Well, I have been a little distracted lately as we get ready to leave on our cruise with the kids this Saturday. So I thought I'd post something to let you know we're still alive and kicking.
Today, on a whim, we decided to take the camper out and do some work on it and relax a little bit the day after we get back from the cruise. So Larry made a reservation at the KOA and we were going to get a "deal".....stay for two days and get one free. After we got home I noticed Larry's jury summons on the table and remembered he has Jury Duty on the Monday after we get back. So our free night camping is going to be forfeited. Boo hoo. I can't believe we forgot about that! Our only hope is that when he calls the courthouse on the Friday night before he reports he will get the message that his services are not needed. Fingers crossed. Oh, well....even if we have to come back home on Sunday afternoon instead of Monday a.m. we'll have fun.
I made a neat discovery yesterday. I was watching the Food Network one day and noticed that Ina Garten (and several other chefs) put their basil and parsley in a glass or jar filled with water to keep it fresh. So I cut a small sprig from my rather weak basil that is nearing the end of its life. It served me well this summer but all good things come to an end, or so they say. Anyhow, I had the sprig in the water and it had been in there for nearly a week when I noticed "hair" growing on the stem! Well, who knew??? The sprig had put out tiny little roots just from being in that water. So today Larry took the small cutting and put it in a pot and pretty soon we'll have another fresh pot of basil. I can bring it in when the weather gets cold and still have fresh basil all winter long! I took pictures of it and when I get them uploaded to my computer, I'll post one of the little sprig that should turn into a whole new basil plant.
And by the way, do you realize how much money you can save by growing your own basil?? One small package of basil at my grocery store is $2.68 most days. That is for one small sprig of basil---not even enough to make a decent bowl of pesto sauce! One basil plant will give you all the basil you could possibly use, unless you have a restaurant or are making pesto to sell commercially. ;-) It will give you enough to make anything you want and still have enough to share with co-workers, neighbors and relatives. So plant some basil and don't forget that little trick of making a few cuttings to start new plants when yours goes through its life cycle and starts to fade away. It could be an unending supply of basil.
Enjoy your week and hope you got some of the nice cool weather that we got following in Tropical Storm Lee's path. We weathered that storm just fine and hope you did , too.
Happy Trails to you!
Marcia
I love growing basil in a pot on my deck. There's nothing like fresh basil, fresh mozzarella cheese, and tomatoes in the summer...lovingly drizzled with olive oil and balsamic vinegar.
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