Basil pesto chicken pasta
The Latin name has been confused with basilisk, as it was supposed to be an antidote to the basilisk’s venom. Basil is an annual, or sometimes perennial, basil pesto chicken pasta used for its leaves.
Its leaves are richly green and ovate, but otherwise come in a wide variety of sizes and shapes depending on cultivar. Basil grows a thick, central taproot. Its flowers are small and white, and grow from a central inflorescence, or spike, that emerges from the central stem atop the plant. The various basils have such distinct scents because the volatile aromatic compounds vary with cultivars. Basil is native to India and other tropical regions stretching from Africa to South East Asia, but has now become globalized due to human cultivation. This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources.
Ocimum basilicum has at least 60 varieties, which further complicates taxonomy. Most basils are cultivars of sweet basil. Most basil varieties have green leaves, but a few are purple, such as, ‘Purple Delight’. Some similar species in the same genus may be commonly called “basil”, although they are not varieties of Ocimum basilicum. Ocimum tenuiflorum, formerly known as O. Basil is sensitive to cold, with best growth in hot, dry conditions. It behaves as an annual if there is any chance of a frost.
However, due to its popularity, basil is cultivated in many countries around the world. In Northern Europe, Canada, the northern states of the U. Additionally, it may be sown in soil once chance of frost is past. It fares best in well-drained soil with direct exposure to the sun. Although basil grows best outdoors, it can be grown indoors in a pot and, like most herbs, will do best on a sun-facing windowsill, kept away from extremely cold drafts. A greenhouse or row cover is ideal if available. It can, however, even be grown in a basement under fluorescent lights.
Basil plants require regular watering, but not as much attention as is needed in other climates. If its leaves have wilted from lack of water, it will recover if watered thoroughly and placed in a sunny location. Once a stem produces flowers, foliage production stops on that stem, the stem becomes woody, and essential oil production declines. To prevent this, a basil-grower may pinch off any flower stems before they are fully mature.
Because only the blooming stem is so affected, some stems can be pinched for leaf production, while others are left to bloom for decoration or seeds. Once the plant is allowed to flower, it may produce seed pods containing small black seeds, which can be saved and planted the following year. If allowed to go to seed, a basil plant will grow back the next year. Basil suffers from several plant pathogens that can ruin the crop and reduce yield. Fusarium wilt is a soil-borne fungal disease that will quickly kill younger basil plants. Seedlings may be killed by Pythium damping off. Non-pathogenic bacteria found on basil include Novosphingobium species.
Percentages are roughly approximated using US recommendations for adults. Basil is most commonly used fresh in recipes. In general, it is added last, as cooking quickly destroys the flavor. The fresh herb can be kept for a short time in plastic bags in the refrigerator, or for a longer period in the freezer, after being blanched quickly in boiling water. The most commonly used Mediterranean basil cultivars are “Genovese”, “Purple Ruffles”, “Mammoth”, “Cinnamon”, “Lemon”, “Globe”, and “African Blue”. Lemon basil has a strong lemony smell and flavor due to the presence of citral.
