Fresh basil makes just about anything taste like summer F
resh basil is easy to grow in the ground or in a container. You can start it from seed or go to your local nursery for a starter plant. Start seeds
in ground in summer (it takes a long time to germinate) or start indoors in spring. You can also grow basil from cuttings. While many of us grow basil in containers, it actually does better in the ground. It can grow three feet by three feet in a single season
if you give it lots of fertilizer. And it is true that it loves tomatoes. Plant them together. Most of the sweet basil we grow here is
the annual type, so once the plant has gone to flower, it is nearing the end of its lifespan. While pinching back terminal buds will slow it down, eventually, it will be time to pant a new crop. That’s why it’s a good idea to start several plants a couple of weeks apart so that you will be sure to have lots of tender young leaves, which have the sweetest fla- vour, to harvest right up till frost.
You can harvest basil for drying just be-
fore flowering. Simply cut the plant down then hang to dry in a cool dry place. If you buy basil in a supermarket, try stor-
ing it in a vase of water in a shady spot on the kitchen counter. Refrigeration turns it black. Your basil may also even sprout roots in its watery home and if it does, then plant it up and keep it growing on in the sunniest spot you can find. It needs four to five hours of direct sunlight a day and will respond well to artificial grow lights. `
Ian’s Curry
2 large onions, coarsely chopped 3 to 4 large cloves garlic or to taste ½ bag curry powder, medium 1 - 156 ml can tomato paste
1 - 398 ml can pineapple chunks including juice 1 - 398 ml can coconut milk 3 tbsp mango chutney 1 475 ml container yoghurt ½ lemon
1 tbsp vegetable oil Salt and pepper
Left over chicken or beef Fresh basil Chop onions and garlic and sauté in oil in large container until translucent. Add curry powder to onions and cook together for another minute with a tablespoon or so of water. Add tomato paste and stir. Add pineapple chunks. Add coconut milk and finally yoghurt with a generous squeeze of lemon. Add meat, salt and pepper. Cook for ten to 15 min- utes. Add the basil as a finishing touch just before serving. Note: Chopped dried apricots or other dried fruits can be added to the curry with the pineapple.
24 • Foodie 2012
www.localgardener.net
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