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Basil and cilantro from home garden add spices to cooking
by Deborah Benge Frost
Midland Reporter-Telegram
Basil is one of the easiest herbs to grow and if you don't have any, plant a few seeds now and you'll be enjoying the herb before the month is out.
Annual basil (Ocimum basilicum) is grown for its aroma, culinary uses and beautiful leaves.
The leaves are used as seasoning in many Italian dishes, is a natural with tomatoes and is the main ingredient in pesto. It is easily grown and is best started from seed, although you can find transplants in the garden centers, especially in mid- to late spring. At this time of year they are not as common, so you may have to plant the seeds.
There are more than 160 varieties of basil, but sweet basil is the most commonly used type for cooking. Some of the other varieties are lemon, cinnamon, licorice, purple basil (purple leaves) and dwarf forms, such as Globe.
Scented basils add a unique flavor to dishes and can be used to make jams, jellies, vinegars and teas. Basil can be grown in the vegetable garden, used as an attractive filler in perennial or annual beds or on a sunny windowsill. If you enjoy the smell, you could plant some along the garden path so when you brush by them they release their aromatic oils into the air.
Try planting basil seeds outside right now, but be prepared to keep the soil moist until they germinate. In a couple of weeks you can plant a few more seeds for a fresh supply throughout the fall. Basil does best in well-drained soil that has been amended with organic material (peat moss, compost, or well-aged manure). Keep the seed bed moist during germination and then well-watered throughout the growing season. Basil needs full sun but will grow in light shade. Do not fertilize unless the soil is very low on nutrients. Basil will have better flavor if it is not fertilized.
Pinch off flower spikes as they form to maintain maximum flavor. Harvest the leaves regularly during the growing season. Basil leaves may be preserved by freezing. Rub olive oil on them first and place in ice cube trays or bags. Dry plants by hanging them upside down. Crumble leaves and place in an airtight container to use all year.
Master gardener Barbara Porsch recommends this pesto recipe.
Basic Pesto
1/2 cup vegetable oil or olive oil
2 or more cloves garlic, minced
2 cups (hard-packed) fresh basil leaves
1 cup (hard-packed) fresh parsley (preferably flat leaf Italian parsley instead of curly)
1/4 cup pine nuts or almonds
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan
Combine well in processor, adding cheese last.
Freeze if keeping more than two weeks. Freeze in a cupcake tin using paper liners. When frozen, take out and store in zipper freezer bag. This amount is just perfect for a lot of dishes.
When storing in refrigerator, put into glass jar. Then pour a very thin layer of oil over the top to prevent discoloration.
Being in the midst of salsa country, cilantro (Coriandrum sativum), aka Chinese parsley and coriander, should be a hot item in local gardens.
Unfortunately, it's the hot weather that short-circuits this cool-season herb. Most cilantro is planted in the spring and quickly bolts (flowers) and goes to seed. So, fall could be the answer for this cool-weather herb.
Cilantro can also be grown for its seeds, in which case it is called coriander. For coriander, spring-planted cilantro is best because it needs 100 days from planting to harvest.
Cilantro needs to be planted eight to 12 weeks before the first average freeze, which is Nov. 9. So it should be planted in early to mid-September or as soon as the soil temperatures have cooled below 75 degrees.
Grow cilantro in full sun to light shade. The best situation is full morning sun with some shade from hot afternoon sun. Plant in well-prepared soil with some compost added. Plant the seed and cover it with 1/4 inch of soil and firm the soil after planting to hasten sprouting.
Keep the soil moist until plants are up. Maintain cilantro by keeping the soil moist, but not wet. Once seedlings are about 2 inches tall, thin them to about 6 inches to 10 inches apart. Mulch will be beneficial to keep the soils moist and soil temperatures moderate. At best, cilantro is short-lived, so you may want to sow successively -- sow some two weeks after the first planting date so you can harvest longer.
You could start transplants sooner, in a shady but bright area in your garden to be transplanted into the garden at the appropriate time. This is a good way to start lots of fall garden plants.
Transplant seedlings into your garden by digging holes 3 to 4 inches apart and place the plants in them. Water thoroughly after transplanting.
Cilantro may need some protection from very low temperatures so be prepared to throw a loose, light-weight mulch over them before very low temperatures arrive. A floating row cover will add two or three degrees. If you use mulch, uncover plants as soon as temperatures normalize. If your plants go through the winter, they will flower when the temperatures heat up.
Lindy Tefteller, Family and Consumer Science agent with the Midland County Texas AgriLife Extension Service, has provided relish and salsa recipes using cilantro.
Mango-Cilantro Relish
2 mangoes, peeled and diced
1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
3 tablespoons lime juice
3 tablespoons fresh orange juice
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Combine the mangoes, onion, cilantro, lime juice, and orange juice in a bowl and gently mix. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Salsa
3 tablespoons finely chopped onion
2 small cloves garlic, minced
3 large ripe tomatoes, peeled and seeds removed, chopped
2 hot chile peppers, Serrano or Jalapeno, finely chopped
2 to 3 tablespoons minced cilantro
1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons lime juice
Salt and pepper
Put chopped onion and garlic in a strainer; pour 2 cups boiling water over them then let drain thoroughly. Discard water. Cool.
Combine onions and garlic with chopped tomatoes, peppers, cilantro, lime juice, salt, and pepper. Refrigerate for 2 to 4 hours to blend flavors.
Makes about 2 cups of salsa.
Annual basil (Ocimum basilicum) is grown for its aroma, culinary uses and beautiful leaves.
The leaves are used as seasoning in many Italian dishes, is a natural with tomatoes and is the main ingredient in pesto. It is easily grown and is best started from seed, although you can find transplants in the garden centers, especially in mid- to late spring. At this time of year they are not as common, so you may have to plant the seeds.
There are more than 160 varieties of basil, but sweet basil is the most commonly used type for cooking. Some of the other varieties are lemon, cinnamon, licorice, purple basil (purple leaves) and dwarf forms, such as Globe.
Scented basils add a unique flavor to dishes and can be used to make jams, jellies, vinegars and teas. Basil can be grown in the vegetable garden, used as an attractive filler in perennial or annual beds or on a sunny windowsill. If you enjoy the smell, you could plant some along the garden path so when you brush by them they release their aromatic oils into the air.
Try planting basil seeds outside right now, but be prepared to keep the soil moist until they germinate. In a couple of weeks you can plant a few more seeds for a fresh supply throughout the fall. Basil does best in well-drained soil that has been amended with organic material (peat moss, compost, or well-aged manure). Keep the seed bed moist during germination and then well-watered throughout the growing season. Basil needs full sun but will grow in light shade. Do not fertilize unless the soil is very low on nutrients. Basil will have better flavor if it is not fertilized.
Pinch off flower spikes as they form to maintain maximum flavor. Harvest the leaves regularly during the growing season. Basil leaves may be preserved by freezing. Rub olive oil on them first and place in ice cube trays or bags. Dry plants by hanging them upside down. Crumble leaves and place in an airtight container to use all year.
Master gardener Barbara Porsch recommends this pesto recipe.
Basic Pesto
1/2 cup vegetable oil or olive oil
2 or more cloves garlic, minced
2 cups (hard-packed) fresh basil leaves
1 cup (hard-packed) fresh parsley (preferably flat leaf Italian parsley instead of curly)
1/4 cup pine nuts or almonds
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan
Combine well in processor, adding cheese last.
Freeze if keeping more than two weeks. Freeze in a cupcake tin using paper liners. When frozen, take out and store in zipper freezer bag. This amount is just perfect for a lot of dishes.
When storing in refrigerator, put into glass jar. Then pour a very thin layer of oil over the top to prevent discoloration.
Being in the midst of salsa country, cilantro (Coriandrum sativum), aka Chinese parsley and coriander, should be a hot item in local gardens.
Unfortunately, it's the hot weather that short-circuits this cool-season herb. Most cilantro is planted in the spring and quickly bolts (flowers) and goes to seed. So, fall could be the answer for this cool-weather herb.
Cilantro can also be grown for its seeds, in which case it is called coriander. For coriander, spring-planted cilantro is best because it needs 100 days from planting to harvest.
Cilantro needs to be planted eight to 12 weeks before the first average freeze, which is Nov. 9. So it should be planted in early to mid-September or as soon as the soil temperatures have cooled below 75 degrees.
Grow cilantro in full sun to light shade. The best situation is full morning sun with some shade from hot afternoon sun. Plant in well-prepared soil with some compost added. Plant the seed and cover it with 1/4 inch of soil and firm the soil after planting to hasten sprouting.
Keep the soil moist until plants are up. Maintain cilantro by keeping the soil moist, but not wet. Once seedlings are about 2 inches tall, thin them to about 6 inches to 10 inches apart. Mulch will be beneficial to keep the soils moist and soil temperatures moderate. At best, cilantro is short-lived, so you may want to sow successively -- sow some two weeks after the first planting date so you can harvest longer.
You could start transplants sooner, in a shady but bright area in your garden to be transplanted into the garden at the appropriate time. This is a good way to start lots of fall garden plants.
Transplant seedlings into your garden by digging holes 3 to 4 inches apart and place the plants in them. Water thoroughly after transplanting.
Cilantro may need some protection from very low temperatures so be prepared to throw a loose, light-weight mulch over them before very low temperatures arrive. A floating row cover will add two or three degrees. If you use mulch, uncover plants as soon as temperatures normalize. If your plants go through the winter, they will flower when the temperatures heat up.
Lindy Tefteller, Family and Consumer Science agent with the Midland County Texas AgriLife Extension Service, has provided relish and salsa recipes using cilantro.
Mango-Cilantro Relish
2 mangoes, peeled and diced
1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
3 tablespoons lime juice
3 tablespoons fresh orange juice
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Combine the mangoes, onion, cilantro, lime juice, and orange juice in a bowl and gently mix. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Salsa
3 tablespoons finely chopped onion
2 small cloves garlic, minced
3 large ripe tomatoes, peeled and seeds removed, chopped
2 hot chile peppers, Serrano or Jalapeno, finely chopped
2 to 3 tablespoons minced cilantro
1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons lime juice
Salt and pepper
Put chopped onion and garlic in a strainer; pour 2 cups boiling water over them then let drain thoroughly. Discard water. Cool.
Combine onions and garlic with chopped tomatoes, peppers, cilantro, lime juice, salt, and pepper. Refrigerate for 2 to 4 hours to blend flavors.
Makes about 2 cups of salsa.
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Victoria wrote on Nov 19, 2008 1:59 PM: