Nobody wants bitter basil! People often ask, “Why is my fresh grown basil tasting so strong and bitter?”
There are many varieties of basil with differing flavor profiles. Sweet basil can taste clean and fresh, and the garden grown leaves are great in a salad, on pizza, in pasta, or can even brew a good tea. Lemon, Thai, and Holy basil, just to name a few other varieties, all have a much differing taste than sweet basil.
Basil is a must have plant to have in your herb garden because it is easy to grow AND fresh harvested basil leaves tastes much better in recipes than the dried basil herb. I suggest buying young basil plants at your local garden center. Take a taste of one leaf before buying to ensure the species variety you plan to grow in your garden tastes the way you would like. Bring your chosen seedlings home, get them in some good dirt, and you will be ready to harvest basil leaves in less then a month.
Growing Basil
Plant basil when there is no danger of freezing temperatures. Grow this herb in full sun with sufficiently watered and rich soil. It can also be grown indoors on a sunny windowsill during the cold months. This plant is fast growing and requires minimal care. Plus, the essential oil in the plant may help keep the bugs away!
VERY IMPORTANT: Keep flowering tops pinched off for ideal leaf flavor.
Lack of Pruning Makes for Bitter Basil
Basil gets big and bushy fast, and requires regular pruning. You can cut basil all the way down to about three inches tall and it will rapidly grow back again. Flowering basil changes the flavor of the leaves, so pinch off those flowering tops for a tastier result!
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A tree is known by its fruit; a man by his deeds. A good deed is never lost; he who sows courtesy reaps friendship, and he who plants kindness gathers love.
-Saint Basil
