Herb of the Year 2004 - Basil:

Herb of the Year - Basil: The International Herb Association (IHA) named basil the 2003 Herb of the Year. Its Greek name basileus, meaning "king" indicates its royal position among herbs. Basil comes in a wide range of varieties and even colours. Some favourites are Purple Ruffles, Spicy Globe, Genovese, Holy Basil, Lemon Basil, Siam Queen, and the list goes on. Basil has a wide range of uses from medicinal to culinary. It also has a wide range of symbolism associated with it. Ancient Egyptians burned a mixture of basil and myrrh to appease their gods and used it for embalming. Basil was a symbol of hostility and insanity to the ancient Greeks and Romans. To others, basil was a symbol of courtship. When an Italian woman placed a potted basil plant on her balcony, it signalled that she was ready to receive her lover. In Haiti it is used for its protective powers to ward off evil spirits and bring prosperity. Basil is easy to grow by

starting indoors or by sowing directly in the garden. In 4 - 6 weeks plants are large enough to start harvesting leaves. Pinching the center stem helps to encourage the plant to grow into a bush form. Pinching to prevent the plant from flowering also helps to extend the harvest of the tasty leaves.

Basil can suffer from a fusarium wilt problem that causes sudden wilting of leaves and plant death. Soils remain contaminated even if basil is not replanted. There is no cure once the fungus attacks. If the symptoms occur, the infected plants should be removed and destroyed. Make certain that your harvesting equipment is sterilized. The good news, though, is that there are fusarium-resistant varieties available. Now with all that potential, using basil just for pesto is so limiting!

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