Large Leaf Italian Sweet Basil - Ocimum basilicum - Herb Seeds from Victory Seeds®

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Home > Herb Seeds

Sweet Basil

Basil, Sweet

Item Id: 4000042

Your Price:

$2.25

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In Stock

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3 - 6
$2.05

10+
$1.85

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Description

Sweet Basil
(Large Leaf Italian)
Ocimum basilicum

A native to Europe and cultivated for centuries as a fresh and dried culinary herb. Common in America by the late 1700s.

The leaves are used fresh to make pesto, and can be dried and used as a seasoning. A favorite of ours in Italian dishes.

Prefer well-drained soil, even moisture, and full sun. The plants grow to about eighteen inches, and provide several harvests. An annual.

Each packet contains one gram, which is approximately 350 seeds.


Harvest, Storage and Using Your Basil First thing in the morning, when the essential oils of the plants are most concentrated, harvest mature leaves. A dual purpose practice is to regularly pinch back the growing tips of your plants. These trimmings can be used in the kitchen and the pruning of the growing tips stimulates branching which will result in sturdy, bushier plants. Whatever your harvesting practice, do not reduce your plant's foliage by more than one-third and allow it to recover before harvesting from the same plant again. After harvesting and since basil is a leafy green plant, encourage growth by feeding a good, balanced fertilizer. The essential oils (the components that provide the flavors and fragrance) are as noted previously, quite fragile. That is, they are easily lost. Harvesting at their peak in the morning is the first step but how you store it is also critical. For long-term storage, drying is not an option. The best way to store basil past the fresh use stage is to do what Denise does. She takes the leaves and either chops them or runs them through the food processor. As quickly as possible, they are then placed into ice cube trays and frozen. Once solid, she removes them and either stores them in freezer bags or for longer term, it vacuum sealed bags. Then throughout the year we can thaw and enjoy "fresh" basil in dishes, drop a cube into sauce or soups, or make into pesto. During the growing season, you can take your clippings, wrap the cut ends in a damp paper towel and store in a plastic bag in the refrigerator. They will last a week or two using this method but we generally either just go out and harvest what we need, fresh, or if it is a period where we have an abundance, process for long-term storage as described.

Customer Reviews

Average Rating

	Great for Pesto!
	Excellent for making Pesto. Continued to grow throughout the summer when leaves were regularily picked. Will plant every year!
	Reviewed by: Anne Thiel from Boring, Oregon. on 6/3/2011

	Easy to grow and tastes great!
	This is a great tasting basil, you will not be disappointed.
	Reviewed by: tiffany patterson from Phoenix, Arizona. on 5/24/2011