Made pesto yesterday

floyd1440 wrote:Next summer looking for a popular basil for zone 5-7. I would like to order seeds but do not know which type is good for this area

thanks

I plant just regular old green basil and I usually sow it indoors around the first week of March. You may find some seeds on sale in your local stores now.

thanks[/quote]
I plant just regular old green basil and I usually sow it indoors around the first week of March. You may find some seeds on sale in your local stores now. [/quote]


How many plants do you have to get three cups packed of basil???

floyd1440 wrote:thanks

I plant just regular old green basil and I usually sow it indoors around the first week of March. You may find some seeds on sale in your local stores now. [/quote]


How many plants do you have to get three cups packed of basil??? [/quote]
Well if you have a bushy plant I suppose you can get that off of one plant. I usually plant extra of just about everything, because I anticipate loss. So, I currently have 3 squares with 5 plants per square and 4 squares with 2 plants per square. I have lots of basil. I have harvested off these plants 2X and will once more before frost, First harvest = 36 frozen cubes of pesto. Second harvest I gave away to multiple folks. I also traded some basil for raspberries and blackberries. I will harvest & freeze more next month.
OH, the other thing, (can't remember who suggested it) but I planted basil around the summer squash and I have had very few squash bugs. Don't know what that means, but maybe squash bugs don't like basil...

I know that when I was not able to run out and keep my basil trimmed the bees invaded, so I let mine go, they were loving those basil blooms.

So, I currently have 3 squares with 5 plants per square and 4 squares with 2 plants per square. I have lots of basil.


I planted two this year for usage but never considered pesto. I had some the other day and I love your idea of freezing them for all year round. Now you put more than one plant per square and have plenty of room? :?:

floyd1440 wrote:So, I currently have 3 squares with 5 plants per square and 4 squares with 2 plants per square. I have lots of basil.


I planted two this year for usage but never considered pesto. I had some the other day and I love your idea of freezing them for all year round. Now you put more than one plant per square and have plenty of room? :?:

Yes indeed. I will take a photo tomorrow and will post .

Basil is my new love....never new how much i loved it until we made home made tomato sauce....i always thought it was the orageno that i loved in the sauce...nope its basil look forward to your pics camp...i want to plant a lot more next year!

hugs

rose

since you like basil take a plate of fresh sliced tomatoes sprinkle a little salt on, splash a little EVOO on them then top with fine shredded basil and give them a short rest in refridge before serving.
Fine chop some in ice cube trays then flood and freeze for use after the season. That will be closer to original flavor than drying it, but do some of both.

I've always heard that when cooking, if you are cooking, if you have tomatoes, you must have basil, and if you've got basil you need a pinch of oregano, and a pinch of parsely....

westie thanks for the tip about freezing basil i need to grow much more next year and we should have a larger freezer by then too!

farmerV....we have been doing a lot of cooking from the garden like that....most nights its a handfull of this and a bit of that....oh...so yummy!

hugs

rose

Rose You can trim some branches off now and root them in a glass of water then pot it for at least a few winter fresh leaves. You mite try just one ice cube now if you can just to see if that works for you now before you make big plans on doing more of them later.

i will give that rooting a try im rooting a tomato sucker in the window now....it has roots!...and..... a small baby green tomato our weather will not allow me to really plant it and get anything from it...i just wanted to see if i could do it

hugs

rose