Basil: Overview, Planting, Caring, Health Benefits, Uses, and More

Annual herbaceous plant that grows to a height of 20 to 50 cm. Flowers range in color from white to pinkish and bloom from June to September. The whole plant is eaten, including the leaves, stalks, blossoms, and seeds. Because it promotes the growth of tomatoes and peppers, it is planted with them. It takes to growing in a pot extremely well.

Family: Labiadas.

Soils: Light, fresh, rich, and well-drained. PH ranges from 5.5 to 7.5. It has to be watered on a regular basis.

Origin: Southeast Asia is a region in Southeast Asia. It has been farmed in Europe for a long time, dating back to the Romans.

Habitat: Sunny places protected from cold and frost.

Planting: By planting the seeds in April in a greenhouse or at its final location at the end of May, or by transplanting in June when there is no chance of frost. The quality of the leaves improves when the blossoms are removed, and harvesting is extended until October.

Caring: Fresh leaves are preferable for preserving organoleptic characteristics because dried leaves lose their aroma and flavor, though they can also be stored in olive oil or an airtight container.

Health Benefits: Stimulant, sedative, digestive, diuretic, and antispasmodic are some of the properties of this herb. It can help with exhaustion, sleeplessness, anxiety, and gastrointestinal issues. It encourages breast-feeding mothers to produce more milk.

Uses: Its oil is utilized in the fragrance industry. The crushed leaves of this plant are used to treat bug bites and sunburns.

Cooking Use: It must always be fresh and never be cooked. It can be used in a variety of ways in the kitchen, including tomato salad, spaghetti, pizzas, tomato sauce, veggies, and so on. It goes nicely with zucchini, fish, poultry, garlic, onion, black olives, lemon, and olive oil, among other things. It’s not a good combination with pepper and vinegar. Its leaves and blossoms are used to make infusions with diuretic and stomachic qualities.

Cooking Speciality: Pesto sauce is a type of Italian sauce. Salad with tomatoes and mozzarella cheese. Tabbouleh are a traditional Lebanese dish composed with wheat semolina, onion, tomato, and basil. Pistou is a garlic and basil-based Provencal soup.