Many-faced Basil - In The Kitchen, In The Flower Garden And In The Medicine Cabinet. Varieties Of Use And Care. Photo

2023 Author: Ava Durham | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-11-27 07:13

Basil is a wonderful universal seasoning for meat, fish, soups and fresh salads - well known to all lovers of Caucasian and Italian cuisine. However, upon closer inspection, basil is surprisingly versatile. For several seasons, our family has been drinking aromatic basil tea with pleasure. In the flowerbed and in flowerpots with annual flowers, a bright spicy plant also found a worthy place. Let's take a look at how diverse basil is, and find out what possibilities this familiar southern spice hides.

Content:

• Why do we love basil?
• Basil in the garden - tea with lemon in a cup
• Basil on the flower bed
• Basil in the medicine cabinet
• Planting and caring for a basil

Why do we love basil?

The Latin name for the basil is Ocimum basilicum, which translates as “sweet basil”. Indeed, the main value of the spice is precisely its unique, recognizable aroma. The color palette of the basil leaf blade is not rich. As a rule, its foliage can have a light green or deep dark purple color. It is the smell of a plant that has a truly wide variety.

All parts of the basil are fragrant with essential oil containing vitamins (B, C, PP, K), phytoncides and tannins. The fragrance emanating from the plant is so strong that my family members will unmistakably recognize picking it anywhere in the garden. If desired, basil can replace many popular spicy herbs, since in a wide range of varieties and varieties, in addition to the traditional one, you can find anise, clove, vanilla and even menthol aromas.

Basil in the garden - tea with lemon in a cup

For summer refreshing teas, lemon basil is especially popular in our family. Such a drink cannot but fall in love with its bright rich citrus taste, in comparison with which the usual tea with lemon will fade.

On sale, the seeds of such a basil can be found under the name "Lemon", "Lemon flavor", "Limoncello", "Lemon wedges", etc. The name can change depending on the seed producers, but they usually cover the same basil with a citrus flavor and aroma. In addition, there is also "Lime" basil, which tastes close to lemon, but with a more pronounced bitterness.

In our search for the best tea, we also tasted caramel, mint, vanilla and cinnamon basil. I cannot say that the taste of these varieties is completely identical to caramel, mint and cinnamon, but certain notes of the mentioned spices are easily perceptible in it. These "sweet" basilicas are best suited for fruit salads, but they also make good drinks, especially when combined with lemon basil.

It doesn't take long to make basil tea. To do this, I usually collect the tops of young shoots, preventing them from blooming. This method also provokes an increase in the branching of the bushes, which very quickly overgrow with new stepsons. I put 3-5 shoots with four leaves on a mug, pour boiling water. After 5 minutes, the drink becomes tasty and aromatic, if desired, I add sugar to taste.

How to dry basil for tea?

At the dacha, we enjoy drinking our own "tea with lemon" all summer long. But magic grass can also be prepared for the winter. It is better to cut the spice for drying before flowering, since the leaves and young shoots are most fragrant during this period.

Basil is dried, like any other spicy herb (mint, lemon balm), in a dry room without direct sunlight, suspended, or spread out in a thin layer on a cloth or paper. Dried basil does not lose its taste and aroma for several years, but, according to my observations, the taste of such tea is still somewhat inferior to fresh one.

Traditional medicine experts advise that in the case of daily tea consumption, take the drink for no more than three weeks, after which take a week's break. At the same time, it is advisable not to drink it more than once a day and not to make the drink too strong. It is also better not to offer such tea to children under 7 years old. (For other contraindications, see below).

In order to avoid negative effects, we prefer to consume basil tea not every day, but alternate it with drinks with mint and lemon balm.

Basil on the flower bed

I would like to highlight certain varieties of basil not only for their aroma, but also for their high decorative qualities. Basil globular, has a strong aroma with characteristic mulled wine tones, is distinguished by very small dense foliage. This plant forms incredibly dense pretty bumps and can be used in landscaping in combination with low annuals, resembling boxwood from a distance.

Miniature varieties of basil can be found under the names: "Dwarf", "Greek", "Perfume" and others. The maximum height of the mini-basil is 20-35 centimeters in diameter and at the same time it is easy to shape and cut. This seasoning can be easily grown in a pot on a kitchen windowsill or balcony.

But it is even more interesting to compose with his participation an original floral arrangement, planting the spice next to annuals with brightly colored flowers - snapdragon, petunia, calibrachoa, nemesia, verbena and others. On a flower bed, dwarf basil can serve as an original frame for a flower garden.

Not many people perceive ordinary purple basil as an ornamental plant, but for me its dark purple foliage seems to be no less spectacular in a flower garden than everyone's favorite Coleus. Moreover, the basilica "God himself commanded" to be a "real" flower. After all, he, like Coleus, sage, lavender and other popular flowers, belongs to the labiate family, which has a pretty two-lipped flower shape.

If the basil is allowed to bloom, then slender spike-shaped inflorescences with purple flowers, contrasting with dark stems and foliage, will rise above its expressive purple foliage. Such basil will perfectly cope with the role of a vertical accent in flower gardens and balcony compositions, and is especially organic in natural style mixborders or tea gardens with other herbs.

Usually, the small flowers of this spice do not attract much attention, but it turns out that the basil has one unusual variety - "Thai Queen", which, indeed, can be called beautifully flowering. In addition to its main purpose as a spice, this variety is initially considered decorative and is recommended for planting in flower beds.

Unlike other varieties of basil, "Thai Queen" does not form erect, but flattened dense inflorescences, consisting of many small two-lipped flowers of lilac color. Additional decorativeness to the plant is betrayed by the dark purple tops of the shoots, which stand out against the background of green foliage.

This basil is quite powerful and forms tall (up to 50 centimeters) wide bushes that branch well on their own. In addition to the decorative function, the Thai Queen basil fulfills its main function as a spicy-aromatic plant, and I enjoy using its leaves as tea.

To some, the smell of this basil seems slightly peppery, but, in my opinion, the drink from the basil "Thai Queen" has a recognizable taste of cinnamon and is no less pleasant to drink than the "Lemon aroma".

Basil in the medicine cabinet

In folk medicine, basil is used to treat many diseases of the cardiovascular system, gastrointestinal tract, skin, eyes. In addition, basil is considered useful for atherosclerosis, hemorrhoids, cystitis, arthritis, and even for the prevention of the development of cancer.

Basil tea is not only incredibly tasty, but also replenishes strength after significant physical exertion and improves the psycho-emotional state of a person, increases tone, strengthens the nervous system, improves sleep and reduces anxiety.

The essential oils, vitamins and minerals found in basil leaves make the spice useful for colds. It is believed that the use of basil can strengthen the immune system and effectively fight staphylococcus, enterococcus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and other pathogenic bacteria.

Dry basil leaves can be used during the cold season for colds. To prepare a healthy drink, you will need one teaspoon of dry herb per glass of boiling water. To enhance the effect, add a little black pepper, cloves, cinnamon to the basil, as well as honey or sugar to taste. Infused tea with spices for 7-10 minutes.

With sore throat and other sore throat, gargling with a decoction of basil contributes to a speedy recovery. Outwardly, basil is also used to wash the eyes in order to eliminate cramps and redness.

The spice is no less popular in cosmetology. Fresh basil juice is applied pointwise to acne with problem skin. And for aging skin, vitaminizing compresses-masks are suitable, which help to increase skin tone. For this purpose, fresh basil leaves are turned into gruel by mixing the mass with a small amount of water (you can also add an egg and honey to the mask to increase the nutritional value). The mask is kept on the skin for 10-15 minutes, after which it is washed off with water.

Basil decoction is no less useful for hair. After washing, rinse your hair with an infusion prepared according to the following recipe: 2-3 tablespoons of crushed dry basil leaves are poured with one liter of hot water, infused for 40-50 minutes, filtered and rinsed hair.

With a tendency to thrombosis, it is important to consider that basil increases blood clotting. In this regard, it should also not be used after recent heart attacks and strokes. Also, a drink from basil is categorically contraindicated for pregnant women and people with epilepsy.

Planting and caring for a basil

It's easy to grow basil from seeds. Despite the fact that the plant is thermophilic, you can sow directly into the open ground when the threat of frost has passed. Seedlings develop quickly enough, therefore, with a seedless growing method, fragrant greens can be obtained by July.

I prefer to grow the plant with seedlings. To do this, I sow basil seeds indoors in mid-late April in small containers. For even sowing, small seeds are best mixed with sand. But even if the seedlings are thickened, I usually do not carry out additional picks in separate cups, and at the end of May I plant them directly into the ground in bunches.

With regular watering, young plants take root easily and painlessly. Basil does not require any additional dressing on moderately fertile soils. Care is usual - weeding and watering in dry times. The plant is quite drought-resistant and can easily survive the hot week when watering only on weekends, therefore it is well suited for working summer residents.

If you provide the basil with a not humid, sunny place, it will gain mass very quickly and become suitable for preparing salads and tea drinks. To increase shoots, it is advisable to pinch the bushes regularly. But here it happens naturally when collecting raw materials for tea.

To prepare the drink, it is just best to use the tops of young shoots, which, among other things, prevents flowering. And, as you know, spicy plants have a maximum concentration of essential oils before they begin to bloom profusely.

Basil does not tolerate even light frosts, so it is very important to have time to prepare raw materials for the winter before the onset of cold weather.