Wednesday, June 16, 2010

Basil, My Own Personal Catnip

I am in love with Basil.

No, not some snooty Englishman. Who needs that when I have HHBL.

No I mean Basil as in the herb. You know, the stuff that they make pesto out of. You have had pesto haven’t you? Tell me that you have because if you haven’t then you must.

Divine, divine, divine.

But I digress.

I love basil. I love it so much that I keep buying more basil plants. I mean Look Leap and I have added a small patch of basil to the community garden plot. But is that enough for me?

Oh no it isn’t. Because to that I have added 5 more plants here at Chez Knit.

IMG_6885AOh Lordy don’t those look lovely. Luscious, simply luscious. If that is an adjective that can be applied to basil. And I say it is so HA!

I can’t get enough of this stuff. The minute there were any basil plants available at the local nursery I was buying them.

IMG_6888 This poor plant looks sort of sad doesn’t it. All leafless and spindly. It isn’t really spindly it is just that I have been picking leaves off of it at an alarming rate and it is struggling to keep up with the demand.

Sort of like Apple with the new iphone.

Or not

But during the summer if I make pizza….

And I make pizza at least once a week….

I have to put basil on it. HHBL likes it that way and I try ALWAYS to do things that he likes……..

Um yeah.

So, back to the basil.

IMG_6886                                             Ooooooooo be still my basil beating heart.

Now, anyone who has ever grown basil will tell you that there is competition in the garden for it. The deer like it. The bunnies like it. The groundhogs like it.

The dog does not like it. He likes to pee on it but he doesn’t like it.

Maybe that’s why he pees on it. That is also why I always wash the basil before using it.

Always.

I have found that the biggest competition for my basil are the slugs. Man I hate those things. There is something so squishily satisfying about stomping down on one of them with my garden clogs.

Squelch!

IMG_6885B
I put down liberal applications of this lovely slugicide that seems to keep them at bay.

And before you say it I have tried the old beer in a “slug trap” trick and it wasn’t very effective. I seem to have more than my fair share of teetotaling slugs. And it always seemed a waste of a good beer. I am not wanting to pour any portion of my Great Lakes Dortmunder into a container for the slugs.

And every once in a while I just go out and pick a basil leaf. Just to sniff it.

IMG_2022AMy own personal catnip.

9 comments:

  1. Basil is a must for pizza or pesto or both! Have you ever grilled pizza with pesto, pesto and more pesto? There was other stuff but I forget what it was but it was yummy! : )

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  2. I'm with you on basil being a favorite, especially on Margherita pizza! Regarding the slugs, I've heard that coffee grinds in the pot are good for keeping them at bay. If you just happen to enjoy coffee at all (HAHAHAHAHAHAHA), you might have some sitting around. Cheers.

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  3. It is thanks to bloggers that I, too, have fallen in love with basil. And thyme. And oregano. But not sage...that stuff is woody and will take over the garden! Pulled it up by the roots (was that ever a job!) and tossed it out.

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  4. I was truly a lucky soul to get a sample of Deb's famous basil pizza this evening. (She had one piece that was going begging when I called her up about something else. I ran over -- actually walked really, really fast -- to snarf it down.)

    Yum!!!

    (Thanks again Deb!)

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  5. That last picture cracks me up! I love all kinds of herbs in the garden. You brush up against them and they just smell so good! We have sage, oregano, and thyme. Not the same, but close!

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  6. Try cooking chicken in pesto. Saute thinly slided chicken breast.Add pesto and brown. yummy

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  7. Hi Debbie,
    Mind if I ask just what that
    is you're using to keep those
    awful slugs at bay? We've
    tried everything and they
    keep coming back and eating
    up our garden. Our basil is
    doing well though!
    Blessings,
    Sandyhttps://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=8820369028684428764&postID=2201711726478121446&isPopup=true

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  8. Um, Debbie, you kind of look like Hitler with the basil under your nose! lol!

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  9. You are officially crowned the Queen of Basil! :) Your plants are beautiful....but thought I would share this article on a nasty fungus that is attacking sweet basil with you.

    http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/06/15/AR2010061501079.html

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