Year Round Basil!!!!

For places that dip below freezing, basil works better as a potted plant that lives inside for the winter. It'll still need plenty of light, 6-8 hours of sun or 10+ hours of artificial light. Sweet Basil's what we typically see in Italian cuisines, including & especially pesto sauce, but also Capriccio salads & just about any pasta dish, whether oil, tomato or cream based.

Thai basil's a different accent, so to say, & a fresh leaf or 12 make Thai curry what it is. Lemon basil has a bit of lemon lilt to its performance. It works like dynamite in salads, adding a burst of flavor, which can either be full on w/ whole leaves of Sweet Basil or chopped into a delicious suggestion.

Don’t forget fruit salads w/ basil as an option. Sauces of all sorts—curry, peanut, tomato, pesto, creamy—just aren’t quite the same w/o basil, often a key element to the overall ambience of the dish. It also works very well as a drink. This can be something like a strawberry-basil smoothie, or it can be used to make herbal teas.

Most people don’t think of basil as a dessert ingredient, but it's of the mint family, which is commonly used in desserts. Basil can be, too. Pair basil w/ berries, melon, or creamy stuff.

Basil contains cinnamanic acid, which has been found to enhance circulation, stabilize blood sugar, & improve breathing in those w/ respiratory disorders. Chewing on basil leaves can relieve cold & flu symptoms. Basil leaves can be used as an anti-stress agent. Chewing 12 basil leaves twice a day can prevent stress. It will purify the blood & help prevent many other common ailments.

Chewing a few leaves twice daily can alsocure infections & ulcerations of the mouth.