The Kitchen Gardener - Episode 6 - Basil
This information is general in nature and should not be taken as professional advice. This is a personal contribution and non-commercial in anyway.
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Basil (sweet)
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Kingdom: Plantae
(unranked): Angiosperms
(unranked): Eudicots
(unranked): Asterids
Order: Lamiales
Family: Lamiaceae
Genus: Ocimum
Species: Ocimum basilicum
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Common:
Sweet Basil
No of Species:
There are many varieties of basil.
The most commonly used Mediterranean basil cultivars are "Genovese", "Purple Ruffles", "Mammoth", "Cinnamon", "Lemon", "Globe", and "African Blue". The Chinese also use fresh or dried basils in soups and other foods. In Taiwan, people add fresh basil leaves to thick soups (gēngtāng). They also eat fried chicken with deep-fried basil leaves.
The genus is particularly diverse, and includes annuals, non-woody perennials and shrubs native to Africa and other tropical and subtropical regions of the Old and New World. Although there are an estimated 50 to 150 species of basil, most, but not all culinary basils are cultivars of O. basilicum, or sweet basil.
Origin:
Basil is originally native to Iran, India and other tropical regions of Asia, having been cultivated there for more than 5,000 years.
Distribution:
That which is used in Italian food is typically called sweet basil, as opposed to Thai basil, lemon basil and holy basil, which are used in Asia. While most common varieties of basil are treated as annuals, some are perennial in warm, tropical climates, including African Blue and Holy Thai basil.
Anecdotal:
Basil is still considered the 'king of herbs' by many cookery authors.
Appearance:
Basil grows to between 30–130 cm tall, with opposite, light green, silky leaves 3–11 cm long and 1–6 cm broad.
Basil cultivars vary in several ways. Visually, the size and shape of the leaves varies greatly, from the large lettuce-like leaves of the Mammoth basil and Lettuce leaf basil to the tiny leaves of the Dwarf bush basil.
Companion:
Anecdotal - grow with tomatoes. Chemicals deter are said to insects (dubious as it is subject to insect attack).
Author considers it grows well with species of the Calendula genus, as they are mutually protective. Calendula has repellent properties and because both 'stimulate happiness'. Calendula emits a repellent odour that will repel some insects.
Taste:
The plant tastes somewhat like anise, with a strong, pungent, sweet smell.
Active Chemicals:
The various basils have such different scents because the herb has a number of different essential oils which come together in different proportions for various breeds. The strong clove scent of sweet basil is derived from eugenol, the same chemical as actual cloves. Other ingredients are:
cinnamate (same as in cinnamon)
citronellol (scented geraniums, roses, and citronella)
geraniol (as in geranium)[citation needed]
linalool[1] (a flowery scent also in coriander)
methyl chavicol (which gives tarragon its scent)
myrcene (bay leaf, myrcia)
pinene (which is, as the name implies, the chemical which gives pine oil its scent)
ocimene
terpineol
Eat alone with:
Tomato and Bocconcini Cheese
Any other cheeses
Green salads
Pasta
Pizza
Eat with:
With antipasti.
Calendula flowers
When soaked in water the seeds of several basil varieties become gelatinous, and are used in Asian drinks and desserts such as falooda or Sherbet.
Other Uses:
Basil is one of the main ingredients in pesto - a green Italian oil-and-herb sauce (recipe below).
Basil is a good preservative
Used in salads and can be used fresh or dried to add flavors or spices in stews, vegetable, poultry, meat, vinegars, pesto and pasta dishes.
Keeping:
Does not store fresh at low temperatures.
Freezes well when blended with oil.
Does not keep in pantry as paste (bacterial spoilage).
Fruiting:
No fruit
Growing:
Plant seedlings in early spring.
Prefers sunny position, shield from strong winds, keep moist.
Will get sunburnt in excessive heat.
Feed well.
Propagation:
Seed.
Pollination:
Insects.
Entomophily is a form of pollination whereby pollen is distributed by insects, particularly bees, Lepidoptera (e.g., butterflies and moths), flies and beetles. Entomophilous species frequently evolve mechanisms to make themselves more appealing to insects, e.g., brightly-colored or scented flowers, nectar, or appealing shapes and patterns. Pollen grains of entomophilous plants are generally larger than the fine pollens of anemophilous (wind-pollinated) plants. They usually are of more nutritional value to insects, which may use them for food and inadvertently spread them to other flowers.
Flowers:
The flowers are small, white in color and arranged in a terminal spike. Unusual among Lamiaceae, the four stamens and the pistil are not pushed under the upper lip of the corolla, but lay over the inferior. After entomophilous pollination, the corolla falls off and four round achenes develop inside the bilabiate calyx.
Seeds:
Optimum temperature for germination is 21 C but the seeds will germinate well with temperatures between 18-30 C in about 7-15 days.
Once the plant is allowed to flower, it may produce seed pods containing small black seeds which can be saved and planted the following year.
Cuttings:
Basil can also be propagated very reliably from cuttings in exactly the same manner as Busy Lizzie (Impatiens), with the stems of short cuttings suspended for two weeks or so in water until roots develop.
If a stem successfully produces mature flowers, leaf production slows or stops on any stem which flowers, the stem becomes woody, and essential oil production declines.To prevent this, a basil-grower may pinch off any flower stems before they are fully mature. Because only the blooming stem is so affected, some can be pinched for leaf production, while others are left to bloom for decoration or seeds.
Growth Habit:
Low growing annual, ovate fleshy leaves.
Basil grows to between 30–130 cm tall, with opposite, light green, silky leaves 3–11 cm long and 1–6 cm broad.
Yellow leaves towards the bottom of the plant are an indication that the plant needs more sunlight or less fertilizer.
Pruning:
Picking the leaves off the plant helps "promote growth", largely because the plant responds by converting pairs of leaflets next to the topmost leaves into new stems.
Soil:
Basil does best when soil pH is between 6.0 to 7.5.
Aspect:
Basil is very sensitive to cold, with best growth in hot, dry conditions. It behaves as an annual if there is any chance of a frost. In Northern Europe, Canada, the northern states of the U.S., and the South Island of New Zealand it will grow best if sown under glass in a peat pot, then planted out in late spring/early summer (when there is little chance of a frost). It fares best in a well-drained sunny spot.
Although basil will grow best outdoors, it can be grown indoors in a pot and, like most herbs, will do best on an equator-facing windowsill.
Diseases:
Basil suffers from several plant pathogens that can ruin the crop and reduce yield. Fusarium wilt is a soil-borne fungal disease that will quickly kill younger basil plants. Seedlings may also be killed by Pythium damping off.
A common foliar disease of basil is gray mold caused by Botrytis cinerea, can also cause infections post-harvest and is capable of killing the entire plant. Black spot can also be seen on basil foliage and is caused by the fungi genus Colletotrichum.
Compost has previously been documented to reduce plant-para-sitic nematode populations. Composted chicken manure is among the best of the composts for nematode control.
Pests:
Will be eaten by snails and slugs.
Insects:
Pests of economic importance include thrips; serpentine leafminers, Liriomyza trifolii (Burgess), and Liriomyza sativae Blanchard; Chinese rose beetle, Adoretus sinicus; greenhouse whitefly, Trialeurodes vaporariorum; carmine spider mite, Tetranychus vaporariorum; carmine spider mite, Tetranychus cinnabrinus; the stink bug, Nezara viridula; sweet potato whitefly (Bemisia tabaci); leafhoppers; and various mealy bugs, grasshoppers, and aphid species.
Ethnomedicinal:
Basils have been known to treat headaches, coughs, diarrhea, constipation, stomach aches, worms, warts and kidney malfunctions.
Eating it calms the digestive.
Such seeds are known variously as sabza, subza, takmaria, tukmaria, falooda, selasih (Malay/Indonesian) or hột é (Vietnamese). They are used for their medicinal properties in Ayurveda, the traditional medicinal system of India.
Recently, there has been much research into the health benefits conferred by the essential oils found in basil. Scientific studies have established that compounds in basil oil have potent antioxidant, anti-cancer, anti-viral, and anti-microbial properties. In addition, basil has been shown to decrease the occurrence of platelet aggregation and experimental thrombus in mice.It is traditionally used for supplementary treatment of stress, asthma and diabetes in India.
Research studies on basil have shown unique health-protecting effects in two basic areas: basil's flavonoids and volatile oils.
DNA Protection Plus Anti-Bacterial Properties
The unique array of active constituents called flavonoids found in basil provide protection at the cellular level. Orientin and vicenin are two water-soluble flavonoids that have been of particular interest in basil, and in studies on human white blood cells; these components of basil protect cell structures as well as chromosomes from radiation and oxygen-based damage.
In addition, basil has been shown to provide protection against unwanted bacterial growth. These "anti-bacterial" properties of basil are not associated with its unique flavonoids, but instead with its volatile oils, which contain estragole, linalool, cineole, eugenol, sabinene, myrcene, and limonene. Lab studies show the effectiveness of basil in restricting growth of numerous bacteria, including : Listeria monocytogenes, Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli O:157:H7, Yersinia enterocolitica, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa.
Essential oil of basil, obtained from its leaves, has demonstrated the ability to inhibit several species of pathogenic bacteria that have become resistant to commonly used antibiotic drugs.
more...http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=85#healthbenefits
Medical Warnings:
Basil, like other aromatic plants such as fennel and tarragon, contains estragole, a known carcinogen and teratogen in rats and mice. While human effects are currently unstudied, the rodent experiments indicate that it would take 100–1000 times the normal anticipated exposure to become a cancer risk.
Information Sources:
scpa.org.au
thebegavalley.org.au/seedsavers.html
www.gardenate.com
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basil
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_basil_cultivars
www.whfoods.com/genpage.php
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Recipes:
Pesto
50 g pine nuts (or sunflower nuts)
50 g pecorino or parmesan cheese
100ml extra virgin olive oil
garlic - 1-2 cloves
large handful fresh basil
Blanche basil in boiling water and refresh immediately
Blend basil, oil, garlic to smooth paste
Add nuts and cheese to a rough consistency
Refrigerate, keeping basil covered in a layer of pure olive oil to reduce oxidation
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Basil Tablets for use throughout the year.
Blanche basil in boiling water and refresh immediately
Blend with olive oil to a smooth paste and freeze about 1 tbsp in the bottom of muffin trays
Will keep for 12 months in a good freezer.
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Poppas Perfect Pasta
Use fettucine pasta
Garlic
Olives
Semi or Sundried or fresh tomatoes
Fresh basil leaves
Saute (quick hot fry) garlic in an oil and butter mix but do not burn
Add olives and tomotoes and sweat for 1 minute
Add basil leaves and wilt on the heat
Add chillies optional.
Serve immediately with parmesan or pecorino cheese (bitey character).
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