Content
Lemon basil is a hybrid between sweet basil (Ocimum basilicum) and American basil (Ocimum americanum), bred for cooking. Today, the use of lemon basil has a very wide range: from drinks to sauces to meat. Any medicinal or beneficial properties of the hybrid have not been officially confirmed.
Growing lemon basil
The ancestor species that gave rise to the lemon-scented basil are annuals. The hybrid has fully inherited this quality. Therefore, it has to be grown annually. The plant is unpretentious and does not create many problems for gardeners.
For the lemon hybrid, choose a place protected from the wind and well warmed up by the sun. In the shade, the hybrid loses its quality and smell, and its growth slows down significantly.
For planting, they choose a place where onions, carrots, zucchini or cucumbers grew last year. If possible, it is advisable to plant peppers, tomatoes or any of the cabbage varieties in the neighborhood.
Optimum temperature range: + 25 ° С or higher. Growth stops already at + 12 ° С. Lemon basil is propagated by seeds or cuttings.
For accelerated production, basil is grown through seedlings, planting seeds in late March or early April. They are planted in a permanent place when the height of the sprouts reaches 5 cm. Whether it will be a greenhouse or an open bed depends on the temperature outside. Seedlings can be planted outside when the night temperature is at least + 10 ° C. This is usually the end of May. Seeds are planted immediately into the ground in early July. After 6 leaves appear on the plants, pinch the top so that the basil gives side shoots. If necessary, a hybrid with a pleasant lemon scent can be grown in an apartment as a pot culture.
In the photo, lemon basil grows like a potted crop on a windowsill.
After the buds appear, the leaves of the plant become tough and unsuitable for fresh food. You can only brew basil in tea, but the lemon smell disappears when brewed in hot water.
The collection of lemon basil is carried out by cutting off the shoots. The length of the shoots is 10-15 cm. The remaining stump should have 4-5 more leaves. Pruning can be done 3 times per season.
Benefits of Green Lemon Basil
The plant does not possess miraculous qualities. But it contains a rich set of vitamins. Thanks to this, even when harvesting lemon basil for the winter, when some of the vitamins will inevitably be lost, the dried herb will support the body. This is the case if you use the spice as a base for tea. Drinking hot vitamins is also good for colds and flu.
How to use lemon basil
The use of lemon basil is not limited to vitamin tea. The plant can be used in summer for preparing soft drinks. Fresh leaves are added to summer salads. Dried or fresh basil will add an interesting aroma to homemade preparations for the winter. Basil can be added to a meat dish as a seasoning or as a sauce to highlight the flavor of a dish.It is used as a flavoring agent for sausages and alcoholic beverages.
Lemon Basil Tea
This is the simplest and most popular way to use the spice. You can make a decoction from lemon basil or add herb leaves to regular black tea. If you are not using the herb as a flavoring, but strive to get the most out of it, the basil should be brewed separately. About 50 g of herbs are poured with a liter of boiling water and insisted for 10-15 minutes.
Refreshing drink
There are 2 options: wait until the broth cools down, or make lemonade. In the hot season, the second option is preferable. But you need to do it with the addition of lemon, since sour additives better quench thirst. To make lemonade you will need:
- a bunch of basil;
- 1 medium lemon;
- litere of water;
- sugar to taste.
The herb is brewed, lemon juice is added. Sugar is added to taste. Cool down. To obtain a cold drink, the cooled lemonade is removed to the refrigerator.
Preservation additive
Basil goes very well with tomatoes. Although this mainly refers to fragrant basil, you can experiment and instead of fragrant add lemon-scented basil to a jar of tomatoes when preserving.
Seasoning
As a dry seasoning, the herb can be used in mixtures for meat and fish. Dry lemon basil is used to flavor baked goods. They also add it to soups. Fresh hybrid is more often used in salads.
Salad
Fresh, the plant is actively used in vegetarian salads. It goes well with other table greens:
- arugula;
- coriander;
- parsley;
- tarragon;
- rosemary.
The same herbs in dried form are used as a seasoning for meat dishes and seafood.
Sauce
When fresh, the herb is very popular for making sauces. The famous Italian "pesto" consists only of fresh basil minced and extra virgin olive oil. Used for "pesto" aromatic variety, but for a change, you can use lemon.
There is also a variety of "pesto" with the addition of tomatoes. This sauce is called "red pesto". This sauce contains significantly more ingredients: Sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, various types of nuts. In each country, the sauce is prepared with different types of nuts. The original assumes pine nuts. In the absence of a pine, it is replaced with pine nuts or wild garlic.
Contraindications
The main contraindication that basil has is the ability to accumulate mercury. All species of the genus Ocimum have this property. Purple basil accumulates the maximum amount of mercury. Therefore, it is not eaten anywhere except in Russia.
Green types of basilicas accumulate less mercury. And for the minimum content of this metal in the plant, it is necessary to grow basil in an ecologically clean area.
You can not use all types of basil and for some diseases:
- hypotension;
- blood clotting disorders;
- diabetes mellitus;
- ischemia.
For these diseases, spices are generally not recommended.
How to store it correctly
Before storing, the spice must be properly prepared. When drying, cut shoots are tied in bunches and hung in the shade in the breeze. Branches are usually not used, therefore, after drying, the leaves are separated from the stems and folded into a cloth bag. Store in a dry place. To save money, you can add the stems to a dish as a flavoring agent.
Often fresh basil is ground in a meat grinder. In this form, it is stored in the refrigerator in the freezer. You can immediately make the sauce by closing it in sterile jars. In this case, the seasoning is stored in the refrigerator for a year.
Reviews of lemon basil
Conclusion
The use of lemon basil is limited only by the gardener's imagination and the possibilities for growing herbs. It is impossible to use dried spice for making "pesto", but if the plant was brought into the house, the owner will receive fresh leaves even in winter.
