We're supposed to be getting a cold spell later this week, so I've started to try to do a final harvest of anything in the garden that might not like the cold weather ... including my genovese basil.
Oh, how I love Basil!
Over this past weekend, I happily harvested almost 5 pounds of basil! Yes, I suppose that's quite a bit of basil for a family of 2, but, I'm pretty sure that you can never, ever have too much basil.
Ever.
And, I have no doubt at all that we'll put every last morsel of it to very good use.
Back in the spring, I planted 3 different kinds of basil in the garden: genovese, cinnamon, and purple basil. We had crazy weather in early summer and the basil didn't really do that great ... it was ok, but it didn't meet my high expectations. Yes, I was kind of sad about it, but, I dealt with it ... after all, each year brings different successes and failures in the garden and we had bigger failures this year than a not-so-perfect basil harvest.
Then in July, I started another big batch of genovese basil (my favorite) seeds indoors and I planted them out in the garden in early to mid-August. The seedlings grew quickly in the August heat and I ended up with a mini-forest of basil. And everyone knows that a forest of basil is the best kind of forest you can have!
By early October, the plants had gotten quite tall -- 1-2 feet, probably. I had pinched them back in late August/early September, so the plants were also pretty bushy.
As a matter of fact, they were close to perfect!
But, they were starting to flower...
And I didn't want them to get any black spots or other damage from the cold, wintery weather we're supposed to be getting soon. I wanted them to stay perfect...
So, it was time to harvest the basil.
Just in case you are wondering, 5 pounds of fresh basil pretty much takes up an entire side of a divided sink. There was much basil washing, hanging, chopping, pesto making, and freezing yesterday ... the kitchen smelled wonderful the entire day.
I'll definitely be planting a late crop of basil again next year!
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October 21, 2013
I TOTALLY agree! One can never have enough basil. So happy for you ... and a bit jealous. NOT as jealous as the asparagus crop, but close. I just love, love, love reading about your gardening, Caryl. And I like celebrating your successes. Any new frog photos???
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October 21, 2013
Hi Myrtle! I haven't seen any frogs for a few days now... wonder if they are starting to hibernate?
October 21, 2013
I guess I hadn't thought about frogs hibernating. I would want frogs all year long. Of course, I also would want hummingbirds all year long. But I saw that it might snow here tomorrow, which would be bloody fantastic to have an early snow. To have snow, you cannot have frogs and hummingbirds. And, to have frogs and hummingbirds, you cannot have snow. I suppose I should be thankful for the things at the moment instead of wanting more of them. Which, by the way, triggered a thought: What if you took a regular view from a single spot at your homestead (or two or three) every week and then posted them in groups to see how the seasons are changing the things around you in your garden (mini-farm)? It would be yet another long-term project for an already busy person, but I would find the photographic story of the seasonal changes on your homestead interesting and intriguing and engaging. But that's just me ... weird old Myrtle.
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October 21, 2013
great idea!