Basil | My Raised Bed Vegetable Garden

Recipe - Tomato Basil Biscuits

Here’s a great recipe to use up those imperfect looking, albeit delicious tomatoes and some of your summer basil.

1/2 cup chopped scallions
1 Tbsp olive oil
3/4 cup chopped fresh tomato (1/2″ dice), seeded & drained
1/4 c. minced or julienne sliced basil
2 cups unbleached flour
1 Tbsp baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. fresh ground black pepper
1 – 1/2 [...]

Northern Gardeners: Start Your Planting!

It’s Monday. A new week begins. For those of you in the Midwest, Eastern US and other Zones 6 – 8 areas, now’s the time to get over to the local nurseries to see what plants they have. Don’t just look for flowers for the yard. Delve into the vegetable section and see what healthy [...]

The Effects of the Cold

I’ve been talking with quite a few south Florida gardeners lately and we’ve all come to the same conclusion: the long cold winter really stunted a lot of our crops. My basil never got nice and tall like it usually does, and although it’s still growing, I don’t have the abundance of basil that I [...]

The Harvest Continues

I harvested more broccoli again today. The seven plants have produced so much that I’m getting really tired of broccoli. As long as I keep picking off the florets, the plants will keep producing. I picked enough yesterday for two meals for us. The good thing is that because it’s fresh, it’ll keep [...]

Recipe - Cherry Tomato Salad

This is one of Ina Garten’s recipes, except that I added garlic to it. It’s superb.

2 pints cherry or grape tomatoes
1/2 c. diced red onion – small dice
2 Tbsp. good white wine vinegar
5 Tbsp. good extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
1/4 cup basil leaves, sliced
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1-1/2 tsp. kosher salt
3/4 [...]

To Grid or Not To Grid

Square foot gardening is the best way to maximize your garden’s growing potential. I’ve done it both with and without the help of grids like the one pictured above. Mel Bartholomew says that the grids are essential for utilizing every possible inch of space in your raised beds, and his web [...]

Recipe - Emeril's Oven Roasted Baked Snapper with Tomatoes and Basil

My brother Bob loves this recipe and makes it all the time. Don’t skip the tomato water – it’s the best part! The recipe is from www.foodtv.com’s site. Enjoy!

Ingredients

Recipe - Tomato Basil Drop Biscuits

Preheat oven to 425°

Makes about 18 biscuits

1/2 c. finely chopped green onions
1 T. olive oil
3/4 cup chopped tomatoes, seeded and drained
1/2 c. finely sliced (chiffonade) basil leaves

2 c. King Arthur unbleached flour
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1 tsp. kosher or sea salt
1/2 tsp. coarse ground black pepper
7 Tbsp. cold butter, cubed
2/3 c. milk or cream

To slice the [...]

Recipe - Marian's Pesto

Pesto is one of those basic Italian sauces that is exciting to the palate. It can be made with basil, cilantro, even parsley and dill. Most recipes use toasted pine nuts; I prefer lightly toasted raw almonds. I think they have a better texture. It’s all a matter of taste, really. Here’s my version. Enjoy!

Makes [...]

Basil - Easy to Grow

My brother Bob gave me a great idea a few weeks ago when he suggested I do a page on Dill. I thought: why not do a series of herbs growing tips and recipes. This is the second installment in my herbs articles.

Basil. Only God could make something this beautiful, wonderfully fragrant, and [...]