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Basil
If you sow the seed in early spring, then you can harden off the plants to set outside for the summer. They need a good sunny position and the soil needs to be kept moist. Cut the leaves as often as you like during the growing season. You can lift a plant to take indoors at the end of the summer and this should provide you with fresh herbs into the winter. Basil is rich in oil and drying it is not always successful as the leaves can be damaged by picking, thus releasing the oils. You can try, by laying freshly cut leaves on paper and putting them in your airing cupboard or somewhere similar. After three or more days, the leaves should be brittle and you simply break them up with your fingers and put them in a light proof container with an airtight lid. Freezing basil tends to be more successful - put the leaves in a poly bag and freeze. When they are brittle, then you can break them up.
Using Basil with Fish Basil Oil - take some olive oil and a handful of leaves. Leave it for at least three weeks and the herb will have infused its flavour into the oil. You can use this oil for making a pasta sauce (fry your onions etc in it) frying cubes of bread for croutons to go with a tomato based soup or drizzling over a salad. Basil Butter - chop a few leaves and mix into some butter. Use this on plain grilled or baked fish or on cooked prawns. A few fresh basil leaves can be scattered over any seafood salad or added to spaghetti sauce dishes. Also scatter a few leaves over your seafood pizza sauce. Basil is the main ingredient of pesto which I use mixed into cooked pasta - the addition of a few prawns or shredded crab meat lifts this to dinner party standards. 1 cup firmly packed fresh basil leaves In a blender container or food processor bowl combine basil, parsley, Parmesan or Romano cheese, nuts, garlic, and salt. Cover and blend or process with several on-off turns until a paste forms, stopping the machine several times and scraping the sides. With the machine running slowly, gradually add olive oil and blend or process to the consistency of soft butter. There are many more culinary uses of course, but I am trying to stay focussed on herbs with fish - so I shall leave it here otherwise I run the risk of going 'off topic' If you are interested in buying basil seeds over the internet, then this link here takes you to Gardening Express who have a fantastic range of herbs and plants. Alternatively, if you want a supply of bulk herbs, spices and other organic products, then go to Mountain Rose who are World Renowned for the quality of their product. 50 Fish and Seafood Soup Recipes
Coronary Heart Disease is a major killer. Click here to read about the health benefits of fish and how easy it is to increase the amount you eat. How fish in your diet helps you avoid coronary heart disease
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