GrowItalian.com

Posted on 9th Nov 2011 @ 11:13 AM

Saveur Magazine has some excellent tips for growing Basil to ensure you have the freshest, most flavorful pesto possible!  They recommend our Basilico Genovese or Piccolo Verde varieties, "both of which produce fragrant, fantastic basil for pesto."  

Make sure you don't plant your basil until the nights have grown warmer, about 60 degrees.  Basil needs rich soil, so mix in some compost or manure.  Sprinkle Basil seeds evenly across the growing surface, and then cover with an eighth of an inch of soil.  Keep the soil moist, and maintain a warm environment, using a plastic garden tunnel if necessary.

"When a plant has sprouted four to eight concave leaves, each about the size of the head of a teaspoon, pull out the plant, roots and all, but use only the leaves for making pesto. Harvest cyclically, keeping a few patches growing at a time."

To read the rest of the story, including some more growing and harvesting tips, click here.

Be sure to try Saveur's excellent Pesto Genovese recipes once you've grown your own Basil!