Sweet Basil: The Summer Herb That Gets Used Daily

Basil is one of those herbs that earns its space in the garden every single year. It’s not complicated, it grows fast, and once it gets going, you’ll find yourself reaching for it more than you expected.

Basil is one of those herbs that earns its keep. It’s easy to grow, forgiving if you cut it often, and it turns simple food into something worth sitting down for.

*I differentiate it as sweet basil since I also use Holy Basil for medicinal purposes and keep the 2 separate.

What It Is

Basil is a warm-weather annual herb known for its soft green leaves and fresh, slightly sweet flavor. Although it's know for the green version, I like to plant both purple and green basil. It gives our meals a pop of color. This year a friend shared some seeds with me for a lettuce leaf basil, so I am excited to add that to my basil mix!

It’s been used in kitchens for generations, especially alongside tomatoes, garlic, and good olive oil. Simple ingredients used well create amazing meals. Basil is one of the easiest herbs to start using right away.

How It Grows

Basil likes heat and sunshine, and once it has both, it takes off.

• Full sun

• Well-drained soil

• Regular watering

• Frequent Harvesting

I pinch it back often to keep it from going to seed too quickly. The more you cut it, the more it grows, which makes it one of the more rewarding herbs to keep going through the summer.

Tip: I sprinkle a few seeds in the bed each month to keep my basil going through the fall. They don't all come up but what doesn't germinate this year very well may germinate next summer

How I Use It In My Kitchen

This is one of the herbs that gets used often.

• Added fresh to salads and other meals

• Mixed into sourdough recipes

• Tossed into eggs or roasted vegetables

• Used in simple sauces

It doesn’t need much to make a difference—just a few fresh leaves can change a whole dish.

When basil is growing well, I like to set some aside for winter. Ways I do that are drying it for winter cooking or crumbling into seasoning blends and infusing it into olive oil for cooking. It’s one most try to use up fresh before preserving, but to me it’s worth putting some away for later.

Traditional Uses

Basil is one that I use for cooking. While it does have some beneficial uses outside of the kitchen, this is one I have not added to my herbal medicine cabinet since there are others that work better in most situations.

I do truly believe that what we eat shapes our health though so while I may not target this herb for its medicinal qualities, I know it does benefit my overall health when I am cooking with it because I am eating made from scratch meals vs processed ready to eat meals from the store.

A Simple Recipe: Fresh Basil Sourdough Bread

This is a good way to use up a good handful of basil at once.

Ingredients

• 1 loaf worth of sourdough dough (prepared)

• ½ cup fresh basil, chopped

• 1–2 cloves garlic, minced

• 1 tbsp olive oil

• Pinch of salt

Instructions

1. Gently stretch out your dough

2. Sprinkle basil, garlic, oil, and salt over the surface

3. Fold and shape as usual

4. Bake according to your sourdough method

How I Use It

• As a side with dinner

• For sandwiches

• Served with butter or dipped in oil

Simple, but full of flavor.

Tip: Want to add even more flavor to your loaf? Try adding sun dried tomatoes or tomato powder to your loaf to create a tomato basil loaf. When I add tomato powder to my loaf, I usually mix the powder in with the water to get a uniform flavor. Sun dried tomatoes you could add at shaping along with the basil and garlic in this recipe.

Bonus Recipe: Everyday Basil Pesto

This is one of those recipes you don’t need to overthink. If you’ve got basil piling up, this is where it goes.

Ingredients

• 2 cups fresh basil leaves

• 2–3 cloves garlic

• 1/2 cup olive oil

• 1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese

• Salt to taste

Instructions

1. Add basil and garlic to a food processor. Pulse until roughly chopped.

2. Slowly drizzle in olive oil while blending.

3. Stir in parmesan and salt.

4. Taste and adjust. That’s the part no recipe can do for you.

How I Use It

• Tossed with pasta

• Spread on sourdough

• Added to roasted vegetables

• Mixed into eggsil

If you’ve never frozen pesto, do it. Small jars or ice cube trays make it easy to pull out just what you need later.

How This Actually Gets Used Week to Week

This one gets used constantly in the summer.

• Snipped fresh almost daily

• Added to whatever’s cooking

• Shared or preserved when there’s extra

• Pulled out of the freezer or pantry in the off-season

It’s not a once-in-a-while herb, it’s part of the rhythm of summer cooking.

‘Til next time, keep livin’ that farm fresh life!
~ Megan

👉 Curious how our homestead journey began? Read our story here.

A Quick Note on Herbs

Herbs are helpful, but they aren’t cure-alls.

This is based on traditional use and everyday experience, not medical advice. It’s always worth doing your own research and using good judgment.