Garden Wisdom Blog — basil

The Biodiversity Blend provides the widest, most diverse combination of flower types in any of our wildflower blends. There are flowers to tempt every sort of pollinator, but particularly butterflies, wild bees, and hummingbirds. Several species are included that produce edible seeds, so they will continue to nourish songbirds and other critters long after their colour has faded. This mix of perennials and self-sowing annuals is intended to demonstrate one of the foundations of organic growing — that biodiversity begets biodiversity. In diverse systems, plants grow healthier and wildlife is enriched. Basil Ocimum basilicum Bishops Flower Ammi majus Blue Lupin...

CSAs represent one of the ways that small organic farmers are changing the way we think about food, the way we access food, and how we, as consumers, participate with food production. CSA stands for Community-Supported Agriculture, and we’ve talked about this before. The basic idea is that a farm sells shares in its produce early in the season. The shareholders are guaranteed boxes of fresh produce from the farm to be picked up at regular (usually weekly) intervals. Sometimes the farmer arranges to have the shares delivered to central pickup spots like farmers’ markets. Farm Box Pickup   The...

Basil is a heat-loving annual plant grown for use as a culinary herb. Many varieties exist, with subtle differences in flavour, growth habit, leaf colour, and so on. All have a rich, pungent taste and scent reminiscent of anise and cloves. This plant has been cultivated for over 5,000 years, originally from India to Persia, but has spread globally. The ancient Greeks knew about basil and its culinary and medicinal properties. Curiously, many ancient Romans believed that basil seeds would not germinate unless without first being cursed. Though we tend to think of it as an Italian herb, basil is...