Pesto-To-Be
Thursday, July 28
8 comments:
December 2015 update: Hi! For some reason I can't figure out, Blogger hasn't been letting me leave comments on my own blog (!) for the last several months, so I've been unable to respond to your comments and questions. My apologies for any inconvenience! You're always welcome to email me: farmgirlfare AT gmail DOT com.
Hi! Thanks for visiting Farmgirl Fare and taking the time to write. While I'm not always able to reply to every comment, I receive and enjoy reading them all.
Your feedback is greatly appreciated, and I especially love hearing about your experiences with my recipes. Comments on older posts are always welcome!
Please note that I moderate comments, so if I'm away from the computer it may be a while before yours appears.
I try my best to answer all questions, though sometimes it takes me a few days. And sometimes, I'm sorry to say, they fall through the cracks, and for that I sincerely apologize.
I look forward to hearing from you and hope you enjoy your e-visits to our farm!
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mmmmm-m-m makes me want to go buy some basil today. just reading your profile - wow! i am envious - would be so nice to do that.
ReplyDeletewow! we never get to see such thick clumps of basil in tropical Singapore.. tried to grow some in a pot once, but alas they didn't survive very long in my non-green hands!!
ReplyDeletewhy hasn't someone invented smellivision by now?
ReplyDeleteCan't grow that stuff at all. But that's OK, because my tastebuds can't really handle it. Well, some, maybe! Yeah, a little. :)
ReplyDeleteOh I want summer fresh basil pesto! mmmmmmmmm
ReplyDeleteHi Farmgirl - I visited to see your kitty (so cute!) and ended up here... My basil is dying because slugs are eating them! Any suggestions to save them apart from using chemical stuff? I love all of your photos, they are beautiful.
ReplyDeleteHi everybody,
ReplyDeleteWow, I had no idea people have so much trouble growing basil. It is one of the few herbs that does consistently well for me, which is nice because I absolutely love it. I wish I could share some with you all!
Amy,
Well, now that I've seen the photo you sent me of your basil, I have to agree. We talked about it possibly getting too much sun. The only other thing I can think of is that you need to get a sheep! I know the big "secret" in my garden is sheep manure. Plants just love it.
Also, this photo is of a variety of basil called Lettuce Leaf, which has very large leaves and is a fairly lush plant in general. There are at least a couple dozen types of basil seeds readily available--perhaps some of you can find a variety more suited to your growing environment. I even grew "bush basil" once, which turned out to be these adorable, perfectly formed, little clumps of tiny leaves. They would have been great in a pot, or lining a pathway.
Jan,
Yes! Go buy some basil! And while you're at it, go buy a farm! : )
eatzycath,
I'm so surprised by what you said, since it is so hot and humid in the summer here, and my basil seems to adore it. I would think that it would do well in Singapore. I do know that any herbs I grow in pots never do anywhere near as well as they do in the ground, but maybe that's just me. Try, try again! I am thinking maybe one of the purple basils might work--I think there is even one with "Thai" in the name. Perhaps that is more suited to your climate.
Click on the link to Pinetree Garden Seeds in my sidebar--they have several varieties of basil seeds, and I always have good luck when I order from them.
Stephanie,
ReplyDeleteNever give up! Not on basil! : )
Sam,
Now there's a project for you. . .
Personally, I'm waiting for the Willy Wonka TV where you can stick your hand in and pull out the Wonka bar or basil plant or whatever. Won't that be nice? : )
Cookiecrumb,
You can't grow it either? I can't believe this! But I suppose if you don't like it much, then it isn't such a tragedy. You might try one of those little bush basils in a pot on your patio. Sounds perfect for you.
Oh Clare,
You want everything! : )
Hi Keiko,
Welcome to the farm! Thanks for the kind words. I'm so glad you came by to see the kitty pics and extended your visit. Now, your basil problem we might be able to fix. Slugs? Ugh. Fortunately, for some unknown reason, we hardly have any here, though they were everywhere (along with snails) in California. And as you probably know, those guys are HUNGRY!
One thing you can try is diatomaceous earth. It is a very fine white powder made up of crushed, fossilized diatoms (two-celled creatures). If you look at it under a microscope, it is full of these nasty sharp edges which will literally cut up soft-bodied creatures, like worms and slugs. Also, if ingested, it can cut up and destroy the digestive system of pests. You just sprinkle it on and around your plants and wait for the enemy to show up. It doesn't always work, though; I don't have much luck with it against these little striped cabbage worms that always launch a massive attack on my kale about this time of year.
I buy food-grade diatomaceous earth in 50-pound bags from my natural farm supply dealer because we also feed it to the animals as a natural wormer. Smaller bags are often available from garden supply stores, though it is much more expensive in tiny bags.
One of my favorite books, Organic Plant Protection by Rodale Press has this suggestion for dealing with slugs:
"One of the most popular traps is nothing more than a shallow dish or jar lid containing a bit of stale beer. Snails and slugs will crawl scale-miles on their bellies to drown in the stuff. If you find these pests are taking a drink and then leaving, mix a bit of flour with the beer to make a sticky mixture.
"This beer trap may be a naively simple device, but it incorporates the two things that make a good trap: an effective lure (fermented malt, in this case), and a means of detaining the pest (a pool of liquid made more treacherous with flour)."
You can buy special little slug/snail traps, but they are essentially just slightly fancier versions of the above idea.
Hope this helps! Good luck!