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HOW ABOUT HERBS 



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j^vik 



How About. ..Basil! 



As spring heats up, our thoughts 

 turn toward the warmer weather 

 herbs — like basil. Nothing can match 

 the fragrance that rises around you 

 when you work among a thriving 

 planting of spicy, clove/mint, cinna- 

 mon, and licorice/lemon scented 

 basils. Even more fun is using them 

 in cooking. 



New basils are being developed 

 all the time, but some of the old fa- 

 vorites are not being forgotten. I 

 still prefer the classic Lettuce-Leaf 

 Basil iOcimum basilicum var. 'crispum') 

 and Broadleaf Sweet Basil (O basil- 

 icum) for my major harvest and sup- 

 ply of frozen pesto. Both produce 

 large leaves with excellent flavor. 

 The spicy, sweet-flavored lettuce- 

 leaf type is one to shred right into 

 your green salads or a tomato sand- 

 wich, or pile onto a plate of vine- 

 ripened tomatoes and top with a 

 little olive oil and shredded cheese. 

 T'is hard to beat for summer lunch. 



Basil Genova Profumatissima 

 ('Perfume Basil') lives up to its 

 name. I tried this one from Shep- 

 herd's Garden Seeds last year and 

 found it excellent for pesto and 

 able to do well in other culinary 

 uses too. Its flavor and fragrance are 

 unmatched. These Stuffed Shells are 

 one of our family favorites. They're 

 great to prepare ahead of time and 

 pop into the oven whenever you 

 need them. 



STUFFED SHELLS WITH BASIL 



Make the filling. 



1 cup finely chopped fresh basil 



leaves 



2 eggs, well beaten 



2 cups ricotta cheese 



2 cups freshly grated Parmesan 



cheese 

 1 generous tsp freshly grated nutmeg 



salt and pepper to taste 



Mix beaten eggs with cheeses and 

 basil. Add seasonings and adjust to 

 taste. Cook about 20 large pasta 

 shells in 6 quarts boiling water until 

 just tender. Do not overcook. Drain 

 and rinse with cold water. 



Stuff each shell with about 3 tbsp 

 of filling and place in casserole 

 dish. Top with Basil Tomato sauce 

 and bake in preheated 375F oven 

 or about 25 minutes — until top is 

 bubbly. 



BASIL TOMATO SAUCE 



2 carrots, coarsely grated 

 1 small red onion, chopped 



1 cup fresh basil leaves, coarsely 

 shredded 



2 pounds fresh Italian (plum type) 

 tomatoes 



2-4 garlic cloves 

 salt to taste 



Combine the ingredients in a heavy 

 saucepan and simmer over medium 

 heat for 30 minutes. Remove from 

 heat and adjust seasoning. Blend in 

 food processor for a smooth sauce 

 or simply stir well to break up 

 tomatoes. Top stuffed shells before 

 baking, or use on other pasta dishes. 



Basils germinate and grow fast if the 

 soil, sun, and air are consistently 

 warm — over 55F. It's not a crop to 

 be hurried It needs plenty of sun- 

 light and moisture even when ma- 

 ture, in order to keep those new 

 leaves coming. Keep the flower 

 heads picked off and feed the 

 plants after a heavy harvest. For a 

 longer season, many people replen- 

 ish their gardens with young basil 

 plants in midsummer and this is 

 when 1 try out some different types. 

 I tried 'True Thai' last year. It's a 



striking plant about two feet tall 

 with a marvelous clove/mint/spice 

 scent and purple stems. The flower 

 heads are large and flat — an elegant 

 purple color. They are worth drying 

 if you decide to let them remain on 

 the plant — they hold their fragrance 

 for months. The leaves are excellent 

 for use in stir fries and in this Fresh 

 Basil Chutney 



FRESH BASIL CHUTNEY 



1 cup raisins 



1 cup firmly packed fresh Thai basil 



leaves 

 1 firm tart apple (Cranny Smith is 



good) 

 1 orange 

 1 jalapeno chili pepper, seeded and 



diced fine 

 juice of 1 lemon 



Cover the raisins with 1 cup of hot 

 water and set aside to plump for 

 10 minutes. Quarter and core apple. 

 Peel orange and cut into chunks. 

 Drain raisins and gently squeeze out 

 the extra moisture. Chop these in- 

 gredients quickly in the food proces- 

 sor. Squeeze the lemon over all and 

 salt to taste. This makes two cups 

 and is excellent with grilled chicken, 

 fish, or ham. 



This year promises to be an exciting 

 one for basils. Everyone's talking 

 about African Blue Basil {Ocimum 

 basilicum 'African Blue'), which is very 

 interesting, as it is not considered a 

 culinary variety Its leaves (green, 

 with purple veins, purple stems, 

 and a touch of purple at their base) 

 have a very strong camphor fra- 

 grance Word is out that it repels 

 Japanese beetles — which is amazing, 

 because those beetles usually de- 

 vour basil if they can get to it. I 

 grow my pesto crop plants under 



2S 



THE PLANTSMAN 



