We got this towering beauty from the Evanston Farmer's Market last weekend. Her billowy stalks of perky, delicious leaves wooed us, and her $8 price tag sold us. Spend $3 per 15-leaf pack at the grocery store a few times, and you'll easily be charmed by what looks like a perpetual Pizza, Pesto, and Fresh Sauce tree.
We've had her almost a week, and the heat is causing me to wring my hands in worry. I told the farmer that I had killed my little organic basil plant from Whole Foods. "What happened to it?" he asked. "It looked droopy and thirsty all the time, so I watered it, but it's leaves turned yellow and eventually fell off." He informed me that I had over watered it. Boo. He assured me that the Basil Tree should be pretty hearty, and that it needed sunlight and adequate, but not too much water. My herb-growing friend Liz suspects this particular Basil Tree may be root bound, and recommends that I think about getting a bigger pot. But then it wouldn't fit on the window sill, so would it get enough sunlight? Hmm. We'll have to rig something up. Maybe we re-pot the beautiful behemoth into two separate pots, and put them on a side table. I'll keep you posted.
In the meantime, Liz and I whipped up an almost-vegan dinner of random stuff inspired by the Basil Tree herself:
Polenta with marinara and fresh basil, three-bean salad (from Trader Joe's), and lemon butter green beans. A little butter and fresh lemon juice turn green beans into my Favorite Vegetable. And other than that pat of butter, this plate is animal-product free. And Crazy Delish.
Basil TREE is an apt name. That thing is huge! I'm sure it will provide lots of yummy goodness. My basil plant (a farmer's market purchase) loves this warm weather and is growing like crazy. I'm looking forward to some basil, tomato, and mozarella this weekend.
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