I love cooking with basil. It’s a popular herb that smells great and makes food taste better, but best of all, it’s incredibly healthy.
Health Benefits of Basil
Scientists have found many of its properties work to fight against cancer. It’s an anti-oxidant, so it limits free radicals in your body, and it also works to inhibit the effect of carcinogens that you’re exposed to.
Basil is also an outstanding source of Vitamin K. This is it has been used to treat osteoporosis. Vitamin K is also necessary for a protein in charge of blood clotting (the kind you depend on if you cut yourself). If a person suffers from a bleeding condition such as hemorrhaging or slow scab-forming, it’s likely that a vitamin K deficiency is involved. Basil is also known to have anti-bacterial properties, which protect you against harmful infections like E. coli.
How to Grow Basil at Home
A lot of people make a habit of buying basil continually to keep their kitchens stocked. But there’s a way you can become a self-sustaining basil machine. You can easily multiply one basil plant indefinitely, providing an unlimited source of this tasty herb… and it’s even cheaper than growing basil from seeds. You start with a single store-bought pot of basil, split it up, and re-plant it as multiple individual basil plants.
Splitting Basil
What You Need:
- 1 store-bought pot of basil
- Potting compost
- Small pots (or even toilet paper rolls upright in a tray!)
- A warm windowsill or backyard greenhouse
What to Do:
- Remove basil from the pot, split soil clump in half (you might have to break a few roots, but be careful to preserve stems).
- Starting with one half, identify some of the strongest looking basil plant stems.
- Carefully untangle these strong stems and plant in its own new tiny pot.
- (Optional: You can replant bunches of small stems left behind in a single pot.)
- Cut off the tops of the stems, leaving the first two seed leaves, so the plant can channel its energy to developing good roots.
How to Care for Your Mini Basil Farm
Water them well, place in a warm greenhouse or in sunlight (preferably a windowsill). Keep them well away from cold or drafty areas. If it’s during warm months, you can also transfer them to an outdoor garden. To do this, starting 20 days after re-potting, you can place them outside during the day, and bring them inside at night to help these young plants acclimatize to the outdoors. After a week of transitioning, you can plant them outside.
There are so many ways to enjoy basil, and now you’ll be able to try them all!
