil made it's way to Europe from the Middle East in the 16th century and to the States in the 17th century.

In the kitchen, there is not an equal.  Basil has a spicy, minty, clove like flavor that is just heavenly. Can be used as a tea, raw in salads, vinegars, with pasta, tomatoes and of course pesto.  Some say that Liguria, Italy is the birthplace of pesto...some say Genoa, Italy, home of the genovese variety of basil, is.  Whichever, pesto is older than mayonnaise and was used as a way to preserve the basil.  The basil is crushed with pine nuts, Parmesan cheese, and garlic.  Olive oil is then added to make a smooth paste.  Pesto traditionally goes well with pasta, but can be used in a whole host of different ways.  As an after meal tea, basil aids digestion.  The tea also helps with nervous headaches and anxiety.  Basil leaves are high in iron, vitamin A and K, beta carotene and a host of minerals.  It is an antioxidant and lately has been used in research for arthritis and cancer.

The genus is Ocimum, Latin which translates to "the sense of being able to enjoy the fragrance".  The species is basilicum, which aptly translates to "kingly".  A member of the mint family like so many other herbs, there are 60 some species of basil.  Sweet basil being the most popular, Genovese, Thai, reds, purples, lemon and the list goes on.  Every garden should have at least one type.  Basil can be started indoors 4 to 6 weeks early, just make sure outside temps are consistently above 60 degrees before setting out.  I always sow mine right in the garden or a pot after it warms up outside. Sow seeds 1/8 inch deep.  The seed germinate quickly, 3 days with most varieties and that is without cursing!   Although legend does have it to sow the seeds on the Feast of Pales which is April 21st!  Plant in an area with plenty of sun and good, enriched soil.  The babies don't like competition from other plants, so give them a little room.  Thin to 12 inches apart or so.  I usually wait until the plant is pretty established before I start harvesting the leaves.  They say to harvest the leaves where there are 2 to 3 leaves left on each stem,  this is suppose to keep the plant from bolting, but I usually pick what I need and if the plant starts forming little "rosettes" of leaves at the end of the stem, I'll cut this off if I don't want the plant to flower or "bolt".  Incidentally, these little "rosettes" at the end of the stems have more intense flavor.  I will let some go to flower because there are few plants the bees like better and since it's nice to share, the bees get to enjoy the basil too.  If saving the seeds, remember that basil cross pollinates easily so you might not end up with the exact plant if you have more than one variety. 

Basil is probably the number one companion plant to tomatoes, so be sure and plant together.  If nothing else, it's convenient for harvesting them both.  Just remember not to plant next to rue.  Try growing some in a pot, it's good to set on the deck or porch to help ward off mosquitoes.  Basil is also good in the garden for an insect repellent.  Watch the plants if the temps get above 90 degrees,...they'll start to wilt some.  I'll usually move the pots so they'll get afternoon shade when it gets really hot outside.

This is one herb that has no replacement.  To smell the leaves alone, is intoxicating.  For it's history, for the benefits to the body and for what it adds to foods are just a few of the reasons we should give it an honored place in the garden.