Our friends at Knocklofty Press have released the first in a new series of eBooks about herbs.

Kitchen Quartet #1 tells you all you need to know about growing and using coriander, basil, dill and oregano, as well as some of the fascinating folk wisdom and myth that has collected around these important food plants.

It includes botanical information, recipes and advice on cultivating and preserving the herbs in an attractive, easy to read format.

Read it on screen or print it for your kitchen and garden libraries.

Download it now for just $9.95.

Culpeper says …

Basil is the herb by which all authors are together by the ears about, and rail at one another, like lawyers. Galen and Dioscorides hold it not fitting to be taken inwardly, and Chrysippus rails at it with downright Billingsgate rhetoric: Pliny and the Arabian physicians defend it.

A herb of Mars and under the Scorpion, and therefore called Basilicon.

It is no marvel if it carry a kind of virulent quality with it. Applied to the place bitten by venomous beasts, or stung by a wasp or hornet, it speedily draws the poison to it. This herb and Rue will never grow together.

The Complete Herbal, 1649

Uncooked sauces made with fresh herbs lose none of their flavour and will keep in the refrigerator for up to a week.

They are handy for stirring into pasta or rice, or cooked vegetable salads, or as an accompaniment to hard-boiled eggs, cold fish or meat.

One well worth making for as long as you can access fresh basil leaves is the classic pesto sauce.

Pound a big handful of basil leaves, with 2 garlic cloves and a touch of salt, into a pulp.

Stir in 75g of grated Parmesan cheese and add 4 tablespoons of olive oil drop by drop as you stir.

For added sharpness and flavour, pound pine nuts in with the basil.

Sweet basil

Annual

Ocimum basilicum
Family: Labiatae/Lamiaceae

History

The history of basil dates back many centuries and its is said to have come to Europe from India via the Middle East.

In Iran, Malaysia and Egypt, it is planted on graves; in Crete it stood for sorrowful love, while in parts of Italy it was used as a love token.

However, in ancient Greece and Rome it was believed that basil would only prosper where there was chaos and it was aligned to poverty, hate and misfortune.

In India it is a sacred herb dedicated to the Hindu gods Vishnu and Krishna.

Globe basil

Uses

Medicinal: A leaf tea aids digestion and expels gas. Also recommended for stomach cramps, vomiting and constipation. Extract from the seeds exhibits an antibacterial effect.
Culinary: Used extensively in tomato sauces and the classic Italian pesto sauce. Traditional in Italian, Mediterranean and Thai cookery.
Fresh basil is delicious added fresh to salads, especially tomatoes.
It is used in soups, stews, vegetable dishes, and with eggs, poultry and mushrooms. Use sparingly in cooking as heat develops the herb’s flavour.
Aromatic: Add dried leaves to potpourris and sachets. Grown indoors, the aroma will discourage flies.
Cosmetic: Brings lustre to hair when added to the final rinse.
Companion planting: Plant basil near capsicums and tomatoes to enhance their growth.

Lettuce leaf basil

Cultivation

Sow outdoors after all frost and when the soil is warm.
Prefers sunny, sheltered position in rich, moist, well-drained soil.
Harvesting & storage: Harvest just before flowering. Freezes well, retaining it’s colour and flavour, or store in olive oil. Can also be layered and salted.

‘Dark Opal’ basil