Harvesting Boxwood Basil?

QSis

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This variety is new to me this year, and when I saw it, I HAD to have a pot of it! All the garden centers seem to have it now.

Smells and tastes just like sweet basil.

Anyway, it's thriving in my garden, and I was wondering how I should harvest it without wrecking the shape of the plant.

What do you think? Do I need to snip each tiny stem, one by one?

Lee
 

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High Cheese

Saucier
I would go through and "thin out" the plant by removing various stems instead of removing a clump of the plant.

Looks great. I have an out of control sage plant...er, bush.
 

QSis

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Yeah, I was afraid that would be the answer, Jay. Ah well, it's worth a little painstaking pinching.

Re: your sage bush - fry up the larger leaves in browned butter for a delicious garnish, or to use with the butter on ravioli, or even a fragile but delicious snack. I bought three large sage plants this year because I love the fried leaves so much!

Lee
 

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GotGarlic

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I would go through and "thin out" the plant by removing various stems instead of removing a clump of the plant.

Looks great. I have an out of control sage plant...er, bush.

I agree about the harvesting method. re: the sage, I made chicken saltimbocca with it - cut boneless, skinless chicken breasts in half horizontally to make cutlets, then place a large or several small sage leaves on the cutlet. Wrap the cutlets with a piece of prosciutto and pan-fry in olive oil till cooked through. Yummy!
 

Cooksie

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That's a beautiful basil plant. I see a huge container of rosemary in the corner too. Mine don't look nearly that good.
 

QSis

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That's a beautiful basil plant. I see a huge container of rosemary in the corner too. Mine don't look nearly that good.

Cooksie, what you are seeing in the big tub is portulaca (prairie moss). It's on the edge of a big tub, with an inner circle of snapdragons, and two "Mammoth" sunflowers in the middle.

I'd take a picture of that for you, but right now, the garden has been drowned in a thunderstorm and is not happy, particularly the arid-loving portulaca.

Here's a photo from the internet. The leaves of the portulaca are spikey-looking, but they are not flat like rosemary - they are rounder, like succulents.

Lee
 

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Cooksie

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:dizzy: Ooops, I see now! I think I've actually had some before if moss rose is the same thing.
 

Leni

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I think that plant is also known as globe basil. It's very compact and relatively small. Much smaller than the regular basil that we all know and love.
 

QSis

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Hi, Leni!

I can already tell that you will be a valuable member of our little forum, here!

When you can, please start a new thread in the Introductions forum http://www.netcookingtalk.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=3

and tell us a little about you!

Welcome!

Lee

P.S. I just looked up Globe Basil - yes, that's it! Thanks! Have you ever grown it? If so, how have you harvested it?
 
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Leni

New member
Yes, I have grown it for the fun of it. I didn't do much harvesting of it because I also grown Tai basil, the regular basil, African blue basil and several others. Usually I have about four plants of the common basil growing. In addition I grow rosemary, dwarf and Tuscan Blue, oregano both common and Greek, thyme, sage, marjarom, savory, and I can't remember what else right now.
 

suziquzie

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I saw that basil too Lee and considered it but it looks like more PITA than I needed to get some into my food.... let us know how it works out!
 

QSis

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More on "Globe basil":

Well, Suzi is right - it is a PITA.

However, I have it, so I am going to use it.

So far, I've dried a LOT of it, and had to separate the stems from the leaves after drying. I wonder how it would be if I put some in a pipe to smoke it? LOL!

I've used it fresh in deviled eggs, and to garnish same.

I am using it in and on eggplant rollatini tonight. It's also just pretty in a little vase on the windowsill.

Globe basil, dried.JPG

Deviled eggs.JPG



Lee
 

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Mr. Green Jeans

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Lee, you can give basil a hard pruning (akin to the military buzz) providing you leave buds (nodes) on the stem below the cut. It will look tough for a while, but should rebound fairly quick.
 

QSis

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Thanks for the tip, Mr. Green Jeans!

The Globe/Boxwood basil was pretty when it was new and short, then got to be kind of droopy as it grew. If I had known your tip, I would have used it, to eventually improve the appearance of the plant, but I just don't need to use that many teeny basil leaves in my life!

So, I will stick with the Sweet Basil and use your hard pruning tip on THAT when it starts to bolt!

:flowers:

Lee
 

Wart

Banned
Lee, you can give basil a hard pruning (akin to the military buzz) providing you leave buds (nodes) on the stem below the cut. It will look tough for a while, but should rebound fairly quick.
Thanks for the tip, Mr. Green Jeans!

The Globe/Boxwood basil was pretty when it was new and short, then got to be kind of droopy as it grew. If I had known your tip ...

Same with my boxwood.

This was my first year gardening and hat I think I learned was as soon as herbs, at least boxwood and thyme (and catnip) is soon as they take firm hold after replanting is about the same time to start pruning and shaping.

Probably the same with sweet basil. My sweet basil grew too tall and budded (buds are good, Right? Oh, wrong Herb. ;}), from my understanding of other kinds of herb I ought to be able to keep these herbs trimmed and push the plants into growing laterals instead of allowing them to grow tall.


.... I just don't need to use that many teeny basil leaves in my life! ... So, I will stick with the Sweet Basil and use your hard pruning tip on THAT when it starts to bolt!

Yeah, stripping leaves and picking stem from the herb you have to strip and pick is bad enough. Can't see having to do the strip and pick basil if I don't have to.
 

Leni

New member
Try drying the herbs first and then crumble the leaves off of the stems. That works very well and it is much easier and faster. I either make small bundles of the herbs and hang them upside down (usually in the kitchen or back porch) or I lay them out flat on a cooling rack. They perfume the air while they dry. I do have a dehydrator but I prefer to do it the old fashioned way. You can also dry them in the oven but again I prefer not to do that.
 

w507c8259

New member
Thank you everyone for posting about Boxwood basil. I moved in march to a state that gets plenty of sun for herbs. I wanted basic and someone bought me a Boxwood basil plant. I know what to do with a standard basil so this has been a new experience. I finally know what to do with harvesting my plant. I should have checked a long time ago but never did and I'm regretting that. Again, Thanks!
 

MsKitty

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My husband went out alone to buy our herbs today and brought one of these home... I guess it will be a pretty plant, but I doubt I will use it much.
 

QSis

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My husband went out alone to buy our herbs today and brought one of these home... I guess it will be a pretty plant, but I doubt I will use it much.

MsKitty, welcome to NCT!!!

Make yourself at home!

Lee
 

Leni

New member
It is a pretty plant and perfectly usable. Just harvest a whole stem instead of cutting off the side of the plant.
 

brown kneeser

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I was searching the net for info on this plant--just bought one today. This site had the best info I found. I plan to look around a lot, and just signed up here. I plan to grow this as a container plant inside. Can anyone tell me, do you pot it up the same as any other basil? (Though I'm just learning about that. So far, the one thing I've learned about gardening is that, no matter how much you know, the next new plant can still make you feel like an idiot. Not that I know that much, but sufficient to the day is the humiliation thereof.)

;-P

Have not had much luck with containers yet, except for some hard to kill parsley and a real stubborn epezote plant. Oh, and garlic chives--which seem to like it better the meaner you are to them. *scratches head*

Anyway--correct me if I'm wrong, but this is what I've been told. Mediterranean plants like oregano and rosemary and thyme (I thought that was more English? I even have some that says 'English Thyme'. ????) like drier less rich potting soil mix. Basil likes wetter, richer mix. True or not?

Any tips for a struggling container planterer...uh, er? I keep mine mostly indoors because it's so hot here the sun just fries everything. (Southwest corner of house.) Thanks for any help you can give. My plants will appreciate it almost as much as me!
 

Mr. Green Jeans

New member
Oregano, rosemary and thyme are perennials. Basil is an annual. The type of potting mix is less of an issue as water management. The biggest container gardening issue I see is most folks use too small a container. You are better off with a large pot say 24" with several plants in it than three smaller continers.
 

QSis

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Hi brown kneeser! Welcome to NCT!

When you have a chance, please introduce yourself in a new thread in this subforum :http://www.netcookingtalk.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=3

Mr. Green Jeans is correct - smaller pots are harder to keep moist. As it is, I have to water all my at least once a day (when it doesn't rain), and the smaller pots, twice a day.

My herbs love shade, so if you have any, or can build some shade, that would help.

Yes, you pot up the boxwood (globe) basil the same way you would any other basil. It would look really pretty as an indoor plant! Let us know how you make out with it!

Lee
 

Leni

New member
Just one comment on the above posts. It's okay to plant two or three plants together in the same large pot as long as they all have the same water and other growing requirements. It is much easier to keep a large pot moist.
 

brown kneeser

New member
Oregano, rosemary and thyme are perennials. Basil is an annual. The type of potting mix is less of an issue as water management. The biggest container gardening issue I see is most folks use too small a container. You are better off with a large pot say 24" with several plants in it than three smaller continers.

Now that explains a LOT. The indestructible chives are all in a big pot together, and the parsley too. Been looking up info on self-watering stuff, but with having to get special soil and all that...nah, I'll just KISS until I have a better idea about the basics of what I'm doing. Thanks for that tip! Just went out today, and as it happens bought all big pots! Lucked out on that one! :-D
 

brown kneeser

New member
Hi brown kneeser! Welcome to NCT!

When you have a chance, please introduce yourself in a new thread in this subforum :http://www.netcookingtalk.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=3

Mr. Green Jeans is correct - smaller pots are harder to keep moist. As it is, I have to water all my at least once a day (when it doesn't rain), and the smaller pots, twice a day.

My herbs love shade, so if you have any, or can build some shade, that would help.

Yes, you pot up the boxwood (globe) basil the same way you would any other basil. It would look really pretty as an indoor plant! Let us know how you make out with it!

Lee

Thanks for the nice welcome, Lee! I will try to get by the other thread as soon as I finish potting most of this up. (Just bought some new plants today--can you ever buy a planter and not get some new plant you just gotta have? Got a hot and spicy oregano, which is delicious.)

The spot I have for the herbs gets good morning and early afternoon sun and then the light is fairly indirect for the rest of the day. We have the E glass windows, which filters some stuff I think. Hopefully that will do them ok. I turn them about every 2-3 days--enough? I wouldn't think you'd have to turn them every day or I suspect a lot fewer folks would do indoor plants!

Yes, I think it will be a good looking plant. Will let you know how my indoor container experiment turns out--thanks for the interest! :) BTW, those are some delicious looking pictures you have up there!
 
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brown kneeser

New member
Just one comment on the above posts. It's okay to plant two or three plants together in the same large pot as long as they all have the same water and other growing requirements. It is much easier to keep a large pot moist.

Thanks--that's a good tip too. I'll do some snooping around in this forum for info on what goes together with what. You guys have been very helpful--appreciate it much!
 
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