Basil, Genovese

Basil is one of the easiest herbs to propagate from seed. Sow indoors in late spring, or outdoors in early summer. It is normally a reliable germinator and easy to over-sow, so don’t get too carried away. Depending on temperature, germination normally takes 1-2 weeks. If you are a well-organised kind of person, you might consider successive sowing every couple of weeks to give you a longer, staggered harvest period.

Pot on to individual pots when the seedlings have a few ’true’ leaves. If you are planning to keep it in a pot, best to use one that is at least 10cm in diameter. Otherwise, plant into its final position with a spacing of 10-15cm between plants. If you are growing outdoors (in the UK), try to give the plant a sheltered sunny spot – a south-facing wall is ideal. If you don’t have a sheltered sunny spot, you may be better off growing it indoors – in a greenhouse, or a sunny windowsill.

Abundant in volatile oils such as eugenol, linalool and citronellol, basil has a reputation of relaxing digestion, and as is so often the case, when our digestion is relaxed so are we. Basils are famous for helping reduce anxiety as well as impart mental clarity. Knock-on effects may be better blood flow, lower blood sugar levels, better blood pressure, less inflammation, and a better mood.

These aromatic oils are also potent cellular protectors helping to prevent against ageing, enhancing the experience of well-being and vitality. They are used in aromatherapy to bring clarity and calm.

Harvest the leaves by pricking out the top 4-6 juicy leaves before it goes to flower.

Of course you can use them straight away for making Pesto. For a truly herbal-pesto add a few leaves of parsley, oregano, thyme, sage, lemon balm, angelica, and a spilanthes flower or two ( or any or all of the above). This makes a mouth-watering digestive and immune nourishing sauce – best made with its apothecary namesake, our friend the pestle. You can freeze batches to enjoy a bit of summer in the winter in a glass jar or in a covered ice-cube tray.

It’s hard to find good dried basil leaves so to make your own pick individual leaves very carefully, lay out on a drying rack and put in a dehydrator or drier at 35C for a few hours and store in an airtight container.

The fresh leaves make a bright and uplifting herbal tea infused in a cup of boiled water for 10 minutes.

Another of the ways to experience the benefits of basil are to use the essential oil in a diffuser or applied to diluted in a base oil to your temples.