Would you like a warm cup of Basil (Basilique) tea with or without your preferred choice of milk or sugar? Besides tea, basil is used for cooking and has many health benefits.

Basil (Basilique) is filled with all kinds of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants good for your health. For example, the WebMD site has a long list of health benefits, including:

1. helping with stress reduction
2. protecting against cancer and high blood sugar
3. protecting against high blood sugar
4. reducing inflammation
5. improving mental health.

Medicinal and culinary herb: Basil The Kwéyòl word for basil: Basilique: Scientific name: Ocimum basilicum

Where to find Basil

There are a wide variety of basil plants, including:

• Sweet basil
• Christmas basil
• Dark opal basil
• Sweet Thai basil
• Lime basil
• Cinnamon basil
• Genovese sweet basil
• Mammoth basil with huge, broad, shiny green leaves.

You can grow your own plants from seeds or purchase the live plants from the local supermarkets in the produce area or buy seedlings at the local garden centers.

For instance, you can purchase a five-variety pack of seeds on Amazon. I plant from seeds and also buy a variety of seedlings each year.

Grow Basil in Pots

Basil is easy to grow both indoors and out. You can use basil in many of your favorite dishes, such as salads, pasta, pizza, chicken, etc. Check out the Epicurious website, which features 87 recipes you can make and enjoy using basil.

The basil plant is perfect for growing in pots. It likes lots of light and will not trouble you with pests and diseases. Keep the soil watered, and remember to pinch off the tips of the plant as it grows to prevent the flowers from growing and shift the focus on generating new leaves instead of flowers.

As you can see in the photos, I have not done a good job snipping the tips off. Actually, that is by design because I love basil flowers.

Cooking with Basil

Herbs with Mammoth basil

During the harvesting process, to keep the leaves fresh put the stems in a glass of water and use them within a couple of days. Fresh herbs are best when making tea or cooking as the flavor can get lost during drying.

Recipe for Basil tea

2 tsp. dried basil or a handful of fresh leaves

2 cups of water

Directions

1. Pour hot water over the leaves
2. Cover and let stand for about 15 minutes
3. Strain and enjoy two cups of soothing goodness

What are your favorite basil plants and recipe? Leave a comment below.

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