Fresh Basil

You require: soil and some good quality basil plants or seeds and here is the result of home grown basil,

[caption id=”attachment_543" align=”aligncenter” width=”480" caption=”Fresh basil”]

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This fresh Summer herb can provide endless taste opportunites to various dishes. Try the traditional basil pesto made with your own freshly grown basil leaves! Basil is also a favourite addition to tomato based dishes. Throw in some of it in salads to spice the greens with an aromatic flavour. The list of ideas can go on and on… just remember one thing: avoid cutting or chopping basil with knives, tear it with your fingers — in this way it will retain its aroma. As for the alcohol lovers, why don’t you try the basilcello… you know the limoncello? Well basilcello is an alcoholic liqueur made from fresh basil leaves instead of lemon rind. You just need to leave 15–20 clean basil leaves to soak in 300ml alcohol for around a month, shaking the jar daily for a couple of minutes. After this process is done, take 300gr sugar and dissolve it in 300ml boiling water. Leave to cool, then add the alcohol mixture and leave to rest for 24 hours. You can then filter the liquid and store it into transparent serving bottles. Keep in a cool and dark place for a month, then freeze and taste!