Stephen Swain: My Favorite Plant

by Stephen Swain
from The Punch, May/June '07

Every late winter I begin to prepare for the planting of my favorite herb, basil. This fragrant herb is a natural complement for so many of our Mediterranean inspired New Orleans dishes with its mixture of spicy and sweet flavor. The sight of fresh basil growing in a pot or garden bed is the promise of many delicious spring and summer meals to follow. I often buy the seeds of three or four varieties, which could include the standard Genovese, dark Opal, purple Cinnamon or the Lemon variety, and sow them in terra cotta pots indoors, waiting for the warmth of spring. Once they sprout, a warm and sunny window will provide hospitable lodging until the move to the protected patio is advisable.

That being said, this year I trotted down to Harold’s Plants on Press Street in the Marigny and scooped up a dozen seedlings of the Genovese variety (the large dark green leafed type) along with some sage, oregano and thyme. I had decided to create large pots of basil only, as well as a few jardini?res of mixed herbs with the basil included. The pots were placed in sunny spots in the patio in early spring, only to be retrieved when cold weather re-appeared unexpectedly. Now I'm spending early mornings removing snails, inchworms and various other “critters” that love my basil as much as I do.

I found the following amusing account of basil on this website: www.earthlyherbs.com—basil.htm

“To the ancient Greeks and Romans, the herb was a symbol of hostility and insanity. They painted poverty as a ragged woman with Basil at her side. They believed that to grow truly fragrant basil, one had to shout and swear angrily while sowing its seeds. In French “sowing basil” (semer le basilic) means “ranting”. Other folk traditions have associated the herb with love. During recent centuries, when an Italian woman placed a potted basil plant on her balcony, it signaled that she was ready to receive her lover. The French were introduced to it by Catherine de Medici in 1533 when she married King Henry II and brought with her Italian chefs and a taste for food well seasoned with basil.”

So rant a bit and sow that basil!