JADERBOMB

Howdy Friends! I don’t typically write posts on “herbs” or “gardening” but I think I might just have to add it to my list of “Things to do”…. Awe Yeah! Today I will share with you a few Basil Facts.

We have a pretty large garden in our back yard and we love it and nurture it even though we don’t always have time to manicure it’s weeds I will say that if you are not familiar with a garden there is something so fascinating about it. Seeing the food I will feed my family start as a seed and eventually produce food is amazing to me. Our garden is organic which means we do not spray any chemicals in it, we just let mother nature do her job.

Now I know not everyone has room for a large garden or even a small one but there are a lot of things you can plant in pots that will still produce yummy food for you, plus you can move them around if you want! On a positive note you can grow basil indoors!

The purpose of this post is to brag on my basil babies and to give you a heads up that in the next few weeks I will be sharing some amazing tutorials on things you can do with basil. Don’t worry I won’t leave out all of my other rad herbs and veggies in the garden. This should also excite you because everything I will be sharing can be given as gifts for the holidays. I know, I know you can thank me after Christmas.

Let’s talk about a few things.

BASIL FACTS

• Basil is one of the greatest culinary herbs.
• You should not plant it outdoors until you know there will not be another frost.
• Basil loves being in the sun but she doesn’t love cold weather and wind.
• Thin your plants when you notice they have two sets of leaves
• If you notice a white flower on the top of your stalks pinch the flower off, this will help your Basil from losing it’s flavor!
• Depending on the type of Basil, some can grow 11 to 52 inches high!
• Make sure to harvest plants when they are young.
• Basil can be propagated via seed and plant cuttings, how cool is that.
• Different types of basil have a unique aroma. Sweet basil has clove-like aroma, lemon basil has lemony taste while cinnamon basil has sweet, cinnamon-like aroma.
• Besides its aroma, basil has high nutritional value. Basil is rich source of vitamins A, B6, C and K and minerals such as iron, manganese and magnesium.
• Basil can be used dry or in it’s fresh form.  Most people use basil for dishes made of tomato, pesto, soups, salads and dishes made of chicken meat.
• Basil is an annual plant so in one year it will finish it’s cycle.
• The Basil plant has been used as a token of love in some parts of Italy.
• Alexander the Great is believed to have brought Basil to the Greeks in 350BC.
• Transfer your Basil indoor in pots when the weather drops to the 40s.
• The best time to harvest Basil is when the plant is about to flower, because this is when the leaves are most concentrated with essential oil.
• If you put Basil indoors make sure you put it where the sun will hit it.

So there you have it friends, some cool facts about Basil. I wanted to share these things with you because the Basil DIY’s are coming next and we will leave all of the facts about them out. Don’t worry I will link all of my Basil posts up so you can go back to them if you need to.

As you can see our Basil has taken off and made ton’s of babies. I swear we have it EVERYWHERE. No, I am not complaining but it’s never been like this before. I can’t wait to show you all the things I will be making with my Basil so stay tuned!

BASIL MEDICINAL FACTS:

Ancient herbalists believed placing basil leaves on the bites or stings of insects would draw out the poison. Today’s herbalists recommend its use as a digestive and anti-gas aid.  Some herbalists recommend it for easing anxiety and headaches because of the basil tea’s sedative properties.  Use it for stomach cramps.  It has been proven to ease constipation.

Seriously it’s even growing in the cement cracks!

Hope you enjoyed this quick and very broad lesson on Basil. I mean, I could literally sit here and type pages and pages of Basil facts but instead I put the ones I thought you would need. Stay tuned next week I will be sharing my first Basil project.

Do tell, what are your favorite things to do with Basil by leaving a comment below!

See you in the next post,
XOXO, Jaderbomb ♥

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