Basil

purple basil

I have a serious problem with growing too much basil in my garden.  It was one of the first plants I started growing from seed, and I always think that I am going to make good use of the 10+ plants I start.  This never seems to happen though!  Part of the problem is that it is so easy to grow that I forget about it some times.

 I usually grow a regular old variety of green basil, a purple thai basil and this year I also grew a regular thai basil.  I love all three, but I get the most use out of the green basil.  Usually it ends up in a caprese salad once we are overrun with tomatoes, but we also throw it into any other dish that warrants it or use it as a garnish.

I know I should get my act together and make some pesto or something.  I actually did my first year in my house, freezing it into small portions to take out.  But for some reason or another it never got used up, so I gave up on it.

Thai basil gone to seed

I think my biggest problem is that once August hits and everything else is coming in full force I sort of forget about it, and it ends up going to seed.  Now this isn't such a bad thing, since now I have self-seeded basil popping up in my garden.  But that means I end up with even more plants than I had intended on!

This year I reminded myself that I should dry some in July.  It actually worked out really well, and I hope to dry more in the future.  Perhaps I can add it to my repertoire or edible homemade Christmas gifts.

Hopefully when I am starting seeds next year I remember this post and hold back on growing just one more basil plant!