Thursday, July 31, 2014

Herb Basil and Fried Green Tomatoes

Herbs have quit a history. Dating
back to earlier times we see basil, 
saffron, sage, savory, tarragon and
thyme being used. Ancient Greeks
crowned their heroes with dill and
laurel. Sweet marjoram was used
as a valuable tonic. In America,
early settlers brought herbs to use
as remedies and flavorings. They
also burned herbs for fragrance
and stored their linens with herbs
as well. Their gardens being very
important for survival contained
herbs and they soon learned about
the wild herbs growing locally. By
sharing remedies, seeds, recipes,
and plants, important knowledge
became widespread. Herb gardens
still provide us with a steady supply
of fresh product. Herbs are fun to
grow, use, and share!

Let's look at BASIL…
A highly recognized, warm season annual.
Very aromatic, with a "clove-like"taste,
 kind of peppery to me with a hint of anise
(licorice) undertones. With large, deep
leaves, basil will grow bush-like and tall.
In our area it has a long growing season.
Just keep pinching the leaves. If you start
to see flowers then pinch that off for further
growth. Basil likes sun to part shade, and
soil kept moist. Likes hot weather, and is a
Basil Pesto
great companion plant to tomatoes. So plant
them together and at the same time. Doesn't
like the cold so harvest well when fall arrives.
Always use fresh basil when cooking. I don't
think dried provides the same taste. Basil herb
contains high levels of beta-carotene, and a good
source of iron, and other minerals. Very healthy!
Chopped fresh basil is a great addition to salads,
pastas, vegetables, and fruits. To enjoy its full
flavor, add it to the end of your cooking time.
See EARTHLY DELIGHTS for my Tomato
Caprese recipe. (add lots of basil) Delicious!
Look for the many varieties of Basil too.
Cinnamon Basil is great in breads. For a taste
of lemon in salads try the Spicy Globe.
Like Pesto, this is your herb!! See EARTHLY
DELIGHTS for Basil Pesto recipe.

Have you ever had Fried Green Tomatoes?
My mom used to make these towards the
end of every summer. My dad loved them,
while my brother, sister and I did not. I
thought they looked slimy. Having grown
up, I've come to appreciate many different
kinds of foods. The recipe I kind of put
together from looking at a lot of them.
Did you know there is a green tomato
bred to be green and then there is the
standard unripe red tomato that is green?
Amazing, but they taste the same. A little
tangy though. You can generally find
them at the farmer's market. So try this
for a wonderful end of season treat.
See recipe on EARTHLY DELIGHTS.




The healing comes from nature and not from the physician.
  Therefore the physician must start from nature with an
     open mind                                 ~ Paracelsus ~

                                           



        


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