Tag Archives: Basil

Indoor Basil Grown in a Pot

Just wanted to give an update on my basil grown indoors in a pot. Here is the last photo I took.

Basil Grown Indoors

I posted last month about my homegrown basil and how I had dried the spice for later use. It has been so nice to have homegrown basil that I can use fresh all year-around. There is nothing like fresh basil spice when you are making spaghetti, lasagna or pizza sauce. You just can’t beat the flavor and taste of fresh basil in these recipes.

Anyway I just wanted to post an update and share my basil plant that continues to grow in a pot in my kitchen window. Just remember to put your basil pot in a sunny, warm spot Continue Reading →

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Homegrown Basil

I started several Basil seeds this Spring inside in some peat pods. I had about 6 plant starts and put them into a large planter pot after the plants were a few inches tall. I then left the planter pot outside in the daytime and brought it in at night until the weather was warmer.

Basil Drying

I have been harvesting off the plants all Summer and Fall. I either just pick fresh leaves off the plants for spaghetti and lasagna sauce or dry them as shown above. I air dry the basil leaves for several days to completely dry them out. You can also place the drying leaves on a pan inside your oven with the light on to help accelerate the drying process.

Here is a photo of the leaves dried from the pan above. The dried leaves do shrink down considerably once they are all dried out.
Dried Basil
I store my dried basil leaves inside a sealed jar until the next time I need them for a recipe. I gently crush the leaves which releases a pleasant fragrance and flavor into my favorite Italian recipes.

I have brought my planter pot indoors now and will be able to continue to grown new Basil leaves hopefully all winter long. So whether you use your homegrown Basil fresh in your cooking or dry it for further use, it makes for a wonderful additional to any dish that calls for Basil spice.

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Indoor Basil Harvested

This weekend I harvested my indoor basil that I have been growing over the winter. I brought my plants indoors last fall and while they don’t grow all that great inside in the winter, they do produce. Here is my harvested basil I cut off the two plants I had over the winter. I left some base in the pots so they can regrow again this spring once it warms up.

I am now drying these leaves and hope to have a bounty of fresh dried basil to use over the next few months. I should add that I have been cutting off leaves from these plants throughout the winter. I have used the fresh leaves in spaghetti, pizza sauce, and lasagna recipes over the last several winter months. It is always wonderful to use fresh cut-up basil in my cooking.

So as the weather is warming, I will soon re-pot and transfer my basil outside where it can really thrive. Until then, Continue Reading →

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