Basil is one of the simplest plants in the world to start from cuttings which is awesome. Not only because I am much better with cuttings than I am seeds, but because when you start this plant from cuttings it grows much faster, which means more basil and an earlier harvest.
Just get a long-necked bottle and fill it with room-temperature water. If you have a regular-sized basil plant, take a 6” cutting off of it; if it’s dwarf basil, take a 4” cutting. Now remove the lower leaves from the stem, leaving about three sets of leaves at the top.
Holy Basil (Bai Grapow) Peppery is perhaps the best way to describe this type of basil, which is used in stir-fries. Holy Basil is typically not eaten raw and can be frozen or dried for later use.
Place the lower half of the stem into the water letting the leaves at the top hold it in place. The water level needs to be kept high and fresh and in a couple of weeks you’ll have roots on your cutting.
When you have some really nicely established roots going, take the cutting out of the bottle of water and put in into a 4” pot with peat-based potting mix. After a couple of weeks, plant the new basil plant outdoors into the garden bed or keep it as an indoor plant. If you take a cutting or two at the end of the growing season this could be a great way to bring a basil plant indoors for winter use.There are a few different ways to store herbs, but this is one of the easiest ways that I have found to hang onto home grown basil; and you know how I love easy. Herbs dry fairly well when tied upside down and hanging around your kitchen or what-have-you. However, when herbs are dried this way they tend to lose their lovely color, not to mention it takes quite a while for them to be dry enough to place into jars for later culinary use.
Refrigerators have a dehumidifying action that makes them the perfect place to dry herbs quickly while maintaining their rich color. Gather a bunch of basil or any other herb stalks and place them loosely into a paper lunch bag. Close the top of the lunch bag with a chip clip or other such handy item so you can peek at them every so often. Don’t forget to label them.
The herbs will be completely dry within a couple of days. At that point you can either keep them right where they are (just tape them to the inside of the fridge to save space) or break the herbs apart to fit into air-tight containers for storage in a cool and dark place.
I’m always finding reasons to use aromatic basil in my recipes because of its incredible flavor. Well, that and there’s nothing like the scent of fresh basil on my hands.
Just get a long-necked bottle and fill it with room-temperature water. If you have a regular-sized basil plant, take a 6” cutting off of it; if it’s dwarf basil, take a 4” cutting. Now remove the lower leaves from the stem, leaving about three sets of leaves at the top.
Holy Basil (Bai Grapow) Peppery is perhaps the best way to describe this type of basil, which is used in stir-fries. Holy Basil is typically not eaten raw and can be frozen or dried for later use.
Place the lower half of the stem into the water letting the leaves at the top hold it in place. The water level needs to be kept high and fresh and in a couple of weeks you’ll have roots on your cutting.
When you have some really nicely established roots going, take the cutting out of the bottle of water and put in into a 4” pot with peat-based potting mix. After a couple of weeks, plant the new basil plant outdoors into the garden bed or keep it as an indoor plant. If you take a cutting or two at the end of the growing season this could be a great way to bring a basil plant indoors for winter use.There are a few different ways to store herbs, but this is one of the easiest ways that I have found to hang onto home grown basil; and you know how I love easy. Herbs dry fairly well when tied upside down and hanging around your kitchen or what-have-you. However, when herbs are dried this way they tend to lose their lovely color, not to mention it takes quite a while for them to be dry enough to place into jars for later culinary use.
Refrigerators have a dehumidifying action that makes them the perfect place to dry herbs quickly while maintaining their rich color. Gather a bunch of basil or any other herb stalks and place them loosely into a paper lunch bag. Close the top of the lunch bag with a chip clip or other such handy item so you can peek at them every so often. Don’t forget to label them.
The herbs will be completely dry within a couple of days. At that point you can either keep them right where they are (just tape them to the inside of the fridge to save space) or break the herbs apart to fit into air-tight containers for storage in a cool and dark place.
I’m always finding reasons to use aromatic basil in my recipes because of its incredible flavor. Well, that and there’s nothing like the scent of fresh basil on my hands.
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