A fresh and unmistakable scent reminiscent of summer and… good food! Basil is perhaps the most famous and widespread aromatic plant there is.
Its fame depends on its small leaves , slightly wrinkled appearance , intense green color and irresistible scent . In short, growing one of these plants is almost obligatory, so it loves to complete its dishes with one or two scented leaves.
But this plant, when healthy, also produces light-colored inflorescences , similar to thin spikes that can be used in different ways! Let’s see how.
Enrich your dishes
Well yes: in addition to the leaves, the basil flowers are also edible . Before using them, however, you must dry them .
Once you have removed the flowers from your basil plant , you can place them in a glass jar to keep on the windowsill exposed to direct sunlight .
Alternatively, you can place the flowers on a cloth (preferably tied to a heavy base to prevent the wind from carrying them away) and expose them to the sun on your balcony for 24-48 hours . In the hot period, this amount of time is usually enough for the basil inflorescences to dry out .
The dried basil flowers can then be chopped and preserved for use in the kitchen: unlike the dried leaves which, in fact, do not retain their aroma, the flowers retain their aromatic notes for a long time , becoming a good ally for seasoning dishes .
It is important to store them in a closed jar so that the aroma does not disperse.
Flavor the vinegar
Another use of basil flowers in the kitchen is to use them to flavor vinegar .
Simply leave the dried and chopped basil flowers to infuse in the vinegar for at least a week . Then, filter the mixture , throwing away the flowers and keeping only the liquid part.
Your vinegar will now be flavored with basil!
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Have a new seedling
In reality, basil flowers can also be used to multiply your seedling . In this case, the advice is to let them dry on the plant and then you can harvest them by cutting them at the base.
Now, rub them gently between your hands and you will see small seeds fall out . You can collect them and bury them in soft soil mixed with sand, which must always be kept moist and placed in direct sunlight . The ideal is to keep it outdoors in spring or summer , in a bright spot and where there are temperatures above 20°C .
After a few weeks, if you’re lucky, you’ll see a new plant emerge .
NB: precisely because not all seeds germinate, we recommend planting more in a single pot.
Perfume the environment
Another imaginative and useful method for using the flowers from your basil plant is to create a small air freshener .
Doing it is very simple! First of all, you will have to dry the flowers as we have already seen. Then, once the flowers have become dry and fragile to the touch, chop them up and put them in cloth bags to close at the top with a ribbon, a bit like what is often done with lavender flowers or other flowers or leaves. .
Place the bags with basil flowers around the house and… voilà! The scent will soon fill every room. Plus, it tends to keep mosquitoes away too .
Remember, however, that the effect is certainly not infinite and, after a few days or at most a week, you will have to throw away the contents of the bags which will have lost all aroma