Basil harvest time

Another thing I had to deal with over the weekend is my organic basil which has grown so much that I had to bind the stems together at the bottom. They became so heavy with leaves I think that they’re leaning like the Tower of Pisa but in opposite directions. I saw the lush growth but kind of crowding each other that the once-a-week watering schedule doesn't work anymore. I would find my plant droopy and sad by the third day after watering it so I have to water it some more and true enough, it suddenly comes to life. I need to give room to the next batch so it's time to harvest and make pesto.

Pinching the leaves off the stems is a wonderful experience. I was welcomed with the beautiful aroma and I don’t really mind if the smell kind of lingers in my fingers even after thorough hand washing. I finished with a loosely packed full tray of the fragrant leaves. That should yield a cup or two- enough for pasta and pizza maybe.


Guess what, my plant still looks decent with lots of small leaves just growing.


So I made a simple basil-lemon pesto with basil leaves, olive oil, salt, lemon juice, lemon zest, black pepper and garlic. I was able to make 2 cups and immediately used some for my pasta.


I had penne rigate, heirloom tomatoes, sun dried tomatoes, salt and pepper and fresh mozza. Pretty simple yet it tasted so fresh and clean and tasty.


Dinner tomorrow will be flat bread with chicken, more of the pesto sauce I made, tomatoes and fresh mozza. Can’t wait...

By the way, on a happier note, I got my Italian Herb Trio planter from Lola two weeks ago.


If I could turn it to something like this --- it would be a nice sight by my kitchen window <3