One of my favorite things (as a house husband or not) is tending our garden. I try to grow everything from seed, but I’ve learned that when it comes to Basil, it’s kinda not worth it. Much easier and quicker to go to a nursery you trust and grab a few plants.
Yes, a few. You never get one basil plant, there’s always multiple in a pack. If you don’t separate them, they’ll die. Most people view fresh basil as ‘use now’, so they buy, take the leaves, and cook. But if you want, you can plant them, and boy oh boy will they grow!
Which means you’ll end up with A LOT of basil. This year, we grabbed a pot from a farmer’s market and it had SEVEN basil plants. I’ve now got them planted all over the garden and in pots on the back deck.
But here’s the thing most people don’t know: the best thing you can do for your herbs is to constantly harvest them. Not every leaf at once, of course, but take a healthy bunch will drive the plant to make more and grow. Hence my saying you’ll end up with a lot.
You might be saying to yourself, ‘How much tomato sauce can I eat?’ And you’d be right–even I, a notorious marinara lover, have my limits. There are many ways to use your basil, though, including preserving it in olive oil or, as I’m showing here, super easy basil salt!
Enjoy!
Recipe: Basil Salt
What you need:
- Dehydrator (or a space to air dry your leaves)
- Basil leaves
- Coarse salt
- Mortar and pestle (or small food processor)
Step 1
Harvest your fresh basil leaves. A couple of cups will make about a third of a cup of basil salt
Step 2
Dry your leaves. This can be done easily with a dehydrator, in your oven (provided it can run around 120 degrees F), or you can set the leaves out to air dry
Step 3
Place leaves and salt in your mortar and grind with your pestle to your desired fine-ness
Step 4
Store in an airtight container or shaker until needed
Use on salads, meats, and in soups and sauces
House Husband 
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